Starwood Hotels & Resort has unveiled plans to launch its luxury St Regis brand in Kazakhstan as part of its expansion strategy.
Slated to open in 2017, The St Regis Astana will be located in Astana Central Park, which is close to embassies, corporate offices and banks.
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The upcoming property will feature 120 rooms and suites, two restaurants, a wine bar, cognac bar and library.
Luxury amenities will include a spa, swimming pool and fitness centre. The hotel will also feature a ballroom, five meeting rooms and a business centre.
The project will also feature 50 St. Regis-branded Residences at The St. Regis Astana, which will include two, three or four bedrooms, accessed via a private entrance.
The 250m² apartments will sit adjacent to the hotel and residents will enjoy access to the services and amenities at The St. Regis Astana.
Starwood’s president for Europe, Africa and the Middle East Michael Wale said: "We are proud to open the first new-build St Regis hotel in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), introducing a new level of luxury to the region.
"CIS represents an untapped market for international hotel development and the signing of The St Regis Astana and The Residences at The St Regis Astana is perfectly timed to the increasing global interest in Kazakhstan as the country prepares to host Expo 2017."
Currently, Starwood operates five hotels in the CIS under three of its lifestyle brands – The Luxury Collection, W and Sheraton.
Starwood is looking to further expand its presence across the region with 11 new hotels expected to open by the end of 2017.
These include Four Points by Sheraton hotels in Kaluga, Krasnodar and Moscow Vnukovo Airport, as well as Sheraton Rostov-on-Don and Aloft St. Petersburg in Russia; and Sheraton Dushanbe in Tajikistan.
