Kazakhstan's visitor appeal keeps rising: Today, Starwood announced that it will bring the St. Regis brand to Kazakhstan’s capital city with the opening of The St. Regis Astana and The Residences at The St. Regis Astana. The project is scheduled to open in 2017.
In a statement, Michael Wale, president, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Europe, Africa and the Middle East noted that this property would be the first new-build St. Regis hotel in the Commonwealth of Independent States. “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,” Wale added.
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| Astana, Kazakhstan, courtesy of visitkazakhstan.kz. |
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Details
The St. Regis Astana will be located in Astana Central Park, close to embassies, corporate headquarters and banks. The new-build hotel will have 120 guest rooms, including 18 suites and a Presidential Suite. For meetings and events, the hotel will have a ballroom, five meeting rooms and a business center.
Dining options will include an all-day restaurant, a specialty restaurant, the St. Regis Bar & Wine Vault, a cognac bar and library. Other perks include a spa, pool and exercise room, as well as a children’s club. Guests will also get to take advantage of the signature St. Regis Butler Service, providing anticipatory service and customizing each guest’s stay to specific tastes and preferences.
The project will also include 50 St. Regis-branded Residences at the hotel that will come with a private entrance. The Residences will have two, three or four bedrooms and will be adjacent to the hotel. Residents will have access to the services and amenities at The St. Regis Astana.
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Starwood in the CIS
“We’ve carefully watched the gradual transfer of business and institutions to Astana, driving an expansion of the city’s international airport and the development of a new railway station, and believe this is the ideal time to bring the St. Regis brand to this burgeoning capital city,” Bart Carnahan, senior vice president, acquisitions & development, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Europe, Africa and Middle East, said in a statement. “Cities throughout the CIS are seeing an increase in regional and international visitors who are looking for high-end accommodations, creating excellent opportunities for the introduction of Starwood’s brands into this important growth market.”
Currently, Starwood operates five hotels in the CIS under three of its distinctive lifestyle brands, including The Luxury Collection, W and Sheraton. Starwood is expanding 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; as well as Sheraton Dushanbe in Tajikistan.