Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide has revealed its Westin brand is to open three new hotels in China over the next six months as part of plans for further growth in the country.

The cities of Ningbo, Xian and Xiamen are to feature new Westin hotels, with the business to boast 16 Chinese properties by April 2012 and looking to double its footprint by 2014.

Westin Ningbo will be a 312-bedroom hotel offering six restaurants and bars and more than 14,000sq ft (1,301sq m) of space for meetings and conferences, as well as a Heavenly Spa.

The 326-bedroom Westin Xian will include a 2,500sq m (26,910sq ft) Heavenly Spa with 10 treatment rooms, one of which will be a couples' room.

A sauna; a steamroom; a whirlpool; and a fitness facility will also form part of the spa, which will offer Comfort Zone and Comphy Sheet products.

The Westin Xian will also offer an indoor swimming pool; and an art and artefact museum below the hotel, as well as extensive meeting facilities.

Meanwhile, the 304-bedroom Westin Xiamen will also include a 1,100sq m (11,840sq ft) Heavenly Spa and an indoor swimming pool, along with three restaurants. It will form part of a wider mixed-use complex.

The spa area at the Xiamen property will comprise seven treatment rooms; a group treatment room; a dispenser room; a signature suite; and an aqua therapy room with aqua therapy bed, a hammam and a Vichy shower.

Other facilities will include a beauty salon and retail service, while spa treatments will also be available on an in-room basis.

Miguel Ko, chair and president of Starwood's Asia-Pacific division, said: "The phenomenal demand for the Westin brand is helping Starwood lengthen its lead in China, where we have nearly 100 hotels in the pipeline.

"Demand for high-calibre global lodging continues to outpace supply in China, creating ideal conditions for the rapid expansion of all of our brands."