Starwood to open First W Hotel in Middle East in 2008

W Hotels is to build its first hotel in the Middle East, W Dubai Festival City, scheduled to open in 2008. The W Hotel will be located on the banks of the Dubai Creek within the 245,000 square metre “Marsa al Khor” (Harbour of the Creek) development of Dubai Festival City, two kilometers from the airport. Dubai Festival City, which comprises approximately 1,600 acres, is the largest privately funded mixed-use development in the Middle East with plans for 2.6 million square ft of retail space, 90 restaurants, a 150 berth marina, 20,000 residential units and an 18-hole golf course. The W Hotel will be designed by award-winning architect Jean Nouvel around a waterfront Quay, alongside a Central Park, exclusive waterfront homes, state-of-the-art offices and an array of chic cafes and restaurants.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, W's parent company, has entered into an agreement with the Al Futtaim Group, the developer behind Dubai Festival City and one of the largest and most respected private companies in the Middle East. Starwood will manage the hotel on behalf of the Al Futtaim Group.

The W Dubai Festival City will feature 350 rooms including luxury loft suites, multiple signature restaurants, a destination nightclub, a Bliss spa and will be linked to the other elements of Dubai Festival City including the Festival Marina, a Mediterranean-style yacht hub with marine activities and a unique urban retail resort, Festival Centre, which seamlessly blends retail, entertainment and hospitality into one complete family experience.

In addition to Dubai Festival City, the W brand is considering a handful of other locations in the Middle East region. W recently announced plans to open hotels in the Maldives, Vieques, Barcelona, Shanghai, Hong Kong and in rapidly developing cities across the U.S. including Dallas and South Beach (Miami).

"Dubai continues to emerge as a sophisticated commercial and tourist destination, with world-class shopping, dining, beaches and year-round sunny forecast - an ideal city for W,” said Ross Klein, President of W Hotels. “Working with renowned architect Jean Nouvel, we intend to enhance the style and design fabric of Dubai, and Festival City in particular, offering a product that is entirely different from anything else in the market.”

All 250 guest rooms, approximately 30 of which will be suites, will indulge guests with W's famous beds with feather-top mattress, 350 thread-count Egyptian cotton sheets and goose down comforters. Hotel guests will be treated to W’s signature Whatever/Whenever service, the hotel’s 24-hour concierge that can provide whatever guests want (from a pair of running shoes to private jet service), whenever they want it. The W Dubai Festival City will also include 100 additional luxury loft suites.

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