STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Starwood Hotels Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT) has
signed an agreement with Majid Al Futtaim Properties to launch its
Westin and Le Méridien brands in Bahrain. Scheduled to debut in July
this year, The Westin Bahrain City Centre and Le Méridien
Bahrain City Centre will be located in the heart of Manama and are
in close proximity to popular tourist and commercial areas such the
Manama Souq, King Faisal Corniche and Diplomatic Area. Combined, the two
hotels will add 460 rooms to Starwood’s portfolio in Bahrain.

“We are delighted to strengthen our relationship with Majid Al Futtaim
Properties as we debut our Westin and Le Méridien brands in Bahrain,”
said Michael Wale, President, Starwood Hotels Resorts, Europe, Africa
and Middle East. “We have a long presence in the country, dating back to
1981 when we opened the Sheraton Bahrain Hotel. We look forward to
expanding our footprint here with the launch of these two distinct
lifestyle brands later this year.”

George Kostas, CEO, Majid Al Futtaim Properties, said: “We are very
pleased with today’s announcement and welcome the addition of these two
new brands into our portfolio. We believe they will add significant
value to our offering in Bahrain and will further strengthen the
position of our 11 hotels across the region.”

The Westin Bahrain City Centre

The Westin Bahrain City Centre will feature 200 beautifully-appointed
guest rooms, including six executive suites and a Presidential Suite.
All rooms will have the renowned Westin Heavenly Bed®, the Heavenly
Bath® enhanced with the brand’s Heavenly® Shower, the Heavenly® Robe and
the latest modern in-room technology. The Westin Bahrain City Centre
will also offer five dining venues and over 6,500 square-feet of
ultra-modern event space.

Guests of The Westin Bahrain City Centre will also be able to find total
relaxation at The Heavenly Spa by Westin™, which will offer an array of
treatments dedicated to well-being. The hotel will feature the
WestinWORKOUT® with state-of-the-art fitness equipment and a swimming
pool. Other signature Westin amenities will include the SuperfoodsRX™
menu designed to treat guests to exceptional food combinations rich in
nutrients, antioxidants and flavour.

Le Méridien Bahrain City Centre

Le Méridien Bahrain City Centre will offer 260 contemporary guest rooms,
including 18 executive suites and a Presidential Suite, all outfitted
with the signature Le Méridien Bed®. The hotel will feature three dining
venues including the brand’s signature Latitude coffee bar and lounge
and an all-day dining restaurant and will have over 5,000 square feet of
modern event and meeting space, including a business centre, ballroom
and five meeting rooms.

Le Méridien Bahrain City Centre will feature the signature Le Méridien
Hub™, which re-interprets the traditional lobby into a social gathering
place for creative people to converse, debate and exchange, providing
both guests and locals with a creative atmosphere where contemporary,
curated artwork sets the environment.

All Le Méridien Bahrain City Centre guests will have direct access to
the fitness and spa facilities at The Westin Bahrain City Centre.

Both hotels are directly linked to Bahrain City Centre, the country’s
premier shopping and entertainment destination, which is home to over
350 international retail outlets, 50 dining outlets, a
temperature-controlled water park, Vox Cinemas and a bowling centre.

Starwood in the Middle East

“The Westin and Le Méridien brands are enjoying phenomenal growth in the
Middle East where they are poised for further expansion,” said Bart
Carnahan, Senior Vice President Acquisitions Development, Starwood
Hotels Resorts, Europe, Africa and Middle East. “

“The debut of these brands in Bahrain will mark an important milestone
for us as we introduce Westin’s winning approach to well-being and Le
Méridien’s distinctive positioning around curated experiences through
the arts, culture and cuisine.”

Starwood operates nearly 50 hotels and resorts across the Middle East
under eight of the company’s nine distinct lifestyle brands including:
The Luxury Collection, St. Regis, Sheraton, Westin, W Hotels, Le
Méridien, Four Points by Sheraton and Aloft. The company has plans to
further expand its portfolio in the region with a pipeline of over 35
hotels due to open by 2017.

About Starwood Hotels Resorts Worldwide, Inc.

Starwood Hotels Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel
and leisure companies in the world with nearly 1,200 properties in 100
countries and 181,400 employees at its owned and managed properties.
Starwood is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels,
resorts and residences with the following internationally renowned
brands: St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, W®, Westin®, Le Méridien®,
Sheraton®, Four Points® by Sheraton, Aloft®, and ElementSM. The Company
boasts one of the industry’s leading loyalty programs, Starwood
Preferred Guest® (SPG®), allowing members to earn and redeem points for
room stays, room upgrades and flights, with no blackout dates. Starwood
also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., a premier provider of
world-class vacation experiences through villa-style resorts and
privileged access to Starwood brands. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com.

About Majid Al Futtaim Properties

Founded in 1992, Majid Al Futtaim is the leading shopping mall, retail
and leisure pioneer across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). A
remarkable business success story, Majid Al Futtaim started from one
man’s vision to transform the face of shopping, entertainment and
leisure, and to create great moments for everyone, every day. It has
since grown into one of the United Arab Emirates’ most respected and
successful businesses spanning 12 international markets, employing over
26,000 people, and achieving the highest credit rating (BBB) among
privately-held corporates in the Middle East.

Majid Al Futtaim owns and operates 17 shopping malls, 11 hotels and
three mixed-use communities in MENA, with further developments underway
in the region. This includes Mall of the Emirates, City Centre malls,
and also 4 community malls which are in joint venture with the
Government of Sharjah. It holds exclusive rights to the Carrefour
franchise in 19 markets across MENA and Central Asia, operating a
portfolio of over 50 hypermarkets and over 50 supermarkets in 12
countries.

Majid Al Futtaim operates 92 VOX Cinemas screens and 17 Magic Planets
across the region in addition to iconic leisure and entertainment
facilities such as Ski Dubai and iFly Dubai among others. Majid Al
Futtaim is parent to the consumer finance company issuing ‘Najm’ credit
cards, a fashion retail business representing international brands such
as Abercrombie Fitch, Juicy Couture and Halston Heritage and a
healthcare business. In addition, it also has a joint venture operation
with Dalkia and has recently expanded into food beverage in
partnership with Gourmet Gulf.