Starwood Hotels & Resorts Redefines Luxury on the Arabian Gulf Coast with the Debut of the St. Regis Doha in Qatar

DOHA, Qatar - Wednesday, May 2nd 2012 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. today announces the debut of The St. Regis Doha as the St. Regis brand continues its dynamic global growth and nearly triples its portfolio in just five years. This opening marks the second of three St. Regis hotels slated to debut within a year in the Middle East, including The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, Abu Dhabi, which opened last December and The St. Regis Abu Dhabi which will open this fall on the Corniche. St. Regis will continue to expand its portfolio this year with the debut of The St. Regis Mauritius Resort later this year. With the St. Regis brand’s growth, Starwood continues to lengthen its lead in luxury hospitality, offering guests and residents exceptional levels of service and luxury experiences in a wide range of destinations around the world.

“Introducing the brand’s celebrated legacy and unparalleled luxury offerings to Qatar with the opening of The St. Regis Doha is an exciting and significant accomplishment for St. Regis,” says Paul James, Global Brand Leader for St. Regis Hotels & Resorts. “As culture, business and leisure brilliantly intersect at Doha, the destination is one that St. Regis and our affluent guests have recognized as a new ‘must’ on the modern day Grand Tour, and we are pleased to bring the brand to this thriving country.”

For centuries, generations of affluent travellers would go on a Grand Tour through Europe to collect experiences and cultivate knowledge. Subsequently, today’s elite communities travel to Old World cities including London and Rome in addition to new world hotspots as diverse as Abu Dhabi, Aspen, Shenzhen and Sanya Yalong Bay. As a hotel brand created for a new generation of luxury travellers, St. Regis is building on its portfolio of existing iconic hotels with destinations at the heart of the New Grand Tour itinerary, offering exceptional service and luxury experiences across the globe.

Starwood currently operates nearly 50 hotels in the Middle East and continues to strengthen its long- established position in the Middle East as one of the leading luxury hotel operators in the region. By 2015, the Middle East will become the second region, after North America, to operate all nine of Starwood’s world-class brands: St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, W, Westin, Le Méridien, Sheraton, Four Points by Sheraton, and the recently launched Aloft and Element – further reinforcing the company’s commitment to the region.

Luxury Accommodations & Bespoke Service

Owned by Resorts Development Company and developed by Alfardan Group, The St. Regis Doha is Qatar’s first St. Regis hotel and ideally located within Doha’s newest waterfront destination at Al Gassar Resort. The hotel features 336 luxuriously-appointed guest rooms, including 70 elegant suites and two Presidential suites, all offering breath-taking views of the Arabian Gulf. As the finest address in Doha, the hotel is centrally located between the city’s cultural heritage sites and its emerging commercial hub. The hotel’s distinctive architecture showcases the contemporary design fused with traditional Arabic touches, an impressive addition to the city’s skyline.

Following in the tradition of the St. Regis brand’s landmark New York hotel, The St. Regis Doha features the famed hallmarks of St. Regis hotels including signature St. Regis Butler Service, which offers bespoke service and beyond expectation guest experiences.

Exquisite Culinary Experiences

The St. Regis Doha offers 10 distinctive culinary and lounge experiences featuring some of the world’s most renowned chefs, including Gordon Ramsay, where Michelin-starred chef Gilles Bosquet will create sumptuous selections developed and influenced by the renowned Chef Ramsay in an elegant setting inspired by an English manor house and the famed Hakkasan which will bring authentic yet contemporary Cantonese cuisine to Doha when it opens later this year.

Jazz at Lincoln Center Doha

On the heels of announcing a global partnership to concept and create a series of jazz clubs around the world in St. Regis hotels, The St. Regis Doha will debut the first Jazz at Lincoln Center jazz club outside of the United States, bringing the authentic jazz experience to life for guests and music enthusiasts in the Middle East. Designed by Wilson Associates, Jazz at Lincoln Center Doha will offer spectacular views of the Arabia Gulf and a menu inspired by the musical genre in an intimate setting, seating only 100 people in the 4500 square metres venue. The jazz club will feature live performances six nights a week with programming led by Wynton Marsalis, Artistic Director of the original and celebrated Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City, to showcase and cultivate the best jazz talents in the world. Wynton will be assisted by a jazz ensemble, collectively known as JALC All-Stars, who will perform a repertoire to complement the club’s theme "Timeless is Modern: Jazz Artists, Eras, and Places." In addition to nightly performances, each band leader will lead informative discussions twice weekly for guests, residents and the local community.

Luxury Leisure and the first Reméde Spa in the Middle East

The St. Regis Doha offers 16,000 square metres of luxury leisure facilities, including the first Remède Spa in the Middle East, which provides the ultimate indulgence within tranquil surroundings. The spa features 22 treatment rooms, making it one of the largest and finest spas in Doha. The hotel also offers an ultra-modern fitness centre, an Olympic-size swimming pool and a private beach with 10 beachfront cabanas. The St. Regis Doha also features 4,000 square metres of state-of-the-art meeting, event and conference space, including one of the largest ballrooms in Doha.

For more information on The St. Regis Doha please visit www.stregis.com/doha.

About St. Regis Hotels & Resorts

Combining classic sophistication and modern luxury, the St. Regis brand remains faithful to its commitment to excellence. Founded by John Jacob Astor IV, with the opening of the first St. Regis Hotel in New York City over a century ago, the St. Regis brand of hotels and residences is known for its unique luxury dimension, customized service and refined elegance in the best destinations worldwide. Plans for the brand to globally continue its legacy include long-awaited St. Regis hotels and resorts in Buenos Aires and the Riviera Maya. In Asia, St. Regis has also announced plans to open hotels in Changsha, Chengdu, Kuala Lumpur, Lijiang, New Delhi and Zhuhai. In Europe, Africa and the Middle East, the St. Regis brand will continue to expand in Abu Dhabi, Amman, Cairo, Doha and Mauritius. The distinctive trait of the St. Regis experience is customized service and attention to detail through signature St. Regis Butler Service, coveted locations and luxurious design. For more information on St. Regis Hotels & Resorts, please visit www.stregis.comand for the privilege of residential ownership, please visit www.stregis.com/residences.

Contacts

Starwood Hotels and Resorts

Jenni Benzaquen, +32 2 204 5494

Director Public Relations – Starwood Hotels and Resorts, Europe, Africa & Middle-East

Jenni.Benzaquen@starwoodhotels.com