Abu Dhabi, April 30, 2006: Le Meridien Abu Dhabi announces the expansion and refurbishment for its resort style, five-star hotel. The AED20million project lasted 11 months, the work included the addition of luxury guest rooms and the renovation as well as refurbishment of 233 guest rooms and suites. Located in the heart of the city, with its close proximity to the business district, Le Meridien has become a prominent landmark of Abu Dhabi and is the leading resort in the Capital.

"Abu Dhabi is a fast developing city and is becoming one of the most popular destinations for business and leisure creating a high demand for hotels," said Jean Pierre Trabut, General Manager, Le Meridien Abu Dhabi. "We are working to meet this demand by maintaining high standards and a unique contemporary style in Le Meridien Abu Dhabi. We have created a welcoming environment that plays on the advantages of the existing architecture and will appeal to UAE residents and international visitors."

The unique refurbishment of Le Meridien's complete new look is a modern and vibrant selection of dcor, colours and furnishings, themed "Art Nouveau" and was headed by Claire Craig, Design Director from wa international. "We wanted to emphasize and define Le Meridien Abu Dhabi's interior character through a degree of eclectic elegance. It was time to introduce new themes into the rooms to boost the overall design," added Mr. Trabut.

Le Meridien Abu Dhabi will also be renovating the Spa, to set new standards for luxury relaxation targeting its high calibre clients. Le Meridien always plays hosts to a variety of exciting activities and this summer is no exception. The hotel will start off the summer period by showing live broadcasts of the FIFA 2006 World Cup from Germany; all visitors of the hotel will be able to follow the matches on

big screen in June and July at the NRG caf and Ballroom with a special treat awaiting.

-Ends-

Note to Editors: 
Le Mridien
Le Mridien Hotels & Resorts, with its portfolio of more than 120 luxury and upscale hotels in 52 countries worldwide, is owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. The majority of Le Mridien properties are located in the world's top cities and resorts throughout Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific, Africa and the Middle East. In the 2005 Luxury Brand Status Index survey Le Mridien was recognised as one of the top 15 luxury hotel brands. For more information, please visit www.lemeridien.com.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with approximately 850 properties in more than 95 countries and 145,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood Hotels is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels and resorts with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, Sheraton, Westin, Four Points by Sheraton, W, Le Mridien and the recently announced AloftSM. Starwood Hotels also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com.

For more information on Le Meridien Abu Dhabi, please contact:
Dina Sultan
Marketing Manager
Le Meridien Abu Dhabi
P.O. Box 46066,
Abu Dhabi
United Arab Emirates
Tel: +971 (2) 644 6666
Fax: +971 (2) 644 0348
Email:dina.sultan@lemeridienabudhabi.ae
Website: http://www.lemeridien.com

© Press Release 2006