Sheikh Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber: "The Eton Collection fits well with our existing properties in the UK, providing excellent opportunities for cross marketing..."

London, 19 August 2007: JJWHotels & Resorts today announces its acquisition of the award winning boutique hotel group, The Eton Collection. The acquisition increases the JJW Hotels & Resorts UK portfolio from three to eight luxury hotels and further cements its position as the leading European luxury boutique hotel group. Peter Tyrie, the founder and Chief Executive of The Eton Collection, will join as Chief Executive of JJW Hotels & Resorts United Kingdom. He will be responsible for consolidating The Eton Collection, which includes Threadneedles Hotel in London, into the UK Group which includes The Berners Hotel in London, The Scotsman in Edinburgh and 42 The Calls in Leeds.

Sheikh Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber, founder, Chairman and CEO of JJW Hotels & Resorts comments: "JJW Hotels & Resorts is focusing its expansion at the luxury end of the hotel market and The Eton Collection has a well-established position in this growing market sector. With hotels located in London, Edinburgh and Leeds, The Eton Collection fits well with our existing properties in the UK, providing excellent opportunities for cross marketing. We look forward to working with a strong and experienced management team who we are confident will be able to drive our business forward."

Since it was founded in the late 1980s, JJW Hotels has built a strong portfolio of luxury hotels in prime locations such as London, Edinburgh, Leeds, Paris, Cote d'Azur, Vienna, The Algarve and in the Middle East, Cairo. Within the expansion strategy for 2007, the group has allocated around 1 billion US dollars for investments during the year in which they acquired the largest shopping mall in Vienna Corzo, the Palais Schwarzenberg in Vienna and now the Eton Collection in UK.

Today's acquisition by JJW is another move towards expanding the luxury and boutique hotels in the UK and complements recent acquisitions in Europe such as the Palais Schwarzenberg in Vienna. This historic property with its royal connections now sits alongside JJW's renowned 'Grand Hotel Wien' also in Vienna, the Scotsman Group comprising The Scotsman Hotel in Edinburgh, 42 The Calls in Leeds, and La Tremoille in Paris' golden triangle'. Also in Paris' 8th arrondissement are JJW's luxury Hotels Balzac and De Vigny.

JJW also owns the world renowned and exclusive Pinheiros Altos golf resort located on the Algarve coast in Portugal. This private, gated community, is home to an international standard 27 hole golf course with a private Club House, villas and services flats. Currently under construction is a luxury 5-star hotel and spa on the highest of the development, due to open in 2008.

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About JJW Hotels
JJW Hotels, is a wholly owned subsidiary of MBI International, a $5 billion multinational company with strong interests in Europe and the Middle East. MBI International is owned by Sheikh Mohamed bin Issa Al Jaber, a Saudi businessman.  JJW is an international Group involved in the acquisition, development and operation of hotels and resorts in prime locations in Europe and the Middle East. Established in France and Portugal in the late 1980s, the Group has acquired an impressive portfolio of Luxury hotels in Europe and the Middle East.

For More Information please contact:
Jo Chemali
Communication Director Levant
Manning Selvage & Lee
A Division of Leo Burnett
Email: Jo.chemali@beirut.mslpr.com
Website: www.mbiinternational.com
Website: www.jjwhotels.com
Website: www.theetoncollection.com

© Press Release 2007