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Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. today announces the opening of The St. Regis Singapore, the first internationally branded luxury hotel to open in Singapore in more than a decade.

Offering an unrivaled dimension of opulence, bespoke service and refined elegance at one of the most prestigious addresses in the heart of downtown Singapore, the new St. Regis Singapore features 299 luxurious guestrooms and suites, an impressive selection of world-class cuisine and the iconic St. Regis Butler Service.

he St. Regis Singapore also boasts one of the finest private art collections in the region and the first Remčde Spa in Asia. The St. Regis Singapore is jointly owned by City Developments Ltd, Hong Leong Holdings Ltd and TID Pte Ltd – itself a joint venture between Hong Leong Group and Mitsui Group.

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Centrally located in the downtown embassy district, The St. Regis Singapore is located near the exclusive boutiques on Orchard Road. Guests are just minutes from the Singapore Botanical Gardens and renowned cultural institutions including the National Museum and the Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay. The hotel is also close to Singapore’s thriving financial center, world-class medical centers and the city state’s newest hotspot, Dempsey Hill – a revamped colonial neighborhood with lively restaurants, clubs, bars and antique furniture shops.

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The new St. Regis Singapore was recently included in the highly coveted Condé Nast Traveler “Hot List” naming the hottest new hotels, restaurants and spas around the world. The hotel’s generously proportioned and lavishly decorated guest rooms and suites were designed by internationally acclaimed architects Wilson & Associates. Guest rooms offer stunning vistas of Singapore’s downtown as well as resplendent interiors complete with full silk-shaded chandeliers, state-of-the-art technologies and exclusive bath amenities and spa toiletries by Laboratoire Remčde. One of the hotel’s most compelling features is its awe-inspiring, private art collection – one of the finest in Asia. Highlights include rare masterpieces by famous artists such as Joan Miró, Marc Chagall and Fernando Botero.

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Dining at The St. Regis Singapore is a stylish affair, ranging from modern French cuisine at Les Saveurs to delicate Cantonese dishes at the chic, contemporary Yan Ting Chinese restaurant. LaBrezz serves flavorful dishes from across the Mediterranean on the hotel’s terrace, while the elegant Decanter offers rare and prestigious vintages. The Astor Bar, named after John Jacob Astor IV – the renowned founder of the St. Regis brand – provides a relaxing venue for the famous St. Regis creation, the Bloody Mary. Guests will also discover an enticing array of teas at The Drawing Room.

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Following in the tradition of the legendary St. Regis Hotel, New York, The St. Regis Singapore will feature the famed hallmarks of St. Regis hotels including the iconic St. Regis Butler Service, bespoke guest experiences and luxury accommodations tailored to global travelers. Trained in the English tradition, the butlers provide ever-present, yet unobtrusive service while anticipating guest needs and customizing each guest’s stay according to his or her specific tastes and preferences.

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The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort and Marina will offer the very latest in conference and banqueting facilities, designed to make every event a seamless production, when it opens this summer.

The five-star property boasts more than 15,000 square metres of function space, including a ballroom for up to 1,200 guests, an Italian-designed conference centre with ten state-of-the-art venues, an outdoor beach amphitheatre for up to 1,500 guests and exquisitely manicured lawns and garden areas for al fresco events for up to 5,000.

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Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort and Marina joins sister property Le Meridien Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina and Dubai International Marine Club (DIMC) to create a combined beachfront complex that really gives event planners unlimited options for break out events, entertainment and social gatherings.

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Opening early this summer, The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort and Marina will offer the full array of Westin's signature products, services and amenities including The Heavenly Bed, WestinWORKOUT Gym, Kids Club, Express Checkout, and the new Sensory Welcome, comprising white tea scents, muted music, soft lighting and botanical products.

The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina will feature 294 rooms, including 216 deluxe rooms, 52 Westin Executive rooms, and 24 suites, in addition to a spa, a health club, four bars and four themed restaurants. The resort is located on a stunning 1,200 metre private shoreline and will feature a 238-berth marina, a 150 metre pool with a lap pool and children's shaded pool, a water sports centre, a sailing academy and facilities for deep sea fishing and boat chartering.

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Starwood says its new lifestyle hotel brand, aloft hotels, will finally be opening in Beijing in July 2008.

The aloft brand was formally launched in Asia Pacific at the Hotel Investment Conference in Hong Kong in late 2006, and the aloft Beijing, Haidian will be the first aloft in Asia Pacific and will be joined by other sister hotels to be opened in Sydney, Australia and Bangkok, Thailand.

It is located in the western part of Beijing's Science and University Town by the 4th Ring Road. aloft Beijing, Haidian will be part of an integrated mixed-use complex including the Four Points by Sheraton Beijing, Haidian Hotel and Serviced Apartments.

Aloft Beijing, Haidian features 186 urban-inspired, loft-like rooms and suites with 2.74-meter ceilings and oversized windows to allow for more natural light and connectivity ports for multiple electronic gadgets such as PDAs, cell phones, mp3 players and laptops. The centerpiece of the guest aloft room is the signature bed, and large bathrooms that complement the guest experience with oversized walk-in showers and amenities created by bliss spa.

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The Four Points by Sheraton Beijing, Haidan Hotel & Serviced Apartments is being prepared to welcome its Grand Opening in July. (...)

The hotel is located in the heart of Beijing's technology district – Haidian District – a short drive away from major government and business organizations, research centers, Zhongguancun Science and Technology Park, and major universities. (...)The Asia Pacific's largest Shopping Mall – Golden Resources is within walking distance.

355 well-appointed guestrooms and 177 serviced apartments have everything you need for a great stay, featuring contemporary design, the Four Points by Sheraton Four Comfort BedTM, LCD flat-screen TV, high speed Internet access and comfortable bathroom amenities. Executive lounge rooms provide an enhanced level of service, comfort and convenience for busy travelers.

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Three restaurants offer different delicious choice with beautiful views. The Eatery offers a contemporary selection from East to West, with choice of ŕ la carte menu and buffet. Authentic Italian specialties and a full range of beverages, including signature cocktails are available at Ecco. Yong Yi serves renowned Cantonese specialties as well as regional Chinese dishes.

Lobby lounge with high ceilings and open place is perfectly for meeting, getting together and enjoying assorted light snacks, afternoon high tea or cocktail.

The roof garden is like an oasis for traveler, full of trees, green plants and flowers. Just take a deep breath and feel it.

The hotel also have great recreation facilities to relax and have fun, from indoor heated swimming pool, whirlpool, invigorating health club, full-service spa to salon, you sure can find what you like.

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India is starting to address its shortage of hotel rooms in big-city centers. For business travelers and tourists, there's a snag: The new rooms may not be where they are wanted.

India has only 86,000 hotel rooms in a country of 1.1 billion people. By contrast, there are more than 4.3 million rooms in the U.S and almost 74,000 in New York City alone.

With India's economic boom generating more foreign and domestic travel in the country, room rates have shot up in New Delhi and Mumbai, where a night at a central five-star hotel can cost more than $500. The Ministry of Tourism predicts India's room shortfall will increase by more than 50% to about 150,000 rooms by 2010 because of the increasing demand.

Indian and international hotel chains are seizing the opportunity. Marriott International Inc. has 24 hotels in its pipeline to open by 2011. Hilton Hotels Corp. has agreed to put up 75 hotels over the next seven years in a partnership with Indian land developer DLF Ltd.Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. plans 12 Sheraton and Westin-branded properties in the next three years.

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As long as India's economy keeps growing quickly and construction of new suburban offices and townships continues, the hotels should still find plenty of guests. But an economic slowdown could leave new projects starved for visitors. And the hotel boom is unlikely to help trim the prices of city-center locations.

Take the Westin New Delhi-Gurgaon, which is slated to go into operation Jan. 1, 2010, and will be the first Westin Hotel to serve India's capital. The hotel isn't in New Delhi at all. It is going up in Gurgaon, a satellite city in the state of Haryana, about 24 kilometers south of the capital, a traffic-snarled commute that can take up to two hours.

A Starwood spokesman said the hotel is intended to cater to visitors with business in New Delhi and upper-crust tourists, and the chain expects guests will be willing to commute to their destinations.

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The main problem, hotel executives say, is expensive land. When the Mumbai-based Leela Group bought about one hectare in central New Delhi last year, it shelled out $152.75 million. The only way to make it commercially viable, the company says, is to build a "trophy" hotel there, with room prices at, or above, those of five-star hotels.

Hoteliers say they could still make up for the hefty land costs if they could build large skyscrapers with enough rooms to bring in large streams of revenue. But India's city codes have a stringent restriction on floor-area ratios, or how much total floor space can be built on a given plot of land.

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Starwood and its much-anticipated new lifestyle brand, aloft hotels, today celebrated the groundbreaking on a new aloft hotel in Chantilly, Va., immediately south of the Dulles International Airport and the National Air and Space Museum.

Developed and owned by Columbus, Md.-headquartered Ampac Group, aloft Dulles South is scheduled to open in spring 2009. Marshall Management, located in Salisbury, Md., will operate the hotel, as well as provide construction oversight and pre-opening services. The 144-room hotel will offer a variety of intuitive technologies and atmospheric public spaces.

aloft Dulles South will be conveniently located in the heart of the technology corridor and is in close proximity to numerous corporate offices in the aerospace, technology and telecommunications fields, as well as the county’s largest business park, Westfields. The new-construction hotel will be located at 3870 Centerview Drive several minutes from the Dulles International Airport.

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Empresas Santana is still waiting to go ahead with several of its hotel projects that have been in the government pipeline for a few years, and costs have skyrocketed to about US$240 million, reports Caribbean Business (March 20, 2008):

The newest development is the confirmation it will demolish the Isla Verde Howard Johnson Hotel to build a 250-room Isla Verde Four Points by Sheraton. Investment: about US$45 million; demolition and construction are scheduled to begin by 2010.

The 250-room Sheraton that would anchor Ponce's new 60,000-sq-ft convention center, due to open by March 2009 (cost US$32 million) is delayed. Now it expected to begin construction in 2010 (investment around US$60 million);

US$60 million is the new estimated cost of the 140-room Barceloneta Four Points by Sheraton Hotel &Casino to be built adjacent to the area's outlet mall. Plans have also changed in the case of the now 115-room Manati Four Points by Sheraton with an increased investment of US$7 million. Construction was to begin at the end of 2008, with an investment of US$23 million and without a casino, but now the US$30 million project will include a casino although the company is still waiting for the necessary permits and hopes to begin construction by 2009;

In the case of the condo-hotel scheduled for construction in Sept. or Oct. 2007 next to the 107-room Four Points by Sheraton at Palmas del Mar, Empresas Santana has been waiting for a permit from the Dept of Natural & Environmental Resources since 2007. It will consist of 55 condo-hotel villa units (120 rooms, cost US$25 million);

With regard to Isla Verde Aloft Hotel (another Starwood brand, the first one in the Caribbean) on the site of what used to be the hotel school in Isla Verde, Empresas Santana is still waiting for the Puerto Rico Tourism Co. (PRTC), owner of the property, to demolish it. "We are talking with the PRTC and trying to reach an agreement to make this process more agile," commented Enrique Grau Pelegri, spokeperson for Empresas Santana. The investment is around US$20 million.

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Harrah's had agreed to team up with developer Baha Mar Resorts Ltd. and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide to create the mega-resort along Nassau's Cable Beach.

"It has taken Baha Mar Development Co. longer to organize the project than anticipated and circumstances have changed such that it is simply not prudent to move forward," Harrah's said.

The resort, planned for a 1,000-acre beachfront site that included an investment of more than US$2 billion in its initial phase, was expected to have a work force of 10,000 people upon its completion in 2011.

Baha Mar said it was committed to moving to forward and challenged Harrah's ability to "unilaterally terminate the arrangements." Baha Mar last year formed a joint venture with Harrah's, and the companies signed a deal with Starwood to manage the complex.

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IT MAY be the third largest luxury hotel brand in the world, but The Luxury Collection is still an unfamiliar name in these parts. Originally launched in 1995, this premium brand under the Starwood Hotels & Resorts group is better known elsewhere for its chain of some 69 distinctive hotels and resorts, like The Gritti Palace in Venice, Hotel Grande Bretagne in Athens and The Princeville in Hawaii.

Perhaps the fact that each of its establishments retains its individual name under The Luxury Collection banner makes a common identity harder to discern - especially when most of them are in Europe and the Americas.

In South-east Asia, only four hotels and resorts have made the cut. To qualify as a Luxury Collection hotel - and we are paraphrasing here - the property has to be unique, reflect the characteristics of its location and make it easy for guests to experience local flavours and gems.

The four are The Laguna Resort & Spa in Nusa Dua, Bali; Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit in Bangkok; Sheraton Grande Laguna in Phuket; and the latest addition, Hotel Imperial Kuala Lumpur (HIKL) on the Malaysian capital's Jalan Sultan Ismail.

Previously known as The Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur, HIKL started its US$12 million makeover in May last year, and is now properly transformed, with all the requisite bells and whistles - including a rich but contemporary interior decor featuring indigenous Malaysian wood carving and textile - befitting a luxury establishment.

Along with the new brand image are new rooms - it has 385 large executive rooms and suites with butler service on Club floors - a new lobby, spa and stylish US$1.5 million all-day dining restaurant, Essence.

Guests can also have afternoon tea at its Pavilions Court, Cantonese cuisine and dim sum at Celestial Court and authentic Italian food helmed by a new chef from Tuscany at the cosy Villa Danieli.

But of course, to be a hotel worthy of belonging to The Luxury Collection, it has to offer more than just the premium facilities and services that one already expects in today's luxury hotel chains.

That X-factor, in HIKL's case, is its location right next to the hot and happening Asian Heritage Row - a stretch of pre-war shophouses on Jalan Doraisamy that are now home to lively clubs, bars, cafes and restaurants. Supper over a plate of Maggi goreng (fried instant noodles) at Buharry - an upgraded but still casual version of the Malaysian mamak eatery - will put you in a good position to check out the developing social scene in the city.

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Starwood Hotels & Resorts today announces the opening of a new Four Points® by Sheraton in Tempe, Arizona in the heart of the Phoenix Metropolitan area.

The Four Points by Sheraton Tempe, which is owned and operated by Twenty4Seven Hotels Corporation, underwent an extensive eight month renovation.

The newly upgraded 187-room hotel will offer guests just what they’re looking for – great beds, a social atmosphere and a resort pool experience,

Walking distance from Arizona State University’s main campus, Four Points by Sheraton Tempe is minutes from the more than 100 shops, galleries and restaurants in Tempe’s popular Mill Avenue district and not far from Arizona Mills, the state’s largest mall. Additionally, the Four Points by Sheraton Tempe is within walking distance of two light rail stations, providing transportation to Mill Avenue, the Airport, downtown Phoenix and many other locations within the greater Phoenix Metro Area.

Guests can catch a college football game at the nearby Sun Devil Stadium or enjoy a round of golf at one of several nearby courses. Other popular area attractions include the ASU Arboretum, the Desert Botanical Garden and the Phoenix Zoo. Just one mile from Tempe St. Luke’s hospital, the hotel is also close the offices of Google, US Airways, Wells Fargo and Federal Express.

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The hotel’s 187 guest-rooms and suites offer private balconies overlooking the pool and patio area. Rooms come equipped with wireless Internet access, 32-inch LCD flat screen televisions, free bottled water, and signature amenities including the Four Points by Sheraton Four Comfort Bed, a multi-layered, cozy ensemble designed for comfort. In addition to a duvet in a rich palette of colors, the bed features a plush mattress and a welcoming array of pillows, including two feather/down sleeping pillows and two oversized lounging pillows.

Through the brand’s Simple Pleasures(SM) program, such as hot coffee and freshly baked pie are served in the lobby throughout the day. Guests can also choose from a wide selection of North American and imported beers at the lobby lounge, thanks to the Four Points by Sheraton Best Brews(®) program. Four Points by Sheraton Tempe offers all-day dining including a breakfast and lunch buffet at the lobby restaurant as well as tasty snacks at the grab-n-go coffee bar.

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The long-awaited W Scottsdale is pegged for a June 30 debut, according to the official Web site.

But Katie Brashear, the hip hotel's marketing director, pegs the opening date as a generic "summer 2008."

So more delays may be in the cards.

In 2005, when property owner Triyar Hospitality and brand owner Starwood Hotels & Resort's announced plans to build Arizona's first version of the chic, urban W in downtown Scottsdale, the hotel was slated for a July 2007 opening.

The 224-room W broke ground on Camelback Road, just a block east of Scottsdale Road, in November 2005, but it has changed its expected completion date several times since then.

Triyar Hospitality CEO Michael Mahoney said in February that the complexity of the project was causing delays.

At that time, he said the W likely would be welcoming guests by the end of May, but he conceded the start of the slow summer season is not the optimum time to open a hotel in the Valley.

Mahoney was not available Friday to comment on the latest date change.

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KWG Property Holding Ltd and hotel group Starwood have teamed up to develop a comprehensive hotel project for the first time in Suzhou.

They plan to introduce the fourth hotel brand Westin Hotel of Starwood in Suzhou. The Suzhou Westin Hotel, locating in central Suzhou Xiang Cheng district, will have total construction floor area of near 1 million square meters. It will be a comprehensive project with residential units, a hotel, grade-A offices, commercial centers and serviced apartments.

In the near term, KWG plans to launch the Lang Yue Wan property in Suzhou. Moreover, the company also plans to sell another residential property in Suzhou in mid 2008.

Company's chairman Kong Jian-min says, besides Guangzhou, the company plans to enter markets in Hainan Sanya, Suzhou, Kunshan, Chengdu, and Beijing in 2008.

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The Sheraton Karachi Hotel & Towers is the only internationally managed five-star hotel in Pakistan & a member of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. For more than 25 years the hotel has proven to be one of the pioneers in the hospitality industry in Pakistan, offering exceptional services, the finest offerings in dining, while continuing to upgrade its facilities.

Very recently the hotel has invested in a refurbishment, launching 'Sheraton Towers', a top-of-the-line room accommodation on the 6th floor of the hotel. The ambience & facilities offered at 'Sheraton Towers' are unmatched by any other hotel in Pakistan.

The hotel is also known for introducing attractive new offers and promotions as a means of rewarding its guests. The hotel has recently launched some new offers responding to the varied needs of its clientele, one of them being the 'Wed & Stay' offer, where a special room rate is offered to the newly wedded couple, with an exclusive 20 percent discount on wedding related get-togethers at Al-Bustan, and also other specials to make the experience most memorable for the newly weds.

For business travellers, the hotel has initiated 'The 11 to 6 Experience' a unique package allowing limited duration use of five-star hotel facilities at an unbelievable rate of PKR 6000 including complementary airport transfers & free WI-Fi connectivity in the lobby.

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When Waterford Group bought the downtown Hilton in Hartford four years ago, the aging hotel was in such bad shape that Hilton was close to pulling its name from the building.

A year -- and $33 million -- later, the renovated hotel opened and soon began playing a key role in attracting conventioneers and other visitors to the city.

Now, Waterford, headed by brothers Len and Mark Wolman, has set its sights on another hotel renovation project, this time at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks.

Waterford will announce today that it has purchased a 50 percent stake in the Sheraton at the airport and will join with the hotel's original developer and current owner and manager, Konover Hotel Corp. of West Hartford, in an extensive makeover of the 237-room hotel.

The deal comes as Bradley nears the completion of $200 million in renovations and expansion in a terminal adjacent to the hotel. The airport also expects to begin work on the terminal on the other side of the hotel in 2011 and add another 2,500-space parking garage.

At the same time, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, which owns the Sheraton brand, is working to revive one of America's largest and most recognizable hotel chains, which Starwood acknowledges has fallen behind other competitors in recent years. Starwood is in the second year of a three-year plan focused on new construction and renovations to existing hotels that is expected to total $4 billion.

Starwood does not own most of its hotels. Owners such as Konover and Waterford pay to upgrade and maintain buildings.

Neither Waterford nor Konover would comment on how much Waterford invested to purchase the 50 percent stake in the Sheraton, which opened in 1987. They also did not have an estimate on how much the renovations, expected to be completed by the end of next year, would cost, except to say it would be "multimillion."

Based on Starwood's estimate that $1.3 billion would be spent renovating 100 hotel properties in North America as part of the three-year initiative, the average cost would be about $13 million.

Waterford owns or manages 22 hotels in seven states, mostly in Connecticut. In addition to the Hilton, in downtown Hartford, Waterford built and manages the Connecticut Convention Center and the new Marriott.

The company's first development project in downtown Hartford, with partners in the late 1990s, was the Residence Inn by Marriott in the Richardson Building. Waterford has invested $140 million in the city since then, and still manages that location.

Len Wolman, Waterford's chairman and chief executive, said the renovation project at the airport is a natural extension of its holdings in Hartford and will allow Waterford to add the Sheraton to the lodgings it can market in connection with the convention center.

The airport hotel faces increased competition from a larger number of hotels in the area immediately surrounding the airport. Occupancy at the hotel generally is in the 70 percent range overall, said Simon Konover, head of Konover Hotel Corp., a number that's considered to be on par with better-performing hotels in the Hartford area.

Konover, a longtime figure in local development, said the hotel needed to keep pace with the latest amenities and the development of the airport overall.

The Wolmans and Konovers have known each other for 20 years but have not previously worked on projects jointly.

"We felt we could best do this together," Konover said.

Details of the renovation plan are still being worked out, said Mark Wolman, who oversees construction and development at Waterford. In addition to guest rooms, renovations will update the concrete-block exterior and redesign the lobby, he said.

According to Starwood, lobbies of renovated hotels will include free Wi-Fi and computer stations with access to the Web. This will allow guests to search the Web, familiarize themselves with local attractions and print up boarding passes.

"We're committed to being a prototype of this new initiative," Mark Wolman said.

Hoyt H. Harper, senior vice president of brand management at Starwood, said renovations are essential for Sheratons at high-profile locations, such as airports, because they create one of the first impressions for travelers as they depart from their planes.

"We are raising the bar for quality and consistency at Sheratons throughout North America and the world," Harper said.

Len Wolman said Waterford was attracted to the project because the airport is growing, having added its first regularly scheduled international flight to Amsterdam last year. Although the economic slowdown could mean an erosion in both business and pleasure travel in the near future, he sees strong long-term trends, including the strong likelihood of more international flights in the future.

"Clearly, this hotel has the best possible location," Wolman said.

Average room rates range from $150 to $250 a night, according to Konover.

The 164 workers at the airport Sheraton are not unionized. Waterford, which manages hotels with and without unions, has been at the center of a controversy at the convention center Marriott, where Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez and union organizers want the firm to sign an agreement spelling out how and whether the hotel would recognize a union. Len Wolman has said he favors a federally supervised vote by workers.

Konover said no employees will lose their jobs as a result of the renovation at the airport Sheraton.

"There will be no changes there whatsoever," he said.

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The award-winning St. Regis brand of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. is to enter the United Arab Emirates to manage a new property on Saadiyat Island, the 27 square kilometre island 500 metres offshore the capital city of Abu Dhabi.

The luxurious, five-star St. Regis Hotel & Residences Saadiyat Island, to be built and owned by Abu Dhabi's Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC), which is transforming the island into a signature leisure, residential and cultural destination, will be in the up-scale Saadiyat Beach district just a 5 minutes' drive from the island's planned Cultural District with its Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Museum and Louvre Abu Dhabi museum.

The St. Regis Hotel & Residences Saadiyat Island, which will open in the final quarter of 2009, will flank the 72-par, championship standard Saadiyat Beach Golf Course, which has been designed by golfing legend Gary Player and is the Arabian Gulf's only 'ocean' course having several beach-front holes.

The hotel will have 380 luxurious guest rooms and suites, all with balconies and either Gulf or golf course views. It will have contemporary interiors making extensive use of natural products, an impressive range of food and beverage outlets, including all-day dining, eight themed restaurants, three lounges and more than 2,800 square metres of meeting and conference space. Adjoining the hotel, will be a separate St. Regis-branded residence with 280 apartments of one, two and three bedrooms.

'St. Regis, and its global reputation for personalized service, is a welcome addition to Abu Dhabi's and TDIC's expanding hospitality portfolio and once again, TDIC has demonstrated its ability to partner with world-class brands to deliver on its corporate ethos of best-of-breed practices across every segment in which it operates,' said Mubarak Al Muhairi, Director General Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) and Managing Director TDIC.

Conceptualised by Creative Kingdom as refined Mediterranean-style coastal retreat reminiscent of California's St. Regis Monarch Bay, the $600m (Dhs2.2bn) Abu Dhabi property has been designed by Australia's Woods Bagot, with interiors by Atlanta's Hirsch Bedner Associates and Dubai's Mirage Mille as project managers.

'This magnificent property is a fitting debut for our award-winning brand which is noted for its uncompromising commitment to luxury and service excellence,' said Ross Klein, President, Luxury Brands Group, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Inc. 'Saadiyat is one of the hottest destinations of the near future and St. Regis, with its unrivalled dimension of luxury and bespoke service, will live up to the mounting expectations of this signature island.'