Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide has signed an agreement with Majid Al Futtaim Properties to launch its Westin and Le Méridien brands in Bahrain.
The move follows last week’s announcement that Kempinski Hotels had reached an agreement with the owners of Bahrain City Centre mall to end its hotel management agreement, which stunned the kingdom’s hospitality sector. Scheduled to debut in early July this year, the two towers currently called the Kempinksi Grand & Ixir Hotel will be split into The Westin Bahrain City Centre and Le Méridien Bahrain City Centre. The two hotels will add 460 rooms to Starwood’s portfolio in Bahrain, which includes the Sheraton Bahrain Hotel, linked to upmarket Moda Mall. “Following last year’s successful conversion and opening of Sheraton Dubai Mall of the Emirates, 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 here with the launch of these two distinct lifestyle brands later this year.” Both hotels are directly linked to the popular mall owned by Majid Al Futtaim Properties. Bahrain City Centre is home to 350 retail outlets, 50 dining outlets, a temperature-controlled water park, multi-cinemas and a bowling centre and attracts visitors from Bahrain and across the Saudi causeway. George Kostas, CEO, Majid Al Futtaim Properties, said: “We welcome the addition of these two new brands to 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 will feature 200 rooms, including six executive suites and a Presidential Suite and promises customers a ‘heavenly’ experience. 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. It will also offer five dining venues and over 6,500 square-feet of event space and the spa will be getting a ‘heavenly’ touch too and called The Heavenly Spa by Westin. The hotel has a gym and swimming pool and other signature Westin amenities including a menu designed to treat guests to food combinations rich in nutrients, antioxidants and flavour. The adjoining Le Méridien Bahrain City Centre will offer 260 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, the company says. Guests of the two hotels will be able to enjoy access to all the facilities and amenities of both hotels. Starwood operates nearly 50 hotels and resorts across the Middle East under eight of the company’s nine 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. Kempinski Hotels is currently looking at various options tabled by developers and is keen to make a return to the kingdom. History has a way of repeating itself as older expats and locals will recall the Le Royal Méridien Bahrain was once the name of the hotel which is now the home of the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain Hotel & Spa.
