"The Sheraton Dammam Hotel Towers is a beautiful addition to our Sheraton portfolio in the Middle East, and further strengthens our position as the leading hotel chain in the region," said Sami Zoghbi, president of the Africa, India and Middle East division of Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. "The addition of this hotel also reinforces our aggressive goals for expansion within the Africa and Middle East region. Clearly, hotel owners favor Sheraton because its impact and penetration in the market is so extensive and effective. The name generates tremendous brand recognition and value," Mr. Zoghbi added. Sheraton's expansion program in the region has already resulted in the signing of more than ten additional management contracts for new hotels in Lebanon, Egypt, South Africa, Jordan, Ghana, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates within the next three years.

The 276-room Sheraton Dammam Hotel Towers is ideally located just 25 kilometers or 20 minutes by car from Dharan International Airport and 35 kilometers or 30 minutes from the new King Fahd International Airport, which is under construction. The property is currently the closest hotel to the new airport. It is also approximately 20 kilometers or 10 minutes from the shops and central business district of Al Khobar and 15 minutes from the city of Dharan and ARAMCO, one of the world's largest oil compounds. Additionally, the hotel is just 80 kilometers from the industrial city of Jubail.

"The Sheraton Dammam Hotel Towers is an elegant, high-rise hotel in a delightful spot on the seaside promenade in Dammam overlooking the Arabian Gulf," said general manager Jean-Pierre Jaureguiberry. "Saudi Arabia has long been a vital market in our industry because of its major role in the world of business. The hotel provides guests with outstanding leisure and business facilities, and can accommodate meetings of all sizes," Jaureguiberry added.

The hotel offers 276 rooms, including 237 studio and twin rooms, 19 junior suites, 18 executive suites and two royal suites. All guest rooms feature panoramic views of the Arabian Gulf and are equipped with color televisions, refrigerators stocked with soft drinks and mineral water, individually- controlled central air conditioning and heating, and telephones with Dial-a- Conference service, offering the ability to link up to six persons in a conference call.

The hotel's "Businessman Bureau" provides 24-hour business services, including secretarial service in two languages, photocopying, fax, telex and computer services. For conferences, the hotel offers six function rooms that can be used individually or linked, offering meeting capacity for up to 1,000 persons. Other hotel facilities include three restaurants, offering the guest a choice of cuisine ranging from traditional Arabic Mezza and succulent grilled meats to authentic Cantonese specialties. Guests can exercise in the hotel's fully equipped health club featuring sauna and gymnasium, flood-lit tennis courts or large freshwater swimming pool. The hotel also offers a shopping arcade, recreation centre with billiard tables, table tennis, reading and television room, barber shop, car rental and babysitting service.

Starwood is the world's largest hotel and gaming company which, through its subsidiaries, operates the Sheraton, Westin, St. Regis/Luxury Collection, Ciga, Four Points, W and Caesars brands. Starwood's portfolio of owned, managed and franchised hotels and casinos includes approximately 690 hotels and casinos in 72 countries with over 223,000 rooms. The company's Africa, India Middle East Division includes 42 hotels in 19 countries.