SHANGHAI, May 15 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) announced recently that Sheraton Hotels & Resorts will make its debut in the capital of Shandong Province on China's east coast with a 445-room Sheraton hotel in Jinan.
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"Sheraton Jinan Hotel will be an exciting addition to the Sheraton brand's growing international footprint in the world's most exciting cities and emerging destinations, including hotels in New York, California, Puerto Rico, Virginia, Beijing, Shanghai, Macau, Taiwan, Incheon and Okinawa," commented Qian Jin, Senior Vice President of Operations, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, China & Taiwan. "Sheraton Jinan Hotel is a logical extension of Sheraton's growth in China, following the signings of Sheraton Beijing Dongcheng Hotel and Sheraton Huadu Resort. Jinan, the capital of Shandong -- a significant coastal province in East China -- has evolved into an important administrative, economic, and transportation hub. We are excited about the tremendous opportunities and demand for the Sheraton brand in China's Spring City," added Qian.
Scheduled to open in September 2009, Sheraton Jinan Hotel will offer 445 rooms and suites, 4,300 square meter of meeting space, four food and beverage outlets, a health club, spa, gift shop, a business center and an indoor heated pool. Located 20km from Jinan Yaoqiang International Airport, the hotel will also be part of a mixed-use complex consisting of the hotel, office buildings and retail shops, located inside the East New Town, Lixia District, which is developed as Jinan's new commercial, residential and leisure sport center. The highly anticipated 2009 China's 11th National Games will take place in Lixia District where four indoor & outdoor stadiums, new Jinan City Hall & Government Office, upcoming retail and residential zones will all be built in this district.
Jinan, being the road and rail transportation hub of Shandong is located at the intersection of two major railways: the Jinghu Railway running in the north-south direction from Beijing to Shanghai and the Jiaoji Railway that connects Jinan to the sea port of Qingdao in the west. Jinan has been renowned for its lakes and springs, including Daming Lake and The First Spring under Heaven. Other exciting sights include Qufu, the birthplace of the ancient philosopher, Confucius, and Mount Tai, the best of the Five Sacred Mountains of China.
Sheraton Hotels & Resorts
Helping guests make connections at more than 400 hotels in 75 countries around the world, Sheraton is revitalizing its iconic brand while continuing its aggressive international expansion by adding 54 hotels and 20,000 guestrooms by 2009.
Sheraton Hotels is owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with 960 properties in 97 countries and 145,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood Hotels is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels, resorts and residences with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis(R), The Luxury Collection(R), W(R), Westin(R), Le Meridien(R), Sheraton(R), Four Points(R) by Sheraton, and the recently launched Aloft(SM), and Element(SM). 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 http://www.starwoodhotels.com .
(Note: This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal securities regulations. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or events and involve risks and uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated at the time the forward-looking statements are made. These risks and uncertainties are presented in detail in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Although we believe the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, we can give no assurance that our expectations will be attained or that results and events will not materially differ. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.)
