WORLD PROPERTY CHANNEL ®

(PARIS, FRANCE) -- In a multi-billion-dollar development blitz, 45-year-old, Paris-based Softel plans to add five luxury resorts totaling 2,000 rooms or or before the end of 2012 in the Middle East and China.

In September of this year, the company  plans to open its new 438-room Sofitel Dubai Jumeirah Beach and the Sofitel Dubai Palm Jumeirah Resort & Spa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Also in the UAE, the brand is developing the Sofitel Dubai Sheikh Zayed Road and the Sofitel Abu Dhabi Capital Plaza.

In China, three new contracts have been signed in the country's eastern and southeastern regions. The five new Sofitel properties are all under construction.

"The signing of these five contracts is a significant stage in Sofitel's development across these two regions of the world," says Robert Gaymer-Jones, COO Sofitel Worldwide. "It is evidence of our dynamic growth,  despite the current economic situation and of the appeal of the brand's new positioning to investors."

In the United Arab Emirates:

Sofitel Dubai Sheikh Zayed Road is located on the city's main thoroughfare with a view of the Burj Dubai Tower, just a short walk from the Dubai Mall shopping center. The hotel boasts 435 guestrooms and suites, 147 apartments with services and various facilities including restaurants, bars, a fitness club and large sauna, two pools, a ballroom and several meeting rooms.

Gaymer-Jones says comprehensive facilities for business meetings and close proximity to the Dubai International Financial Center and the Dubai World Trade Center will position the hotel as a prime option for the MICE market (meetings, incentives, conferences, events). The hotel is scheduled to open by 2012.

Sofitel Abu Dhabi Capital Plaza is currently under construction and will welcome guests in 2010 to a beautifully refurbished building. It will feature 233 guestrooms and 47 suites, a fitness club and sauna, a pool, restaurants, bars, several meeting rooms and the "Millesime Club" executive lounge on the top two floors with sea views.

The hotel is located at the tip of the main island of Abu Dhabi, on the Corniche - one of the oldest districts and a major attraction in the city. The hotel will appeal to leisure travelers for its sea views and exceptional character, and business executives for the neighboring central business district.

Sofitel is continuing development in the region, with five other hotels currently under construction: the Sofitel Karachi Clifton in Pakistan, the Sofitel Bahrain Zallaq Beach Resort in Bahrain and the Sofitel Al Khobar in Saudi Arabia

In China: three new properties will join the 22 existing hotels:

Sofitel Qingdao (Eastern China)

Located close to Jinan next to the city's business district, the Sofitel Qingdao will provide 231 guestrooms and suites decorated by Leo Design Bangkok, a fitness club (So Fit), a spa (So Spa), an indoor pool, an outdoor pool on the beach and shops. For business, the hotel will feature adaptable space, a ballroom, several meeting rooms, a business center and a convention center close to the beach.

Sofitel Dongguan (Southern China)

The Sofitel Dongguan West is located in the business district of Huanghe, not far from Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong. The hotel's dining facilities will include the Lobby lounge, a tea room, a Chinese restaurant, a Japanese restaurant and a Western restaurant. The hotel will offer 443 guestrooms including 85 suites, a ballroom, several meeting rooms, a business center, a fitness club (So Fit), spa, indoor pool and shops.

Sofitel Guangzhou (Southern China)

Located between Macau and Hong Kong, the Sofitel Guangzhou Sunrich will be strategically located at the heart of Tianhe, the busiest central business district in Guangzhou. With 496 rooms including 46 suites, the hotel will provide a variety of adaptable space, a ballroom, several meeting rooms and a business center. Leisure travelers will be pampered with a fitness club (So Fit), spa (So Spa), indoor pool, beauty parlor, game-room and pool-room.

Gaymer-Jones says Sofitel, World Class Hotels & French Elegance | Sofitel is "the only name in French luxury hotels operating on the five continents with 150 addresses in over 50 countries." 

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