The Sheraton Dubai Hotel and Towers, a Dubai landmark for he past 23 years, is undertaking a major expansion programme in preparation for a relaunch by the end of October this year.
The hotel will undergo complete renovation of its exterior, front entrance, lobby area and the Dubai Ballroom throughout the summer, said general manager James Munro. Currently the existing Hatta Room, which has a capacity of 250 is being renovated to the same standards as the hotel`s new $1 million state-of-the-art Executive Conference Centre which opened recently, he said. The new Hatta room which is scheduled to be ready by March will have floor to ceiling glass doors with direct access to the outdoor swimming pool, which can be opened to make it one venue. The new Executive Conference Centre comprises three meeting rooms and also has direct access from the hotel`s car park. The primary target is meetings of 40 to 80, which comprise the bulk of the market. Munro said the planned relaunch in October was the number one priority for the hotel this year and he was "excited was about developments in Dubai which will have a beneficial effect on all business sectors in the emirate". He said that while the hotel had seen a decline in business from the US, Europe and Far Eastern markets following the September 11 attacks in the US, it had been partially compensated by an increase in regional business. "We are on the road to recovery provided that stability continues in the region," said Munro. Referring to the popular Dubai Shopping Festival in March, Munro said that while the impact of the downturn on the festival remained to be seen, he expected that any business lost from countries with security concerns would be replaced with business from other countries in the Middle East. "The Sheraton Dubai Hotel and Towers will be supporting all activities promoting the DSF," he said. Located on the Dubai Creek, the hotel's 255 guestrooms have been enlarged and refurbished and include panoramic windows with spectacular views of the creek. Each room has an extra large working desk, a fax machine, eye-level dataport, interactive TV, CD player, video player and personal safe. For an Asian experience, guests can also stay in the hotel`s beautifully designed Japanese rooms. Located on the top floors of the hotel, the Towers floors provide 24-hour personalised butler service to ensure that each and every request can be immediately and efficiently addressed. The exclusive Towers Lounge offers private check-in and a quiet environment to conduct business meetings.