Le Meridien Amman Partners with Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts in the UNLOCK ART Program

AMMAN, JORDAN, October 18, 2010 (Press-News.org) Le Meridien Amman, a subsidiary of Starwood Hotels and Resorts, and the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts have announced their partnership today in the global UNLOCK ART program.

The program was developed by the hotel's Cultural Curator Jerome Sans and is one of four components that aim at awakening the guests' senses and stimulating their curiosity. The other three components of the award-winning program of the Arrival Experience are the Artwork on the Door, Sensory Experience and Elevated Experience.

Mr. Giuseppe Ressa, Le Meridien Amman General Manager said: "We are excited about our partnership with the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts, which grants our guests the opportunity to explore the art collection of the most reputable artists, as a continuation of the brand's commitment to appreciating art and making it accessible to all."

Dr. Khalid Khreis, Director General of the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts said: "One of our goals is to cooperate with different institutions in order to promote cultural and artistic dialogue so it gives us great pleasure to cooperate with Le Meridien hotel in this project as it is a chance for the guests to visit us and to view our permanent collection."

The partnership was signed by the managements of both parties, and thereby giving Le Meridien Amman guests special access to the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts. This gallery, which is one of the major art museums in the Middle East, was founded in 1980, by the Royal Society of Fine Arts and has the largest collection of artworks by contemporary artists from the Developing World. The collection comprises over 2,500 works including paintings, prints, sculptures, photographs, installations, weavings, and ceramics by more than 900 artists from 60 countries mainly in Asia and Africa.

It is worth mentioning that Le Meridien key cards are designed by a group of artists and designers under the name of LM100 and become pieces of art and collectible items that guests can take home as souvenirs.

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About Le Meridien
Le Meridien, the French-born hotel brand currently represented by 105 properties in 50 countries, was acquired by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) in November 2005. Since then, Le Meridien has undergone a brand transformation, which included a consolidation of its hotels and resorts, appointing a full-time Cultural Curator (French arts-provocateur Jerôme Sans) and re-inventing numerous consumer touch points, by bringing unique, curated and interactive experiences to its guests. With nearly 70 of its hotels located in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Le Meridien provides a strong international complement to Starwood's primarily North American holdings and consumer base. Plans call for dynamic expansion of Le Meridien hotels and resorts within the next five years, concentrating in the U.S., Latin America, and Asia-Pacific, including destinations such as India, Thailand and China. Le Meridien recently opened new hotels in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Chiang Rai in Thailand, Shimei Bay in China, and Dallas, Texas in the United States. Le Meridien will open hotels in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Panama City, Panama, and Xiamen, Chongqing Nan'an, and Qingdao in China. The company recently signed new hotel deals in Taipei, Taiwan. For more information, please visit http://www.lemeridien.com.

About Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.:
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc is 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 , The Luxury Collection , W , Westin , Le Meridien , Sheraton , Four Points by Sheraton, and the recently launched Aloft , 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.

For more information, please contact the PR department:
Sewar Sawalha
Public Relations Manager
Telephone: 00962 6 5696511
Email: sewar.sawalha@lemeridien.com