Starwood Hotels & Resorts celebrates Holy month of Ramadan with third annual iftar for cabs initiative

Press release

Published July 24th, 2012 - 08:25 GMT

Starwood Hotels

As part of its ongoing commitment to the Holy Month of Ramadan, Starwood Hotels & Resorts is launching its third annual ‘Iftar for Cabs’ initiative at more than 30 participating Starwood hotels in the Middle East.

The ‘Iftar Cabs’ initiative was launched in 2010 and has since become an annual tradition for many cab drivers throughout the region. During the hour of Iftar on Tuesday 7^th August, 2012, associates from participating Starwood hotels will hand over Iftar packs to cab drivers as they drive through the main entrance of each hotel.

Guido de Wilde, Senior Vice President & Regional Director, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Middle East says: “This initiative truly represents the spirit of Ramadan. It gives us great pride as a company to go the extra step to give back to the communities in which we operate. This is our way of saying thank you to cab drivers who work tirelessly throughout the year to provide transportation services to our guests and therewith support our hotels.”

Catering teams at each hotel will prepare Iftar packs which will include a diverse selection of food and beverage items. Associates from across various departments within the hotels, including Catering, Administration and Guest Services, will join forces on the ‘Iftar for Cabs’ initiative.

“I am very proud of our team’s enthusiasm and commitment to this initiative and we look forward to continuing the success of the previous years,” added de Wilde.

Starwood’s ‘Iftar for Cabs’ initiative has been widely appreciated by owners and the community, and has also been awarded by the UAE Road Transport Authority.

Background Information

Starwood Hotels

Starwood Hotels represents one of the world's largest hotel and leisure companies. It conducts its hotel and leisure business both directly and through its subsidiaries. Its brand names include St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, W, Westin, Le Méridien, Sheraton, Four Points, Aloft, and Element

Starwood Hotels' business emphasizes the global operation of hotels and resorts primarily in the luxury and upscale segment of the lodging industry. It seeks to acquire interests in, or management or franchise rights with respect to properties in this segment. At December 31, 2009, its hotel portfolio included owned, leased, managed and franchised hotels totaling 979 hotels with approximately 292,000 rooms in approximately 100 countries, and is comprised of 63 hotels that it owns or leases or in which it has a majority equity interest, 440 hotels managed by the company on behalf of third-party owners and 476 hotels for which it receives franchise fees.