June 18 (Bloomberg) -- Paris Hilton, heiress and socialite, said she replaced her BlackBerry phone with a Sony Ericsson handset after Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Ltd. sponsored her reality TV show that will be filmed in Dubai.

Wearing a floor-length green dress, Hilton told reporters in Dubai yesterday that the 22 female contestants in the Middle Eastern version of “My New BFF” won’t be requested to pole- dance because Dubai is “much classier than Las Vegas,” where a previous series was filmed.

“That was Las Vegas and that will stay in Las Vegas. I will not make the girls do anything like that because I respect the culture here,” Hilton, 28, said at a news conference at the Intercontinental Hotel in Dubai.

Hilton is on her first visit to the Middle East as she targets the region as a new market for her brand. Dubai, one of seven sheikhdoms in the United Arab Emirates, has become the region’s most cosmopolitan city as it built offices and hotels to attract global companies such as Goldman Sachs and Halliburton Co.

She was given five Sony Ericsson handsets, Hilton said.

“One is even like a watch with a phone on it and it’s so cool,” she said. “So I’m switching my BlackBerry to Sony Ericcson today. Sorry BlackBerry, I’m now a Sony Ericcson user and very excited.”

Following an infamous appearance in a sex tape posted on the Internet, Hilton’s career as a celebrity has included acting, singing, clothing lines and a perfume.

Hilton may also spend some time looking at property while in Dubai, she said.

Hotel Hopes

“I’m here to find my best friend but I’m also here to expand my brand,” she said. “And I would love to open a hotel in Dubai, it would be incredible to have a Paris Hotel and nightclub. So maybe I’ll be checking out some properties while I’m here too.”

Greeting the audience with “as-salaam alaykum,” the Arabic salutation, she was keen to learn how to translate some of her favorite English phrases.

“How do you say ‘hot’ in Arabic?” she asked. “How do you say ‘huge’?”

The celebrity refused to comment on questions unrelated to the show, including reports of a romance with Manchester United footballer Christiano Ronaldo.

Hilton starts filming today until July 8 in Dubai, a spokeswoman at Viola Communications said. The second season of her BFF series, in which Hilton seeks her “best friend forever,” is currently being shown on MTV, according to the show’s Web site.

To contact the reporter on this story: Ayesha Daya in Dubai adaya1@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: June 18, 2009 05:44 EDT