Tuesday, March 27, 2012

STARWOOD HOTELS & RESORTS ANNOUNCES AN EXCITING COLLECTION OF NEW CULINARY BENEFITS INCLUDING EXCLUSIVE SPG MEMBER DISCOUNTS AT OVER 500 RESTAURANTS AND BARS WORLDWIDE

Starwood Preferred Guest Launches a New Website, SPG.com/restaurantsandbars, that Offers SPG Members Access to Exclusive Discounts, VIP Culinary Experiences with World Renowned Chefs and the Opportunity to Win an Around the World Culinary Journey in a Global Sweepstakes – ‘Around the World in 5 Meals’ 

Stamford, CT – March 27, 2012 –Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) and its award-winning Starwood Preferred Guest® (SPG®) loyalty program announced a mix of new culinary benefits at over 500 restaurants and bars for SPG members globally to enjoy at home and on the road. In conjunction with this announcement, SPG launched a new website, www.SPG.com/restaurantsandbars, where SPG members can take advantage of these exclusive discounts at more than 500 restaurants and bars worldwide. The website will also feature an opportunity to register and win an around the world VIP culinary journey with an SPG member only sweepstakes ‘Around the World in 5 Meals’. Members can earn Starpoints for these dining experiences and turn a night out into a weekend getaway. Through the SPG Moments program, SPG members will have access to VIP culinary experiences with world-renowned chefs such as Thomas Keller, Daniel Boulud and Masaharu Morimoto.

“We are thrilled to present a platform that showcases our award-winning portfolio of restaurants and chefs from around the world, said Jean Luc Barone, Vice President of Global Food & Beverage for Starwood. “Through proprietary programming, content, special access and discounts, we’ve created a resource that is ideal for the mobile traveler.”

SPG Members will have the opportunity to explore new restaurants and bars in their home market, or discover new venues to experience while traveling. SPG members can receive discounts ranging from 10% to 30% at over 500 participating restaurants and bars globally as well as continue to earn Starpoints on all eligible food & beverage spend to get even closer to their next dream vacation. As part of SPG’s continued commitment to providing one of a kind experiences for its members, SPG.com/restaurantsandbars will also feature chef cooking classes and videos with SPG chefs demonstrating how to create their signature dishes.

“In addition to uniting an amazing collection of chefs and cuisine with SPG members, our dining Moments provide members with the opportunity to indulge in memorable culinary experiences with some of the best chefs in the world,” said Chris Holdren, Senior Vice President of Starwood Preferred Guest.

Recognizing the importance of allowing SPG members to access restaurant and bar content while on the move, SPG.com/restaurantsandbars is mobile optimized, has Google Maps and online booking integration. This exclusive content is readily available to make it even easier for members to explore and book participating restaurants and bars. Other website features include access to venue event calendars, menus and exclusive SPG member promotions, videos and more. To learn more about this exciting program, please visit www.SPG.com/restaurantsandbars

Around the World in 5 Meals Sweepstakes – Win an Around the World Food Journey

To celebrate the launch of the new culinary benefits, SPG is launching an exclusive SPG member only, global sweepstakes, ‘Around the World in 5 Meals.’ SPG members are invited to create a tailor made ‘around the world’ food experience by selecting five destinations from all participating venues on a world map. SPG members submit their journey to be entered into a sweepstakes and one lucky member will then win their around the world culinary experience. To reward those SPG members that dine in participating restaurants and bars on an ongoing basis, every meal in a participating venue represents an extra entry to the sweepstakes. Register at www.SPG.com/aroundtheworld

About Starwood Preferred Guest
The SPG program’s breakthrough policy of No Blackout Dates at the world’s most sought after collection of hotels reinvented the hospitality loyalty program when it launched in 1999. By creating a program centered on its members, SPG has developed the most passionate and knowledgeable membership base in the hotel loyalty space. Through its use of new technologies and innovative channels such as SPG.com, SPG.com/stayconnected, SPG.com/flights and others, SPG continues to innovate and lead the industry. By offering No Blackouts on standard rooms at 1,090 hotels and resorts in nearly 100 countries, No Blackouts on hundreds of airlines, the introduction of Your24 and SPG Lifetime, and once in a lifetime experiences available through SPG Moments at SPG.com/moments, the program has proven to be a big draw for the world’s most frequent travelers, and a significant competitive advantage for Starwood. For more information about Starwood Preferred Guest please visit www.SPG.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 1090 properties in 100 countries and territories with 154,000 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 Méridien®, Sheraton®, Four Points® by Sheraton, Aloft®, and Element SM. The company boasts one of the industry’s leading loyalty programs, Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG), allowing members to earn and redeem points for room stays, room upgrades and flights, with no blackout dates. 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 www.starwoodhotels.com

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Press Contact:

Alethea Lam
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Asia Pacific
Alethea.Lam@starwoodhotels.com

Punnee Bunma
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Asia Pacific
Punnee.Bunma@starwoodhotels.com

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