Ten Years Later Westin Hotels is Still the Best in Bed

Westin Hotels & Resorts Announces 5-Month Global Celebration for Heavenly Bed
10th Anniversary including Heavenly White Sales, New Heavenly Product Offerings,
Special Promotions and more

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y--(Business Wire)--
Ten years later, consumers and critics agree - Westin Hotels & Resorts is still
the best in bed. Westin Hotels turned the travel industry on its head and
sparked a hotel bedding revolution with the 1999 launch of the Heavenly Bed: an
icon that inspired countless imitators ignited the hotel-bed wars and
jump-started the hotel retail phenomenon. In the decade since, more than 75
million guests have tucked themselves into Heavenly Beds at Westin hotels around
the world including U.S. Presidents, Hollywood royalty and professional athletes
and more than 30,000 beds and 100,000 pillows have been sold. The sumptuous,
10-layer Heavenly Bed has grown from cult favorite to well-loved classic, and
Westin has expanded Heavenly into a full-lifestyle brand, with similarly
luxurious offerings for the bath, the baby, and even the dog. Today, Westin
announces a five-month global celebration of this momentous anniversary, and
unveils plans for new additions to the growing Westin "Heavenly" family.

2009: THE YEAR OF HEAVENLY

Westin`s commitment to wellness and a good night`s sleep is as strong today as
it was 10 years ago and the brand`s five-month Heavenly Celebration will bring a
little bit of "heaven" to guests and consumers around the world. Throughout
2009, Westin will introduce several new additions to the Heavenly product line
and host Heavenly White Sales and experiential events in high-profile locations
worldwide. From Beijing to Boston, every one of Westin`s 169 properties and more
than 29,000 employees will participate in the celebration with special events,
Heavenly promotions and giveaways.

The brand will also recognize the hard-working room attendants who`ve kept the
luxurious 10-layer beds beautiful over the years, and will also offer
meeting-planner incentives around the Heavenly theme.

THE BEGINNING

Ten years ago, Westin received a wake-up call from travelers, who said in a
survey that the most important service a hotel can offer is a good night`s
sleep. Westin spent more than $30 million to create the perfect night`s sleep
and introduce 52,000 new Heavenly beds in its 39,500 guest rooms, becoming the
first hotel brand to take sleep seriously. In fact:

* There are now more than 97,000 Heavenly Beds in over 65,000 Westin guestrooms
worldwide.
* Westin jump-started the hotel-retail phenomenon after receiving hundreds of
inquiries from guests who wanted to know where they could purchase their own
Heavenly Bed.
* The company has sold more than 30,000 Heavenly Beds, 100,000 pillows, 32,000
sheets, and 13,000 shower heads to consumers hoping to bring home the Heavenly
experience. Items are sold through a partnership with Nordstrom and online at
www.westin.com/store.
* The Heavenly Bed was such a success that every major hotel brand followed suit
with the development of signature beds-affecting more than 5 million hotel beds
across the globe.

"Westin`s custom Heavenly Bed forever changed the hotel industry`s bed offerings
10 years ago; and we are extremely proud that today the bed and the Heavenly
lifestyle brand continue to grow," commented Nancy London, Vice President,
Global Brand Management, for Westin Hotels & Resorts. "Since we launched the bed
in 1999, we`ve strengthened our commitment to bringing a little bit of Heaven to
our guests through new retail items and innovative programming-a rewarding
mission that has earned Westin tremendous trust and loyalty."

A GROWING BRAND

Following an overwhelming guest response and unmatched media attention,
"Heavenly" soon became synonymous with "Westin." Over the next 10 years, Westin
introduced several additions to the Heavenly portfolio, including the Heavenly
Crib in 2000, Heavenly Shower in 2001, Heavenly Dog Bed in 2002 and Heavenly Spa
brand in 2008.

After introducing the bed that changed it all, Westin continued to look for
other ways to strengthen its commitment to guests` wellness, pledging to "help
guests feel better when they leave than when they arrived." Wellness-inspired
offerings introduced over the past decade included several more industry firsts:
the high-performance WestinWORKOUT program and runWestin (a series of running
concierges, maps, and amenities) in 2005; Breathe Westin (a commitment to a
smoke-free environment) and signature White Tea scent in 2006, and a SuperFoods
menu in 2007. Westin once again made waves last year with the unveiling of The
Concept Room at The Westin Chicago River North: a hotel-room laboratory aimed at
minimizing sleep deprivation and jetlag through a series of exclusive, high-tech
gadgets.

About Westin Hotels & Resorts

Westin Hotels & Resorts, with 169 hotels and resorts in more than 31 countries
and territories, is owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:
HOT). 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 Méridien, 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
www.starwoodhotels.com.

(Note: This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning
of federal securities regulations. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees
of future performance or events and involve risks and uncertainties and other
factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those
anticipated at the time the forward-looking statements are made. These risks and
uncertainties are presented in detail in our filings with the Securities and
Exchange Commission. Although we believe the expectations reflected in such
forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, we can give no
assurance that our expectations will be attained or that results and events will
not materially differ. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise
any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future
events or otherwise.)

For Westin Hotels & Resorts:
Nadeen Ayalla, 914-640-8259

Copyright Business Wire 2009