W Hotels Goes to Washington

The World's Fastest Growing Luxury Hotel Brand Will Make its Debut

in the Nation's Capital with W Washington D.C. in 2009WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.--(Business Wire)--In its continued demand to select only world class destinations,Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) announces plansto open its first W Hotel in Washington, D.C. Scheduled to debut in2009, W Washington D.C. will open in what is currently the historicHotel Washington, an Italian Renaissance revival building occupyingthe corner of the city's world-famous Pennsylvania Avenue and 15thStreet. Owned by Istithmar Hotels Washington, LLC, W Washington D.C.will be located directly across the street from the White House,offering 317 luxurious guest rooms, including 32 suites, a spectacularrooftop bar and terrace and a world-class signature restaurant. "In our relentless pursuit of the unexpected and theextraordinary, W goes to Washington with W Washington D.C., offeringan enticing blend of warmth, wit and whimsy in one of the world's mostdelightful destinations," said Ross Klein, President of Starwood'sLuxury Brands Group. "From D.C. to Doha, Bangkok to Barcelona, W isgoing global as the influential and innovative lifestyle authority." W Washington D.C. will feature rooftop bar and terrace withunprecedented views of Washington D.C. and the White House, and aworld-class signature restaurant and spa. Guests can indulge in W'sexclusive Whatever/Whenever service, the hotel's 24-hour conciergethat provides whatever guests want - from a pair or running shoes to aprivate jet service - whenever they want it. "We are delighted to sign W as operator for this hotel. Westrongly believe in the W story and are confident we can create anasset for the whole DC community to embrace and enjoy," said Joe Sita,Chief Executive of Isithmar Hotels. "The Hotel Washington has playedan important part in the history of the city and we wish to expand onthe hotel's history and to acknowledge its role in the community. Thisnow brings our W portfolio to four following the Bangkok and Koh Samuideals that were recently announced and the existing W Union Square inNew York." Originally built as a retail store and apartment building in 1888,the 11-story property was transformed into a hotel in 1917 by the samearchitects who designed the Senate and the House on Capitol Hill.Within walking distance of major landmarks including Capitol Hill andthe Washington Monument, the hotel is also close to renowned museumssuch as the Smithsonian and the National Gallery as well as majorcorporate offices and government buildings. A perfect setting forenjoying a cocktail with friends or colleagues, the hotel is also anideal venue for meetings and functions, offering more than 13,000square feet of flexible meeting space including an 11th floor rooftopmeeting level with direct views of the White House and the WashingtonMonument. W Hotels recently announced new hotels in Bangkok, Macao, Milanand Verbier, as the leading luxury brand rapidly expands footprint inthe world's most intriguing destinations. About W Hotels Worldwide W Hotels is a global lifestyle brand with 21 properties in themost vibrant cities around the world. Inspiring and indulging itsguests with thoughtful, refreshing and stylish experiences, signaturerestaurants, bars and destination spas, W has become the fastestgrowing luxury hotel brand in the world. Each hotel offers a uniquemix of innovative design, comfort, and cultural influences fromfashion to music to art and everything in between. W's firstresidential property, W Dallas-Victory, opened in June of 2006, andsoon thereafter was named a Forbes Magazine "Top Business Hotel." WResidences, offering the W lifestyle at home, have been announced forScottsdale (2008), Midtown Atlanta (2008), Fort Lauderdale (2008),Buckhead (2008), Hoboken (2008), San Juan (2008), Downtown Atlanta

(2009), Downtown New York (2009), South Beach (2009), Hollywood

(2009), Philadelphia (2009), and Austin (2010). Internationally, W hasannounced plans for hotels in Istanbul (2008), Doha (2008), Hong Kong

(2008), St. Petersburg (2008), Santiago (2008), Athens (2009), Milan

(2009), Dubai-Festival City (2009), Shanghai (2009), Barcelona (2009),Macao-Studio City (2010), Guangzhou (2010), Dubai-The Palm (2010), andBangkok (2011). W's first Retreat & Spa, W Maldives, opened inSeptember of 2006 and in March of 2007, received the prestigiousTravel + Leisure Design Award for Best Resort. W has plans to openRetreat & Spa hotels in Vieques (2008), Koh Samui (2008), and Verbier

(2010), the latter of which will serve as W's first ski retreat. Formore information, visit www.whotels.com. About Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leadinghotel and leisure companies in the world with approximately 890properties in more than 100 countries and 145,000 employees at itsowned and managed properties. Starwood(R) Hotels is a fully integratedowner, operator and franchisor of hotels and resorts with thefollowing internationally renowned brands: St. Regis(R), The LuxuryCollection(R), W(R), Westin(R), Le Meridien(R), Sheraton(R), FourPoints(R) by Sheraton, Aloft(SM), and Element(SM). Starwood Hotelsalso owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premierdevelopers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownershipresorts. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com. About Istithmar Hotels Istithmar Real Estate, a division of Istithmar PJSC, theinvestment arm of Dubai World, manages investments in commercialproperty, retail, the leisure sector and hotels. It also has a unit focused specifically upon developing realestate investment opportunities in the hotels sector. With more than USD 10 billion of assets under management,Istithmar Real Estate's strategy is to earn exceptional returnsthrough the acquisition and active management of substantialinvestments in key locations around the world. Istithmar Real Estate is run by group chief executive Alan Rogersand managing director Richard Johnson. Dubai World is the holding company which manages and supervises aportfolio of businesses and projects for the Dubai Government, workingtowards making Dubai the leading hub for trade and commerce. DubaiWorld has more than 50,000 employees in more than 100 cities aroundthe world and its companies include DP World, P&O, Nakheel, InchcapeShipping Services, Tejari and Tamweel.

(Note: This press release contains forward-looking statementswithin the meaning of federal securities regulations. Forward-lookingstatements are not guarantees of future performance or events andinvolve risks and uncertainties and other factors that may causeactual results or events to differ materially from those anticipatedat the time the forward-looking statements are made. These risks anduncertainties are presented in detail in our filings with theSecurities and Exchange Commission. Although we believe theexpectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are basedupon reasonable assumptions, we can give no assurance that ourexpectations will be attained or that results and events will notmaterially differ. We undertake no obligation to publicly update orrevise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of newinformation, future events or otherwise.)Starwood Hotel's Luxury Brands GroupDianne Dillingham, 212-380-4078dianne.dillingham@starwoodhotels.comorStarwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.Roxanne Rabasco, 914-640-3687roxanne.rabasco@starwoodhotels.comCopyright Business Wire 2007