aloft breaks ground at Charleston Airport & Convention Center

The 136 room aloft Charleston Airport & Convention Center is a joint venture between SREE Hotels, L.L.C. and LTD Management Company, Inc. The hotel will be located at the Intersection of International and Tanger Parkway and will be the aloft brand's first property in South Carolina. aloft Charleston will be just minutes from Charleston International Airport and the city's Convention Center, offering business and leisure travelers easy access to downtown Charleston and its nearby local attractions.

"Charleston is a city full of firsts - the first public college in America, the first golf game ever played in this country and the first U.S. public play house, among many others," said Ross Klein, President, Starwood Luxury Brands Group and aloft hotels. "With the addition of aloft Charleston, we're bringing another first - the first aloft to be built in South Carolina. We're excited to offer a fun new way to play and stay to guests of the Palmetto State."

"We are very excited about introducing aloft to South Carolina. The state-of-the-art facility with a contemporary feel will be a great addition to the developing Center Pointe area of North Charleston", commented Ravi Patel, President and CEO of SREE Hotels, LLC. "We are also very thrilled to have Cox & Schepp Construction of Charleston, SC as our projects general contractor and are on track to open in the summer of 2008."

As a Vision of W Hotels, aloft is shaking up the lodging industry with urban-influenced design, accessible technology, style and a social atmosphere. aloft offers a total sensory experience, with guest rooms featuring loft-like nine-foot ceilings and oversized windows to create a bright, airy environment. The centerpiece of the room is the ultra-comfortable signature bed, and large stylish bathrooms complement the guest experience with oversized walk-in showers and amenities created by bliss(R) spa. Each guest loft is also a combination high-tech office and entertainment center, featuring wireless internet access and plug & play, a one-stop connectivity solution for multiple electronic gadgetry such as PDAs, cell phones, mp3 players and laptops - all linked to a large flat panel HDTV ready television for optimal sound and viewing.

Designed in conjunction with world renowned David Rockwell and the Rockwell Group, the aloft brand stays true to the W Hotel brand's heritage, offering atmospheric public spaces designed to draw guests from their rooms to socialize and make friends. Guests can read the paper, work on their laptops via hotel-wide wireless internet access, play a game of pool or grab a drink with friends at the re:mix communal lobby area and bar w xyz. The re:charge fitness center and splash, the indoor or outdoor pool, give travelers options to de-stress and re-energize; while re:fuel by aloft, a one-stop food and beverage area, offers sweet, savory and healthy food, snacks and beverages to grab & go, 24-hours a day.

The first aloft hotels are targeted to open in first quarter, 2008, with locations expected to be anytown/anywhere... For more information on aloft, please visit .

About aloft
Infused with the DNA of W Hotels, aloft is a new destination sensation featuring loft-inspired design, accessible technology and a stylish urban attitude. Starwood anticipates the first aloft hotels to open in early 2008, with 500 properties worldwide expected by 2012.

About Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Worldwide Inc.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.(R) is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with approximately 850 properties in more than 95 countries and 145,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood(R) Hotels is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels and resorts with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis(R), The Luxury Collection(R), Sheraton(R), Westin(R), Four Points(R) by Sheraton, W(R), Le Meridien(R) and the recently announced Aloft(SM) and Element(SM) Hotels. Starwood Hotels also own Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts. For more information, please visit .

About SREE Hotels, LLC
SREE Hotels, LLC is a hotel development and management company based in Charlotte, NC. Founded in 1980 SREE has focused on developing and managing quality hotels with its guests' satisfaction in mind, franchised with Starwood, Marriott, Hilton, Intercontinental and Choice Hotels. The company currently has 27 hotels in its portfolio and 6 underdevelopment scheduled to open in 2008.

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.