Sheraton Hotels & Resorts Announces New In-Room Entertainment Program with Special Access to Superior Content

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. | Sheraton Hotels & Resorts is announcing a new in-room entertainment initiative, entitled “Scene @ Sheraton,” that will offer guests special access to a wide variety of entertainment content. The program is one component of a comprehensive effort to enhance the guest experience at Sheraton’s 398 hotels across 75 countries, currently rolling out in key cities nationwide. Through “Scene @ Sheraton,” Starwood’s most global brand is taking a leadership position in the hotel category by forging exclusive partnerships with coveted entertainment brands, including Showtime and Sony BMG Music Entertainment. These alliances enable Sheraton to provide unique access to content that is highly acclaimed, popular among guests and, in some cases, exclusive to Sheraton.

Content offered through “Scene @ Sheraton” will focus upon four thematic pillars:

• Sneak Previews: advanced access to original programs offered complimentary on-demand. Through an industry- exclusive partnership with Showtime , Sheraton will provide US guests with advance access to series and season premiers of the network’s highly acclaimed original programs. Sheraton will offer the season premiere episodes of two Showtime original series, the critically acclaimed Brotherhood and the Emmy® nominated Dexter, in rooms starting September 14, in advance of the September 30th premieres. Additionally, Sheraton will offer guests, upon a check-out, a $25 rebate toward a new Showtime subscription.
• Sports At Your Fingertips: sports games and network programming available on-demand. Sheraton will offer NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL all-day access to on-demand packages through DIRECTV® Sports from LodgeNet’s Hotel SportsNetSM service for any game airing nationwide. This is currently available at select properties. Additionally, later this year, Sheraton will expand its sports content through exclusive new partnerships.
• Meaningful Music: launching this fall, this Sony BMG Music Entertainment channel for Sheraton will be the hospitality industry's first “co-branded music channel,” offering videos, behind-the-scenes footage and exclusive interviews with a wide range of Sony BMG artists. This content will be programmed specifically for Sheraton.
• Always Something Good to Watch: A suite of up to 30 extraordinary former television programs, available on-demand, built around a diversity of genres that will appeal to the Sheraton guest. Themes could potentially include “TV Families We Love” and “Smart, Funny Shows” and include ground-breaking episodes of iconic series.

Sheraton is working with its agency partner, Creative Artists Agency, to secure a line up of “true gem” programs that were critically acclaimed and loved by audiences.

“A key component of Sheraton’s effort to revitalize the guest experience at each of our properties is unparalleled in-room entertainment,” said Hoyt H. Harper II, Senior Vice President for Sheraton. “ ‘Scene @ Sheraton’ will provide our guests with content they admire, desire and -- being the busy road warriors they are -- may not have had the opportunity to watch . We’ve aligned our iconic brand with some of the most renowned brands in the entertainment industry to ensure our guests have a variety of entertainment choices and early access to content.”

In addition to the thematic programming of “Scene @ Sheraton,” Sheraton will launch “Travel Channel for Sheraton” this fall. The channel will air the best destination content chosen exclusively for Sheraton from Discovery, TLC and Travel Channel programs, combined with footage from a variety of Sheraton destinations.

Guests will view the distinctive programming of “Scene @ Sheraton” on 32" high-definition flat screen LCD televisions currently being rolled out in Sheraton properties. With this technology, the look of the content will mirror the special access that Sheraton is providing guests.

To ensure a seamless customer experience, Sheraton is working with Lodgenet Entertainment Corporation, the leading provider of media and connectivity, to provide programming support for Scene @ Sheraton.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with approximately 890 properties in more than 100 countries and 145,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood® Hotels is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels and resorts with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, Sheraton®, Westin®, Four Points® by Sheraton, W®, Le Méridien® and the recently announced AloftSM and ElementSM Hotels. 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 .

(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.)

The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.