Starwood Preferred Guest

NEW YORK / April 27, 2001-- NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 27, 2001--For the second consecutive year, frequent travelers have named Starwood Preferred Guest the number one hotel frequency program in the world.

Starwood Preferred Guest was voted Program of the Year in both America and Internationally during the 13th Annual Freddie Awards, one of the most prestigious honors in the travel industry. Launched just two years ago, Starwood Preferred Guest also took top honors for Best Customer Service in America and Internationally; Best Award Redemption in America and Internationally; Best Elite Level in America and Internationally; and International Best Web Site.

The Freddie Awards annually recognize the best loyalty programs in the world. The awards are voted on by frequent travelers via Insideflyer magazine and an Internet survey, giving those who travel most the opportunity to voice their opinions on favorite airlines, hotels and credit card loyalty programs.

Travelers have once again lauded Starwood Preferred Guest for the program's continued efforts to aggressively reward and recognize frequent travelers. The program made headlines when it launched in 1999 with a breakthrough policy of no blackout dates and no capacity controls, meaning members can redeem stays anytime, anywhere. Starwood Preferred Guest members have also cited the program's hassle-free redemptions, outstanding customer service and innovative programs and perks for elite members. Starwood Preferred Guest also boasts an unrivaled portfolio of hotels and resorts which includes some of the world's most celebrated hotel brands: St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, Westin, Sheraton, W Hotels and Four Points by Sheraton. Starwood Preferred Guest offers members more resorts, more luxury properties, more European hotels and more golf properties than any other hotel program, which has proven to be a big draw for the world's most frequent travelers, and a significant competitive advantage. Finally, Starwood Preferred Guest's unique policy of allowing members to convert Starpoints to miles on a 1-to-1 basis with more than 30 airline partners is very popular for its simplicity and well regarded by the world's most frequent travelers.

Randy Petersen, the publisher of InsideFlyer magazine who introduced the Freddie Awards 13 years ago, praised Starwood Preferred Guest for winning program of the year and for receiving more top awards than any other frequent hotel guest program.

"When Starwood launched Starwood Preferred Guest in 1999, travelers immediately responded to its very customer-friendly no blackouts/no capacity control policy and its renowned portfolio of properties around the world" said Petersen. "Because the program is pro-traveler, Starwood Preferred Guest continues to earn recognition, and you can bet they will work very hard to retain their title as world's best hotel program which is great news for frequent travelers."

"Starwood Preferred Guest is honored to receive this award on the heels of its second birthday," said Hoyt H. Harper, senior vice president of business development and marketing programs for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. "When we launched the program, we took the industry by surprise with our generous awards, rich promotions and hassle-free reward redemption. During the last year we focused on keeping the reward aspect of Starwood Preferred Guest second to none, but also increased our customer service efforts and the recognition we provide to our elite travelers, who want and deserve more services and perks in return for their loyalty."

In late 2000, Starwood Preferred Guest launched Platinum Concierge exclusively for the program's Platinum members who log a minimum of 20 stays per year in Starwood's hotels. Designed to handle any travel arrangements around the globe, Platinum Concierges have reserved opera tickets in Paris, secured football tickets in Europe, arranged cooking lessons in China and organized a romantic marriage proposal at the Taj Mahal on behalf of their members

In addition to winning a second consecutive Freddie for Best Hotel Program, Starwood Preferred Guest was also named the number one hotel rewards program as reported in USA Today, winning the highest grade overall of any hotel reward program.

To become a Starwood Preferred Guest member, call 888/625-4988 or log on to .

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. HOT is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with more than 725 properties in 80 countries and 120,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. With internationally renowned brands, Starwood is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchiser of hotels and resorts including: St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, Sheraton, Westin, Four Points by Sheraton, W brands, as well as Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts. For more information, please visit us at www.starwoodhotels.com.