WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. | W Hotels Worldwide, the world’s fastest growing luxury hotel brand, will open its first Retreat & Spa, W Maldives today. A sophisticated luxury playground set on the private, exotic island of Fesdu, in the North Ari Atoll, W Retreat & Spa–Maldives offers exclusivity, escape, and indulgence in a pristine seaside sanctuary. W Maldives features 78 private villas–each with its own plunge pool and sundeck; six gourmet eateries and cocktail bars, including 15 BELOW, the region’s only subterranean grotto bar, literally located 15-feet below Island surface; a wonderland of ocean exploration and adventures; and an over-water AWAY® spa for ultimate rejuvenation.

Guests arriving at Male’ International Airport are invited into an exclusive W Lounge where they will begin their journey into paradise before boarding a seaplane and flying to the private island of Fesdu. Upon arrival to the Retreat, guests are greeted with a Ceremonial Welcoming Cocktail, a special initiation to the exotic island featuring W’s signature passion fruit-fresh mint iced tea and uniquely flavored ice cubes.

“With the launch of W Maldives, the first of many of our retreat product, W continues to extend beyond the boundaries of everyday travel, offering a magical mix of sexy destinations and sublime design,” said Ross Klein, President, W Hotels Worldwide. “From Minneapolis to Milan, Hoboken to Hong Kong, W Hotels is going global as the influential and innovative lifestyle authority.”

Escape on a Beachfront Haven

Surrounded by white-sand beaches, turquoise lagoons and breathtaking reefs, W Maldives luxury villa accommodations consist of 46 over-water “Ocean Oasis” retreats, perched above the lagoon with glass floors for underwater voyeurism; 28 bi-level “Beach Oasis” retreats with unobstructed views of the Indian Ocean; three luxurious two-bedroom “Seascape Escape” retreats with oversized infinity plunge pools; and a lavish, two-bedroom “Ocean Haven” retreat with an oversized infinity-edge plunge pool, wraparound sundeck, and panoramic views of the Indian Ocean. Adding opulence to style, each retreat features lush outdoor lounging areas with private decks for basking in the sun, endless ocean views, individual barbeque stations for private dining, circular custom-made daybeds for island lounging, outdoor tropical showers, spacious indoor living areas, W signature beds, deluxe Bose® sound systems, 42 inch plasma televisions, and wine refrigerators to chill the bubbly.

Indulge in a Private Island Paradise

Guests can fulfill their epicurean desires with six gourmet restaurants and unique after-dark escapes. FIRE, the Retreat’s outdoor jungle barbeque restaurant, offers a serene, romantic and casual mood for beachfront dining. Guests can watch the sun go down with a cocktail in SIP before heading to FISH for freshly caught seafood prepared with an Asian flair. WET, the Retreat’s pool bar, offers guests the opportunity to swim up to the bar and order from a menu of creatively delicious island concoctions. KITCHEN, a modern interpretation of bistro fare, offers the perfect start to an evening of dancing and frolicking at the Retreat’s unique 15 BELOW bar, a truly unique, underground nightlife experience offering the largest selection of vodka in the Maldives.

Explore the Exotic Playground

For adventurous guests wishing to dive deep into the crystal blue ocean or explore the private house reef, WAVE is the ultimate water sports facility fully equipped with latest state-of-the-art equipment including Nitrox compressors, top-quality Scubapro diving gear, underwater scooters, and high-end underwater photo and video equipment. Guests can explore the endless turquoise waters with activities such as kite surfing, water skiing, windsurfing, canoeing, fishing, snorkeling, catamaran sailing or wake and knee boarding. W Maldives also offers a variety of dive courses and access to the islands most incredible lagoons and breathtaking reefs. ENERGY, the Retreat’s activity center, offers aqua aerobics, pool and beach games, and circuit training.

W Maldives also offers guests 24-hour access to SWEAT, a state-of-the-art Technogym with cardio, strength and free-weight exercise facilities overlooking the beautiful blue expanses of the Indian Ocean. Other amenities include a 24-hour Welcome Desk, wireless high-speed internet access in W’s Living Room, complimentary ocean side yoga, access to iPod® accessories, and cellular telephone rental.

Whatever/Whenever/Wherever

W brings its unique service philosophy to the most exotic locales around the world with Whatever/Whenever/Wherever, taking resort service to unprecedented new levels of wish fulfillment. In addition to its signature services, such as inspiring wake-up calls and “W2GO” in-flight meals, W Maldives will offer whatever, whenever and wherever necessary to grant guests’ wishes 24-hours a day. Whether a luxury speedboat ride to a private beach with a sunset dinner for two, lessons in the Maldivian language of Dhivehi, or an intimate private island commitment ceremony, W’s Whatever/Whenever/Wherever agents are dedicated to fulfilling the ultimate island dreams of every guest.

About W Hotels | W Hotels is a global lifestyle brand with 21 properties in the most vibrant cities around the world. Inspiring and indulging its guests with thoughtful, refreshing and stylish experiences, signature restaurants, bars and destination spas, W has become the fastest growing luxury hotel brand in the world. Each hotel offers a unique mix of innovative design, comfort and cultural influences from fashion to music to art and everything in between. W’s first residential property, W Dallas Victory, opened in June of 2006. W Residences, offering the W lifestyle at home, have been announced for Las Vegas, Hollywood, South Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Philadelphia and Hoboken. Internationally, W has announced plans for hotels in Vieques, Barcelona, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Santiago, Athens, Istanbul, Doha and Dubai. For more information, visit .

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) 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® 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. 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.

Hwee Peng Yeo
(65) 6335 4837
Starwood