NEW YORK | Champagne house Veuve Clicquot affirms its strong commitment to design excellence, innovation and audacity with the release of Globalight by Karim Rashid, a unique, limited-edition piece that represents Rashid’s modern reinterpretation of the traditional French chandelier.

As part of the worldwide launch of Globalight, Veuve Clicquot has entered into an exclusive alliance with W Hotels, the fastest growing luxury hotel brand in the world known for its iconic and innovative design. Through this partnership, Globalight will become a part of the W sensory experience during exclusive launch events at nine W properties in the United States.

“Design and innovation are passions of the W brand, and we are excited to partner with Veuve Clicquot in this exclusive debut of Karim Rashid’s Globalight,” said Ross Klein, President of Starwood’s Luxury Brands Group. “From Istanbul to Austin, Minneapolis to Milan, Hoboken to Hong Kong, W Hotels is going global as the influential and innovative lifestyle authority.”

Its portable nature makes Globalight perfect for entertaining a gathering of friends or someone special, both at home and on the road. One bottle of Veuve Clicquot Rosé will remain chilled for 4 hours and the LED lights will give a soft glow for the same time, making Globalight an ideal accessory for both indoor and outdoor décor.

“Globalight enhances the ritual of enjoying champagne in a sophisticated, stylish way. We are delighted to collaborate once again with the talented Karim who also crafted our beautiful Veuve Clicquot Loveseat,” explained Cécile Bonnefond, President of Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin.

W Hotels will host private cocktail receptions with Rashid at W properties in New York and Los Angeles. Globalight will also be showcased exclusively at W Hotels in Dallas, Atlanta, San Diego, New Orleans, Seattle, Chicago and San Francisco from May through July 2008.

Only 500 Globalights have been created worldwide with a suggested retail of $4500. They will be available for purchase exclusively at W Hotels The Store, and .

About W Hotels Worldwide | 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 and design to music and art and everything in between. W’s first residential property, W Dallas-Victory, opened in June of 2006, and soon thereafter was named a Forbes Magazine “Top Business Hotel.” In North America and Latin America, W Hotels have been announced in Austin, Downtown Atlanta, Midtown Atlanta, Buckhead Atlanta, Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Hoboken, Hollywood, Huntington Beach, Minneapolis, Downtown New York, Philadelphia, Santiago, Scottsdale, South Beach, and Washington, D.C. In Europe, W Hotels have been announced in Athens, Barcelona, Istanbul, Milan and St. Petersburg. In Asia, W has announced properties in Bangkok, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Macao-Studio City, Shanghai and Yokohama. In Africa and the Middle East, W has announced properties in Amman, Doha, Dubai-Festival City, Dubai-The Palm and Marrakech. W’s first Retreat & Spa, W Maldives, opened in September of 2006. In 2007, W Maldives received the prestigious Travel + Leisure Design Award for Best Resort. W has plans to open Retreat & Spa hotels in Bali, Koh Samui, Vieques and Verbier, the latter of which will serve as W’s first ski retreat. For more information, visit .

Elaine Drebot
For W Hotels
+1 212.343.3920
Starwood