Aloft South Beach - Rendering — Photo by Starwood
aloft by W-Hotels

STAMFORD, Conn. – Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.® (NYSE:HOT) today announced that its stylish Aloft brand continues its explosive growth with plans to debut in Miami Beach, Florida. Aloft South Beach will open in early 2015 and feature 235 spacious, loft-like rooms, forward-thinking technology, a lively social atmosphere and a line-up of innovative programming.

"Aloft is a perfect match for South Beach, geared toward savvy travelers who will appreciate urban design, intuitive technologies and live music," said Brian McGuinness, Senior Vice President, Specialty Select Brands for Starwood. "Accelerating demand for Aloft among the next generation of travelers has fueled the brand's growth, and we will reach 100 hotels worldwide by the beginning of 2015."

The project, developed by JMH Development and Madden Real Estate Ventures, is an adaptive reuse of the historic Motel Ankara and will also include a new eight-story tower. Construction is being handled by Plaza Construction and the project's architect is ADD, Inc. Aloft South Beach will be first newly constructed hotel to open in South Beach since 2009, and therefore will provide significantly larger rooms averaging over 360 square feet, as compared to its competitors.

"We're thrilled to be developing this fantastic and unique property in South Beach," said Jason Halpern, principal in JMH Development, who has a track record of restoring historic structures. "It's especially appealing that this project involves the renovation of a classic mid-century motel along with the construction of a new, eight-story Aloft Hotel. Combining this historic building as a nod to the rich history of South Beach, alongside the opportunity to create an architecturally new structure is truly exciting."

Aloft South Beach will offer a prime, waterfront location with access to Lake Pancoast and the Collins Canal, which wrap around the property. Just one block from the shores of Miami Beach, the new Aloft will also be minutes from the world-renowned South Beach, the Miami Beach Convention Center, several art galleries, the Bass Museum of Art and numerous night clubs, restaurants and boutiques.

Guests will enjoy an outdoor pool, roof deck lounge, a 24-hour fitness center and 2,349 square feet of flexible meeting space ideal for both business meetings and social gatherings. Aloft Miami Beach joins Aloft Miami-Brickell and Aloft Miami Doral as the brand's third hotel in the Miami area.

"We are delighted to bring Aloft to Miami Beach as part of the brand's aggressive expansion across the U.S. including Florida, where we will have nine Aloft hotels by 2016," said Allison Reid, Senior Vice President of North America Development, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. "Aloft is resonating with the next generation of travelers with its urban design flair, social atmosphere and original programming."

The Aloft brand's innovative and exclusive initiatives set it apart. Aloft Hotels recently announced that select properties will roll out Smart Check In, allowing guests to use their smartphones to check in to the hotel and open their guestroom door, bypassing the front desk. This follows on the heels of the first phase of Smart Check-In, the first mobile check-in using RFID check-in technology. In addition, Aloft Hotels offers live, free access to local emerging artists as well as some of the hottest bands with Live at Aloft Hotels programming at the W XYZ® bars.

About Aloft Hotels

With 100 hotels open now and coming soon in 14 countries around the world, Starwood's Aloft brand delivers a fresh approach to the traditional staid hotel landscape. For the 'always on' next generation of traveler, the Aloft brand offers a tech-forward, vibrant experience and a modern style that is different by design. For more information, please visit www.alofthotels.com. Aloft, like all brands within Starwood's portfolio, is proud to offer the Starwood Preferred Guest(R) program, the industry's richest loyalty program. To learn more, please visit spg.com.

About Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with nearly 1,200 properties in 100 countries, and 181,400 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels, resorts and residences with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, W®, Westin®, Le Méridien®, Sheraton®, Four Points® by Sheraton, Aloft®, and Element®. The Company boasts one of the industry's leading loyalty programs, Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG®), allowing members to earn and redeem points for room stays, room upgrades and flights, with no blackout dates. Starwood also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., a premier provider of world-class vacation experiences through villa-style resorts and privileged access to Starwood brands. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com.

About JMH Development

JMH Development is a leading, full-service real estate development company with experience as developer or owner of major residential and commercial properties across the U.S. With an innovative approach to creating distinctive properties in the luxury category, JMH has been a pioneer in the development of the most unique and well positioned properties in burgeoning markets like Williamsburg and Brooklyn. The firm recently completed a major renovation of 184 Kent Avenue resulting in 340 luxury residential rentals in Brooklyn. Listed on the National Historic Register, 184 Kent was announced as the recipient of the 2011 Building Brooklyn Award in the adaptive reuse category. Most recently, JMH is developing The Townhouses of Cobble Hill, a collection of nine luxury townhouses in the landmark Cobble Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn, JMH is committed to creating high quality, successful and enduring properties like these throughout the country.