Logo 'Westin Hotels and Resorts'

STAMFORD, Conn. – Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT) today announced the debut of its popular Westin brand in Cleveland, Ohio. The Westin Cleveland Downtown offers an ideal location next to the brand-new Global Center for Health Innovation & Convention Center complex and features 484 luxurious rooms, 20,000 square feet of meeting facilities and the full suite of Westin signature amenities and services. Managed by Sage Hospitality, the former Crowne Plaza hotel completed a $74 million renovation prior to re-opening as a Westin.

"We are thrilled to introduce the Westin brand to downtown Cleveland as part of the ongoing redevelopment of the city's financial district," said Brian Povinelli, global brand leader for Westin Hotels & Resorts. "The Westin Cleveland Downtown will offer guests all of the brand's signature programs and amenities designed to inspire wellbeing and send them home feeling even better than when they arrived."

The Westin Cleveland Downtown is conveniently situated between the Global Center for Health Innovation & Convention Center Complex and the Galleria at Erieview, within close proximity of the Cleveland Clinic, the headquarters of The Sherwin-Williams Company and KeyCorp, PNC Center, Playhouse Square, the Indians' Progressive Field, and FirstEnergy Stadium – home of the Cleveland Browns. Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) is just 13 miles away.

"We are pleased to partner with Starwood Hotels to open The Westin Cleveland Downtown. This hotel is unique in the Cleveland market and includes Sage's Art Program, featuring more than 1,500 pieces of locally curated art. It's something special to see," said Ken Geist, Executive Vice President, Sage Hospitality.

The sensory-rich environment at Westin offers a respite from the rigors of travel and sets a welcoming tone. Each room features art, specially curated from local Cleveland artists to showcase the personality of the city. The Westin brand's innovative programs and instinctive service transform every aspect of a guest's stay into a revitalizing experience. All guestrooms and suites at The Westin Cleveland Downtown offer the world-renowned Westin Heavenly® Bed – featuring lush sheets, down cushioning and a patented pillow-top mattress, which cradles and contours to the body for complete comfort. Guests will revive in the Heavenly® Bath enhanced with the brand's Heavenly® Shower, Heavenly® Robe and White Tea by Westin® Aloe bath amenities, in-room and high-speed Internet access. The hotel also offers the Westin brand's signature SuperFoodsRX® menu, which includes nutrient-rich and delicious options to tempt every palate.

An ideal venue for weddings, social galas and business functions, The Westin Cleveland Downtown features 20,000 square feet of meeting and banquet facilities equipped with the latest in meeting technology. In addition, the hotel offers the brand's signature WestinWORKOUT® studio and full-service dining at Urban Farmer Cleveland's Steakhouse, a unique concept featuring locally sourced foods by restaurateur Peter Karpinski.

Westin Hotels & Resorts, like all brands within Starwood's robust portfolio, is proud to offer the Starwood Preferred Guest® program, which made headlines when it launched in 1999 with a breakthrough policy of no blackout dates on Free Night Awards. SPG® offers members the ability to redeem awards at more resorts, more luxury properties, more European hotels and more golf properties than any other hotel program.

About Westin Hotels & Resorts

Westin Hotels & Resorts offers innovative programs that transform every aspect of a stay into a revitalizing experience. All Westin signature services – like the Heavenly Bed®, delicious SuperFoodsRx® and WestinWORKOUT® studio – have been designed with the guests' well-being in mind. Westin hotels,with more than 190 hotels and resorts in nearly 40 countries and territories, is owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., 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 Sage Hospitality

Founded in 1984, Sage Hospitality has strategically grown into one of the largest privately held hotel management companies in the nation operating a variety of large, full-service hotels and extended-stay and select-service properties. Sage Hospitality's comprehensive management portfolio includes several major international hotel brands, as well as independent boutique hotels. Sage Hospitality has further differentiated with the creation of the Sage Restaurant Group, which has created and is managing 10 unique restaurant concepts including the acclaimed Mercat a la Planxa in Chicago. For more information, visit www.sagehospitality.com