W Seattle Undergoes Multi-Million Dollar Renovation with March 2012 Unveiling

Portland Architectural Firm And Seattle General Contractor Selected For New “Living Room,” Bar And Restaurant

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. February 01, 2012

January 31, 2012 - W Seattle, located Downtown at 1112 Fourth Avenue (at Seneca Street), has commenced a renovation/RE-WONDER of the hotel's “Living Room,” Bar and Restaurant with the closure of its first floor public spaces. Funding for the project is being made by Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc., multi-branded portfolio owners of luxury and upper upscale hotels that include W Seattle. The 26-floor, 424 guestrooms, W Seattle, is situated in the heart of the city's financial, retail and entertainment district, crowned by an illuminated steel and mesh pyramid visible throughout the city. Since1999, this hotel lifestyle leader has presented the city with a distinct union of style and substance with top-of-the-line business technology and amenities, well-appointed and efficient function spaces, and an award-winning restaurant offering notable new American cuisine. (www.wseattle.com)

W Seattle's first floor is being concealed from public viewing during the three months of construction; however guests are able to catch a glimpse of the hotel's future via a custom-created Peek-a-Booth, an interactive kiosk and video experience located near their Welcome Desk. The hotel's dramatic re-opening is planned for early March 2012 and upon completion, W Seattle will reveal TRACE, the hotel's new restaurant and bar. TRACE will continue the hotel's legacy as a trend-setting, urban cocktail venue and a long-time leader in Seattle's culinary community. The kitchen will be helmed by Chef de Cuisine Steven Ariel, whose cuisine focuses on local, organic and sustainable products and supporting those who grow, raise or catch them.

Tom Limberg, General Manager of W Seattle since 1999 and an integral part of the original design/build process is excited and ready to commence this dynamic project. Says Limberg, “At W it is all about what's new, what's next, so naturally we are thrilled with the complete re-imagining of our restaurant, bar and Living Room space. While it is a tad premature to offer up specific details, I am able to both repeat and reiterate our original pre-opening promise, 'Worth the Wait.'”

W Hotels Global Brand Design Group will collaborate with Portland, Oregon's innovative design partner, Skylab Architecture www.skylabarchitecture.com, to provide the vision for the completely transformed space. Skylab Architecture LLC., founded in 1999, is led by principal architects Jeff Kovel and Brent Grubb and strives to blur the distinction between architecture and design. Some of their notable Portland projects include Departure Restaurant & Lounge at the Nines, Nike Studio at 255 and Doug Fir, restaurant, lounge and music venue. "The opportunity to revision W Seattle has been an incredible honor” says Jeff Kovel. “The W brand has curated significant design projects worldwide. Since its inception W Seattle has been a regional destination for design enthusiasts and the hotel's sphere of influence is significant. Our approach has been to interpret the region through the W lens. The built environment combined with W hospitality is sure to propel this legacy forward."

"Skylab is attracted to hospitality design as a venue for innovative abstract storytelling. In this case we are extracting the history of the future to conjure a unique experience around the W Seattle identity."

Headquartered in Seattle, Washington with regional offices in Los Angeles and Portland, privately held Abbott Construction Inc. has been selected as the general contractor for the W Seattle assignment. A full-service general contractor since 1983, Abbott regularly provides up to twenty percent of the key elements of construction from their direct work force.

About W Hotels Worldwide
W Hotels is a contemporary, design-led lifestyle brand and the industry innovator with 41 hotels and retreats, including 14 W-branded residences, in the most vibrant cities and exotic destinations around the world. Inspiring, iconic, innovative and influential, W Hotels provides the ultimate in insider access, offering a unique mix of cutting-edge design and passions around fashion, music and entertainment. W Hotels offers a holistic lifestyle experience that is integrated into the brand's sensibility through contemporary restaurant concepts, glamorous entertainment experiences, stylish retail concepts, signature spas and inspiring residences. With more than 12 years of proven success, W Hotels is on track to reach more than 60 hotels by the end of 2015. W Hotels have been announced for Paris, Guangzhou, Milan, Shanghai, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Bangkok, Athens - Astir Palace, Muscat, Mumbai, and Santa Fe, Mexico, while upcoming W Retreats include Verbier and Mexico's Riviera Maya. For more information, visit www.whotels.com. To live the W Hotels lifestyle 24/7/365, visit www.wresidences.com. Follow W Hotels on Twitter: @WHotels.

About Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with 1,071 properties in 100 countries and territories with 145,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood Hotels 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 Meridien®, Sheraton®, Four Points® by Sheraton, and the recently launched Aloft®, and Element SM. 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 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 www.starwoodhotels.com.

(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.)