Sheraton Seattle Now Largest Hotel in Pacific Northwest

$130 Million Expansion and Renovation Project Complete

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. October 14, 2008

SEATTLE, WA, Ocotber 9, 2007. The Sheraton Seattle, located in the heart of downtown Seattle, Wash., is excited to announce the completion of its $130 million multi-phase expansion, making it the premier meeting and convention hotel destination in the Pacific Northwest. The hotel now boasts 1,258 guest rooms - 420 of those rooms in the new 25-story Union Street Tower - as well as 75,000 square feet of flexible meeting and banquet space, a contemporary new lobby featuring the Link@Sheraton, a lobby lounge and a Daily Grill restaurant. Since the Sheraton Seattle opened in 1982, it has hosted numerous world leaders, presidents and entertainers, and with this new renovation will continue in that tradition of providing an exceptional experience for events and guests from around the world.

To celebrate this milestone and the hotel's 25th anniversary, the Sheraton Seattle hosted a full day of exciting events beginning with a free concert with Kool & The Gang in the porte cochere for thousands of downtown businesses and Seattleites to show their appreciation for their continued support. Celebration events continued into the evening with a VIP party where the new Union Street Tower lit up the new Seattle skyline.

'We are thrilled to be welcoming our guests to the new Sheraton Seattle,' said Keri Robinson, general manager of the Sheraton Seattle Hotel. 'This major milestone builds on the hotel's premier status as a destination and allows us to continue to be an international gateway to visitors of this incredible city.'

The expansion project included 420 new guest rooms complete with flat panel televisions and modern furniture creating an overall feeling of warmth and comfort. The lobby was renovated with classic and rich textures with inviting seating around a centrally located fireplace for an upscale ambiance. Two new entrances to the hotel were also created on Pike Street and Union Street, allowing easier access to and from the Washington Convention & Trade Center. Original artworks by renowned glass sculpturist, Dale Chihuly, are featured throughout the hotel. The Sheraton Seattle is recognized as being the first large hotel in the nation to feature original artwork in all its guestrooms and public areas, and that tradition continues in the form of paintings, lithographs, sculptures and photographs - a collection of art valued well over $1 million.

'We are extremely excited about this grand opening and the new opportunities that the Sheraton Seattle will bring,' said Hoyt Harper, Senior Vice President - Sheraton Brand, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. 'This enthusiasm from the entire Starwood team stems from the continued growth of the Sheraton Seattle, and its wonderful staff that embodies the values and customer experience of Sheraton.'

The addition of the guest rooms and the expansion of the ballrooms and meeting space have already enabled the Sheraton Seattle and Seattle's Convention and Visitor's Bureau sales teams to book over $275 million in convention center business for 2007. As the Pacific Northwest's largest hotel adjacent to the convention center, the Sheraton Seattle now has the ability to commit group blocks of 1,000 rooms.

"The eagerly-awaited expansion to the Sheraton Seattle Hotel offers another major convention selling feature for Seattle," said Don Welsh, President and CEO of Seattle's Convention and Visitors Bureau. 'With the Sheraton now offering 1,258 rooms and suites, we now have the ability to offer convention planners the convenience of a 1,000-plus room block within a minute's walk to the Washington State Convention & Trade Center. This is a great enhancement to the convention and meetings market in Seattle.'

The expanded ballrooms and meeting spaces, along with several midsize meeting rooms, three new kitchens and expanded service elements, allow the Sheraton flexibility to host a large number of events, galas and meetings simultaneously. The ballrooms have also been upgraded with state-of-the-art technology allowing for multi-media presentations and expanded meeting capabilities.

'We have always enjoyed a great relationship with the Sheraton for our technical events,' said Forrest Ward, director of global readiness programs, Microsoft. 'And we were very pleased with the beautiful expansion that's currently come on-line and what's planned for the future. It's important for us to keep our events in Seattle, close to our corporate and product group speakers, and adding extra hotel and meeting capacity will support this goal.'

Seattle-based Callison was selected to handle the architectural design of the tower and Skanska USA Building Inc. serves as the project's general contractor.

'Offering a winning combination of signature warm, welcoming service, superior amenities and a prime location the multi-million dollar renovation and expansion of the Sheraton Seattle truly represents the future direction of the Sheraton brand," said Hoyt Harper, senior vice president, Sheraton Hotels & Resorts. 'It is wonderful to stand here today and celebrate this milestone with the entire Sheraton Seattle team.'