White Plains, NY – October 1, 2009: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.® (NYSE:HOT) today announces that its stylish new destination sensation brand, Aloft® Hotels is gaining momentum in October with plans to open one hotel each week in North America – double the pace of previous months. The surge in Aloft openings is helping move Starwood closer to its goal of opening its 1,000^th hotel or resort worldwide. Offering high style at a steal, Aloft hotels feature spacious, loft-like rooms, intuitive technology and vibrant, atmospheric public spaces.  The upcoming openings will include locations in Phoenix, AZ, Mount Laurel, NJ, Bolingbrook, IL, and Charlotte, NC.

“The Aloft brand is an important source of fuel for Starwood’s strategic, global expansion.  And even in a tough economy, owners and developers have embraced the Aloft hotel concept in North America and beyond,” said Paul Sacco, Senior Vice President of Development for Starwood’s North America Division. “In fact, by the end of the year, we will have opened 40 Aloft hotels worldwide in just 18 months, which represents one of the strongest brand launches in industry history.  Critically, these best-in-class hotels will further solidify Starwood’s role as an industry innovator in the select service space, while complementing our position as the established leader in the upper-upscale and luxury segments.”

Aloft continues to expand outside of North America as well.  Last year, the brand made its debut in Asia with the Aloft Beijing Haidian, and this year, Aloft opens its doors to the Middle East with the Aloft Abu Dhabi.

Aloft Brings Style at a Steal to Charlotte, Chicago, Philadelphia and Phoenix Areas

Aloft Charlotte Ballantyne occupies a prime location within one of Charlotte’s most stylish, lifestyle communities, just steps from the Golf Club at Ballantyne and Ballantyne Corporate Park. Nearby corporate offices include Wachovia Bank, Lending Tree, AXA and HRG.

Aloft Bolingbrook is ideally located just 30 minutes from downtown Chicago, convenient to both O’Hare International Airport and Chicago Midway Airport. Nearby attractions include Harrah’s Riverboat Casino, Splashtown Water Park and several premium golf courses. Guests will also enjoy easy access to Chicago’s leading attractions including the Magnificent Mile shopping district, the Art Institute of Chicago and The Museum of Science and Industry.

Aloft Mount Laurel is surrounded by several upscale New Jersey suburbs including Voorhees, Marlton and Cherry Hill, and close to the Camden Waterfront, Children’s Garden Museum and the Battleship New Jersey. The hotel is also just 12 miles from the sights and sounds of downtown Philadelphia and within easy reach of several, top-notch sports venues.

Aloft Phoenix-Airport is just minutes from Sky Harbor International Airport, and convenient to the University of Phoenix, Arizona State University and the corporate offices of Clear Channel, Trans Systems, Honeywell and General Dynamics. Guests will enjoy proximity to the shops and restaurants in Cooper Square, Tempe Market Place and Arizona Mills Mall.

About Aloft Hotels
Created to shake up the select service segment of the hotel industry, Aloft delivers urban-influenced, open and vibrant design and a social guest experience at an affordable price point. In the same way that W Hotels broke through the clutter of conformity in the upscale hotel arena a decade ago, Aloft is shaking up the industry for the next generation of traveler.  Aloft hotels are geared toward savvy, design-conscious consumers who grew up with the democratization of design.  Aloft hotels are wired for the future and an aggressive growth plan is in place with 40 properties set to be open by the end of this year from Abu Dhabi and Baltimore to Dallas and Beijing and everywhere in between.  For more information, please visit www.alofthotels.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 960 properties in 97 countries and 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 Méridien®, Sheraton®, Four Points® by Sheraton, and the recently launched Aloft®, and Element ^SM.  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.