White Plains, NY – May 3, 2011 – Third time’s the charm, they say.  And with the latest special offer from Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG), every three stays at a participating Starwood hotel or resort worldwide will earn SPG members a free resort night – with no limits on the number of resort nights they can earn.

The “SPG Getaway Free” offer is available exclusively for members of SPG, the award-winning loyalty program of Starwood Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: HOT).  Travelers who are not yet SPG members can join the award-winning loyalty program and register for the promotion instantly during any stay at a Starwood hotel or resort, or by visiting spg.com/getawayfree.  SPG membership is free and guests can begin earning Starpoints starting with their first stay.

Like all SPG rewards, the “SPG Getaway Free” award is flexible and simple to redeem.  Here’s how it works:  From May 1 through July 31, registered SPG members who stay three times at any of the more than 1000 Starwood hotels or resorts worldwide will earn one free Resort Night Award.

Award Nights can be redeemed at approximately 200 resorts worldwide – seven days a week - through December 21 with no blackout dates.  Best of all, Getaway Free awards are combinable -- so the more frequently you stay, the more free nights you will earn to enjoy a long resort getaway.

“Our SPG Getaway Free promotion is a way for us to thank our members with free nights for getaways with their loved ones at our amazing resorts,” said Chris Holdren, Senior Vice President of Starwood Preferred Guest.  “It’s also a great incentive for travelers to consider joining SPG to receive the industry-leading recognition and rewards that we provide.”

SPG members can register for the “SPG Getaway Free” promotion at spg.com/getawayfree through June 30, 2011.

Starwood’s sought-after resort brands include St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, W Hotels, Sheraton, Le Méridien, Westin and Four Points by Sheraton.  Resort experiences range from the stunning St. Regis Princeville Resort in Kaua’i and the sophisticated Equinox Golf Resort & Spa in Vermont to the family-friendly Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort in Orlando and the indulgent Westin Siray Bay Spa & Resort in Phuket.

A new Starwood Resorts web site (spg.com/resorts) also lets SPG members and other guests experience Starwood resorts for themselves. Along with live webcam images of Starwood’s resort properties around the world, the site lets guests find the perfect resort by interests like Beach, Cuisine, and Family activities. The site recently unveiled user-generated “SPG Member Favorites” rankings; for the first time, SPG invited thousands of members to identify their favorite resorts across categories including Best Family Experience, Best Beach Resort, Most Romantic Retreat, Best Exotic Escape, Best Golf Getaway, Best Island Paradise, Best Spa Indulgence, Best Winter Adventure and Best Small Wonder.

The rankings offer surprising inside insights into trends, tips, and preferences among some of the world’s most experienced and knowledgeable travelers. For SPG Member Favorites, visit spg.com/memberfavorites

About Starwood Preferred Guest
The SPG program’s breakthrough policy of No Blackout Dates at the world’s most sought after collection of hotels, reinvented the hospitality loyalty program when it launched in 1999. By creating a program centered on its members, SPG has developed the most passionate and knowledgeable membership base in the hotel loyalty space. Through its use of new technologies and innovative channels such as SPG.com, SPG.com/stayconnected, SPG.com/flights and others, SPG continues to innovate and lead the industry. By offering No Blackouts on standard rooms at over 1,000 hotels and resorts in nearly 100 countries, No Blackouts on hundreds of airlines, and once in a lifetime experiences available through SPG Moments at spg.com/moments, the program has proven to be a big draw for the world’s most frequent travelers, and a significant competitive advantage for Starwood.  For more information about Starwood Preferred Guest please visit SPG.com or call (877) – STARWOOD.

About Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with 1051 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 Méridien®, Sheraton®, Four Points® by Sheraton, and the recently launched 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 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.