News Release

Element Hotels Gets Your Wheels Turning With “I Pledge to Pedal” Facebook Sweepstakes - Jul 11, 2012

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Stamford, CT – July 11, 2012 – Promoting balanced living at home and away, Element Hotels is challenging its Facebook friends to put pedal to the pavement this summer and replace one car trip per week with a bike ride. The trailblazing eco-wise brand of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) has teamed with trend-setting, ultra colorful STRADA track bikes to launch an “I Pledge to Pedal” Facebook sweepstakes, which will run from now through September 17, 2012.

Throughout the contest period, prize drawings will award one participant each week with a sleek, built-to-order bike, which they can customize online.  There will be a total of 10 winners.

“Beyond the fun of the Facebook sweepstakes and the flash of the STRADA bikes, I Pledge to Pedal is about changing a mindset,” said Brian McGuinness, Senior Vice President, Specialty Select Brands for Starwood. “Choosing two wheels over four is a good move for our own wellbeing and for the planet. That balance is a fundamental aspect of the Element brand.”

Entering the sweepstakes is simple:  Fans of Element need only visit the brand’s Facebook page at facebook.com/elementhotels and sign up on the “I Pledge to Pedal” sweepstakes tab (which will activate at 12:01 a.m. on July 9). Guests staying at an Element hotel during the sweepstakes can also enter via tablets stationed in the lobby, then take a loaner bike for a spin from Element’s brand-wide bikes-to-borrow program to get a leg up on their pledge.

For inspiration, each of the 10 Element hotels across the U.S. has designed its own unique dream bike, which will be displayed in the lobby throughout the contest. Element associates are encouraged to take the pledge as well, and are also eligible to win the display bike.

Led by Starwood President and CEO Frits van Paasschen, himself an avid biker, Element Hotels is the industry pacesetter in bike-friendly hotel brands. Pedal-powered generators on stationary bikes were introduced with the March 15 opening of Element Miami International Airport and will soon be standard in all Element fitness centers. It is all part of Element’s commitment to the “10 Essentials of Balanced Travel” providing guests with opportunities for fitness and play, among other essentials for wellbeing, throughout their stay.

About Element Hotels
Accessible, affordable and active, Element Hotels is made to order for guests in the know and on the go. Its bright, contemporary design defies convention, bathing guest rooms and public spaces in natural light. Stylish and sustainable throughout, Element offers comfort with a conscience and lots of signature amenities from its complimentary RISE healthy breakfast and RELAX evening reception to saline swimming pools, spacious fitness centers, bikes-to-borrow and electric vehicle charging stations.

Starwood’s latest brand innovation, Element made history in 2008 as the only major hotel brand to pursue LEED certification for high-performance buildings brand-wide. To date, there are Element hotels in 10 U.S. markets, with new domestic and international hotels in development. Visit www.ElementHotels.com or connect on Facebook.com/ElementHotels.

About Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with 1103 properties in 100 countries and territories with 154,000 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, 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., 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.

(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.).  The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.