WHITE PLAINS, NY - June 3, 2008– Primaries and Super delegates are taking a back seat for sud sippers around the globe as the end of voting for the Four Points by Sheraton Best Brews Intern draws to a close. Who will snag “the” summer dream job?  Will it be the Ivy League student from Cornell, an Aussie Lad who has sampled more than 1,000 beers, the “black sheep” of a sommelier family or the foodie from the Big Apple. Right now it’s anybody’s position, with almost 4,000 votes a day, 3 lager lovers are logging are voting every minute to make their voice heard.

Corporate America was changed forever a year ago when Four Points by Sheraton appointed the world’s first-ever Chief Beer Officer (CBO), Scott Kerkmans. After a year in office the resident CBO has realized that a dream job can come with a nightmare workload. Scott is seeking a little sudsy help by bringing on the world’s first ever Best Brews Summer intern. The lucky lad or lass will assist the CBO with his Best Brews duties including beer tasting, trend research and brewery relations.

The frothy four finalists stood out amongst just under 2,000 applications from 15 countries, 36 states, 5 Ivy League schools, 3 branches of the military and hundreds of beer lovers. Several bubbly beer lovers were flown into Starwood Hotels & Resorts corporate offices where they went through panel interviews with top executives and during the visit these four truly demonstrated their knowledge, passion and love for beer. South America and Asia Pacific have been showing their support, not to mention all the frothy fans in the Middle East. Here at home California and New York are leading with the most ballots cast with Alaska trailing with the least.

Last Call for Votes! 
It’s not too late to pour in on who you think should aid our Chief Beer Officer this summer – the polls close on June 13^th.  Visit fourpoints.com/bbi and brew the vote for your favorite candidate!

Cheese monger reporting for Duty
Dan Suarez may have started out as an A&R Scout for Columbia records, but these days he’s following his true passion of the foodie and beer loving lifestyle.  Spending his summers on his family’s farm in Ecuador, Dan has always had a love of food and was taught how to milk the goats and cows that would give him the ingredients to make homemade mozzarella. He has now made his professional foray into the cheese world with a position at New York City’s dairy Mecca, Murray’s Cheese Shop. Dan’s passion for beer has led him to start home brewing his own beer to pair with the countless cheeses that passed through Murray’s doors. Now he wants to share his passion for food and beer pairings by becoming the first ever Best Brews Intern at Four Points by Sheraton.

Aussie boy washes up on the Best Brews shore
Shawn Lee is a Sydney, Australia native who applied for the Four Points internship two weeks after arriving in the good old USA.  A self-proclaimed world traveler and beer aficionado, Shawn has traveled to more than 26 countries and tasted over 1,000 beers from around the world ranging from Guinness straight from the factory to Bintang in Indonesia.  The Gold Coast beer lover wants to take his hobby to the next level and hopes to come on board and learn the inner workings of the beer industry by interning for the Four Points CBO.   

Ivy Leaguer says, “Beer isn’t just a boy’s beverage”
Kristen Rainey has attended Princeton, Cornell and done work for Harvard, but says her true love lies with the brewing of small craft beers. Having worked and studied in the far corners of the world this multi-lingual marathon runner has tasted her share of unique brews. Kristen hopes to be able to learn more about the large larger world while working under the Chief Beer Officer this summer.

Squash the Grapes – this Son is of a Wine Sommelier is Hoppy for Beer
Julian Sherman of Cambridge, Massachusetts comes from a long line of foodies and wine lovers, including his master sommelier father who teaches courses on wine at the California Culinary School and his brother who is also a sommelier.  Julian is definitely the “black sheep” of a devoted wine family, who until recently secretly brewed his own specialty beers while in college. He appreciates wine but thinks that beer is just as complex but far more approachable for the entire world to enjoy. Julian loves home brewing and experimenting with new flavor profiles but still wants to learn more and is hoping the Four Points by Sheraton Chief Beer Officer will school him on the ways of the hop. 

Best Brews
Four Points by Sheraton offers a wide selection of brews featuring imports and North American craft beers, each chosen for their unique flavors, popularity and quality ingredients. Through Best Brews, each participating Four Points hotel around the world provides a selection of local, regional and imported craft beers from the extensive list of almost 300 available brews in bottles, and on tap.  Participating properties offer a minimum of four draught beers and a selection of up to 20 bottled beers, including imports representing Belgium, Germany, England and the Czech Republic, as well as regional craft beers.

For additional information on Best Brews and Four Points by Sheraton, including room rates and availability, and the search for the Best Brews intern please visit www.fourpoints.com/cbo.

Four Points by Sheraton, with more than 130 properties in 22 countries, offers the self-sufficient traveler a new kind of style and comfort combined with a spirited "can-do" service -- all at an honest value.  Four Points by Sheraton hotels are located in easy-to-reach areas – close to major airports, suburban centers, urban hot spots and resort and vacation destinations. Four Points’ Simple Pleasures^SM program offers little indulgences such as tasty pie, a great cup of coffee and premium craft beers from around the world. It’s those little extras that score big points with Four Points by Sheraton customers. 

About Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with approximately 900 properties in more than 100 countries and 155,000 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^SM, 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.