White Plains, NY, September 10, 2008 – Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) announced today the appointment of Mike Tiedy as Senior Vice President, Brand Design & Innovation.  Tiedy, 48, will oversee all creative and design resources worldwide for Starwood’s nine renowned brands including Le Meridien, Westin, Sheraton, W, St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, Four Points by Sheraton, Aloft and Element.  In this newly created role, Tiedy’s responsibilities include graphic design, interior design, environmental design and events.  He reports to Phil McAveety, Starwood’s Chief Brand Officer.

Tiedy brings to Starwood more than 20 years of design and brand-building experience.  Most recently, Tiedy was Vice President, Creative Design for Nordstrom.  In this position, he was responsible for all creative expressions of the brand including advertising, collateral, copy, events, online and visual merchandising standards. 

Before joining Nordstrom, Tiedy spent 17 years in Brand Design at Nike in a variety of roles.  Joining Nike in 1988 as a Graphic Designer, Tiedy rose through the ranks and ultimately served as Creative Director in Nike’s U.S. and European Headquarters.  Highlights from his tenure at Nike include designing and executing Nikepark at the Atlanta Olympics and the Nike Athlete Centre at the Sydney Olympics as well as high profile consumer experiences at the New York Marathon and the Tiger Woods Challenge in Toyko.  In addition, Tiedy oversaw the design and execution of Nike retail outlets including flagships such as Niketown Chicago and the Nike store on the Champs-Elysee in Paris as well as many stores throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East. 

“Starwood’s focus on innovation and design has distinguished our brands and greatly contributed to the company’s success,” said McAveety.  “As we aggressively grow our footprint around the globe, Mike’s broad, far-reaching experience with global design-led brands will help enhance Starwood’s creative leadership both within and beyond our industry.” 

Tiedy earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Lewis and Clark College. He will be based in Starwood’s company headquarters in White Plains, NY.

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.