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White Plains, NY – February 12, 2009 – Starwood Hotels &
Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) today announced the appointment of Eva
Ziegler as Global Brand Leader for W Hotels Worldwide. In her new role,
Vienna-born Ziegler will be responsible for leading the global development and
growth strategy for the innovative and category-busting W Hotels Worldwide.
With 10 years of proven success, largely in North America, W Hotels will triple
its footprint by 2011, assuming its role on the global stage with properties
scheduled to open in primary, vibrant international markets from Paris to
Milan, Barcelona to London, Santiago to Vieques Island, Dubai to Doha,
Hollywood to South Beach, and Shanghai to Bali. In addition to overseeing the
global launch of W Hotels, Ziegler will continue in her role leading Le
Méridien as the brand continues its re-launch globally. As Global Brand Leader
for the two contemporary design-led brands, Ziegler will define the vision and
brand strategy across all disciplines.
“Eva’s branding expertise and broad international experience will be invaluable
to Starwood as we meaningfully launch W Hotels outside of North America,” said
Phil McAveety, Executive Vice President and Chief Brand Officer, Starwood
Hotels & Resorts. “As a highly experienced marketer and business
professional who has spent her career working for international Fortune 500
companies such as Toyota and Coca Cola, Eva knows how
to build distinctive and compelling global brands and adapt them to
ensure they are locally relevant. She is the perfect candidate at the
right time to take these two compelling lifestyle brands to the next
level.”
Prior to this appointment, Ziegler held the role of Global Brand Leader of Le
Méridien, where she was responsible for defining the vision and brand strategy
across all disciplines for the renowned international brand. Under Ziegler’s
vision, Le Méridien has re-positioned itself as a cultural hub for the creative
mind leading to a range of innovative approaches and strategies. For example,
she developed an innovative strategy through curated experiences by engaging a
Cultural Curator and forming a group of cultural innovators, called LM100, each
of whom define and enrich the guest experience.
Since joining the company in 2005, Ziegler has played an important role in
successfully integrating Le Méridien into Starwood’s process and
systems, resulting in impressive performance figures. In fact, Le Méridien’s
integration into Starwood’s larger, stable, multi-branded hotel system has
enabled the brand to thrive. A critical milestone in Le Meridien’s
transformation has been the consolidation and renovation of the brand’s
portfolio. Since Starwood acquired the brand, Le Méridien has eliminated more
than 30 hotels, and by 2011, will have renovated more than 50 percent of its
existing portfolio. The brand also plans to open more than 20 hotels and
resorts across the world within the next three years. All of this will result
in a high-quality, on brand portfolio.
Before joining Starwood, Ziegler was the Director of Le Rendez-Vous Toyota and
played a leading role in developing and launching the cutting edge European
Brand Experience Center on the Champs-Elysées in Paris, France. She has spent
her career working for international Fortune 500 companies such as Coca-Cola
and Saatchi & Saatchi. Ziegler earned her degree from the University of
Economics Vienna, Austria.
About W Hotels Worldwide®
W Hotels is an innovative luxury lifestyle brand and the hotel category buster
with 26 properties in the most vibrant destinations around the world.
Inspiring, iconic, innovative and influential, W Hotels provides the ultimate
in insider access to a world of “Wow.” Each hotel offers a unique mix of
innovative design and passions around design, architecture, fashion, music,
entertainment, pop culture, and everything in between. W Hotels are unique
and individual expressions of modern living, reflected in the brand’s
sensibility to a holistic lifestyle experience with cutting-edge design,
contemporary restaurant concepts, glamorous nightlife experiences, and
signature spas. With 10 years of proven success, W Hotels will triple its
footprint by 2011. In North America and Latin America, W Hotels have been
announced in Austin, Atlanta, Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Hoboken, Hollywood,
Huntington Beach, Downtown New York, Santiago, South Beach, and Washington,
D.C. In Europe, W Hotels have been announced in Athens, Barcelona, London,
Manchester, Milan and St. Petersburg. In Asia, W has announced properties in
Bangkok, Guangzhou, Macao-Studio City, Shanghai and Yokohama. In Africa and the
Middle East, W has announced properties in Marrakech, Amman, Doha, and Dubai. W
has plans to open W Retreats in Bali, Koh Samui, Vieques Island and Verbier,
the latter of which will serve as W Hotels’ first ski retreat. For more
information, visit www.whotels.com.
About Le Méridien
Le Méridien brand, currently represented by 110 properties in 50 countries, was
acquired by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) in
November 2005. Since then, Le Méridien has gone through a brand revitalization,
which included appointing a full-time Cultural Curator – French
arts-provocateur Jérôme Sans – and transforming numerous guest touch points,
thus brining unique and interactive experiences to its guests. With close
to 80 of its properties located in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and
Asia-Pacific, Le Méridien provides a strong international complement to
Starwood’s primarily North American holdings. Plans call for dynamic expansion
of Le Méridien hotels and resorts within the next five years, concentrating in
the U.S., Latin America, and Asia-Pacific, including destinations such as
India, Thailand and China. Le Méridien recently opened new hotels in
Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Shimei Bay (China), will open in Dallas and
Philadelphia in the coming months, and has recently signed new hotel deals in
Taipei, Xiamen, Chongqing Nan’an, and Qingdao (China). For more
information, please visit www.lemeridien.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 more than 930 properties in approximately
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 AloftSM, and
ElementSM. 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.
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