Acquisitions & Hotel Openings

Aloft Brussels Schuman Opens

First Aloft Hotel in Europe Owned by Thornsett Group

BRUSSELS, Belgium - September 1, 2010 - Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc.® (NYSE:HOT) and its new hip hotels brand, Aloft® Hotels, today announces the opening of Aloft Brussels Schuman, the first Aloft hotel to open in Europe. Aloft Hotels delivers urban-inspired, modern design and an energetic guest experience at an affordable price point.

Owned by Thornsett Group, Aloft Brussels Schuman introduces jet-setting style at a steal to Belgium. Located in the heart of the buzzing European Union district, the hotel will feature 147 loft-like guest rooms including three ‘Breezy Lofts’ (Aloft’s re-interpretation of a suite), a buzzing bar scene in the open lobby, an urban-inspired grab-and-go café and industrial design elements throughout. A vision of W Hotels, Aloft’s stylish urban attitude is set to shake up the European mid-market hotel scene.

With more than 40 hotels open since its June 2008 debut, Aloft Hotels has become the talk of the hospitality industry by going global while in launch mode. Aloft currently operates hotels in five countries – the USA, Canada, China, the United Arab Emirates and India, with Belgium marking its sixth destination. Besides opening its first hotel in Europe with the Aloft Brussels Schuman, Aloft is continuing its global expansion with further openings planned in India and the USA as well as brand introductions in Thailand and the UK.

“The launch of Aloft in Europe underscores the strength of the Starwood network and the power of the Aloft brand,” said Brian McGuinness, Senior Vice President, Specialty Select Brands for Starwood. “Aloft’s emphasis on high design and affordability translates globally and is attracting a growing group of loyal travellers. In fact, Aloft represents one of the strongest brand launches in industry history and its international expansion so early in the brand’s life cycle is unprecedented.”

Roeland Vos, President, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Europe, Africa and Middle East commented: “We are thrilled to introduce Aloft to Brussels, a fitting choice for the brand’s debut in Europe. The hotel’s strategic location in the heart of the European Quarter makes a bold statement about how the brand is taking its innovative, fresh perspective on hotels to the most important locations around the world.”

Aloft Brussels Schuman will boast atmospheric public spaces where guests can mix and mingle, read the paper, work on laptops, play a game of pool or grab a drink with friends at the re:mixSM lounge and w xyzSM bar. The w xyz bar is set to quickly become one of the places to be in the EU quarter. A destination bar for hotel guests and local residents alike, the w xyz bar is the ideal place to have a cocktail with friends or dance the night away at one of the many DJ evenings.

The spacious guest rooms (minimum of 28m2) will feature the brand’s signature ceilings of nearly three meters high, oversized windows and an ultra-comfortable bed as well as roomy walk-in showers and bath amenities created by Bliss® Spa. Each Aloft room will also be equipped with complimentary wireless Internet access and a unique plug-and-play connectivity solution which connects most electronic devices to the 42" flat-screen TV, turning the room into a high-tech office as well as an entertainment centre.

Travellers will be able to de-stress and re-energize in the re:chargeSM fitness centre whilst the 24-hour grab & go food and beverage area re:fuelSM by Aloft is a one-stop, offering sweet, savory and healthy food, snacks and beverages.

For work meetings, training courses and presentations, the hotel’s Tactic meeting rooms, which are equipped with the latest generation of audiovisual hardware, provide a creative space for groups of up to 50 people.

Aloft Brussels Schuman is the fifth Starwood Hotel in Belgium, joining Le Méridien Brussels, Sheraton Brussels Hotel, Sheraton Brussels Airport Hotel and Four Points by Sheraton Brussels.

About Aloft Hotels
Created to shake up the staid, traditional select service segment of the hotel industry, the Aloft brand delivers style at a steal with urban-influenced, modern, open and vibrant design - and a social guest experience - at an affordable price point. In the same way that W Hotels broke through the clutter of conformity in the upscale hotel arena a decade ago, Aloft is shaking up the industry for the next generation of traveler. Aloft hotels are geared toward savvy, design-conscious consumers who have witnessed the democratization of design and are seeking the same in the hotel space. Building on its tech-savvy DNA, the brand recently pioneered the industry’s first “keyless entry” automatic check-in program at Aloft Lexington in Massachusetts. With 40 hotels open in the 18 months since Aloft first arrived on the scene and 10 more opening in 2010, Aloft can be found everywhere from Abu Dhabi and Baltimore to Dallas and Beijing and everywhere in between. For more information, please visit www.alofthotels.com. Aloft Hotels, like all brands within Starwood’s portfolio, is proud to offer the Starwood Preferred Guest® program, which offers a breakthrough policy of no blackout dates on Free Night Awards. To learn more, please visit www.spg.com.

About Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with 1000 properties in nearly 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 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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