Starwood Investing $120 Million for Brand-wide Fitness Roll-out

Teams up with Core Performance to Launch Revolutionary Health and Fitness Program State-of-the-Art Fitness Centers

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. October 04, 2010

October 1, 2010 - Fitness and travel go hand-in-hand, whether you're the German soccer team traveling to South Africa, one of the last five number one draft picks going to an away game or a frequent business traveler jetting coast-to-coast. Sheraton Hotels & Resorts Worldwide and its owners are investing $120 million to roll-out its new fitness program that lets guests use the strategies developed by the leading experts in pro-athlete training to become the ultimate road warrior.

Core Performance, developed by Athletes' Performance, the global leader in performance training, nutrition, and physical therapy- and Sheraton are proud to announce the global roll-out of "Sheraton Fitness Programmed by Core Performance." This alliance marks the first time that Core Performance is partnering with a hotel company to create customized training and nutrition programs for travelers. As part of the brand's $6 billion global revitalization, 60 hotels feature the new fitness offering with an additional 70 coming on board before the end of 2010. All Sheraton Hotels around the world will feature Sheraton Fitness by end of 2011.

The statistics are conclusive. Travelers require programs specifically designed for their health and fitness needs on the road:

• 25 percent of business travelers experience physical stress while flying
• 40 percent of business travelers skip breakfast
• Lack of sleep has led 23% of travelers to fall asleep in a meeting and 14% to miss a meeting or a flight
• Travelers who exercise are more alert and perform at a higher level

With these stats in mind, Mark Verstegen, Founder of Core Performance and Athletes' Performance, designed a holistic program exclusively for Sheraton guests, which is derived from the same training methodology used by professional athletes. The program helps travelers train and eat healthy on the road, as well as refresh, recharge and refocus their minds and bodies. So whether you work out every day or just want to take advantage of the nutrition programs and health tips, "Sheraton Fitness Programmed by Core Performance" will help guests feel and perform better.

"Mark Verstegen's Athletes' Performance methodology has been used to train many of the world's top athletes and Sheraton is proud to partner with an organization that can bring this level of world-class fitness and nutrition expertise to our guests," said Hoyt Harper, Senior Vice President, Sheraton Hotels & Resorts. "Fitness and travel go hand in hand and we have heard from our guests that working out is a priority when they are on the road. Our collaboration with Mark Verstegen offers a bevy of programs and services to help guests enhance their overall fitness regimen and performance before, during and after their stay."

New Fitness Program Goes Beyond the Gym

Guests will experience the holistic Sheraton Fitness program through multiple touch-points during their stay that incorporates four fundamentals of optimal performance: mindset, nutrition, movement and recovery:

• First Class Fitness Centers featuring Life Fitness Designed for the Top Performers in Life: Core Performance has developed a state-of-the-art gym experience tailored specifically to the needs of frequent travelers. Since travelers have different needs when they are on the road, the new fitness centers feature time-efficient training programs - 20 to 30 minute "themed" workouts - designed by Core Performance to work with busy travel schedules. All Sheraton Fitness facilities feature equipment from Life Fitness, the leading fitness equipment brand in the world and the leading supplier of health clubs, professional sports teams and university athletic programs.

• Healthy Dining: Core Performance nutritionists worked with Sheraton to create healthier dining options for both in-room dining menus and hotel restaurants.

• Guest Room Workouts: Guests can also train like a pro in the privacy of their room. Guests can access four 30-minute Video On Demand workouts at no charge and get nutritional or wellness tips through Starwood's internal channel, Starwood Preferred Guest TV. Guests can also order a complimentary "workout in a bag" -- including workout cards, workout mat, foam rolls, resistance band and massage stick -- to be delivered to their room.
• Online Training, After Check-Out: Guests can access Sheraton Fitness online at Sheratonfitness.com, which features online training programs created by Core Performance and health/nutrition tips. This allows guests to download workouts and follow the Core Performance programs both at home and on the road - eliminating any disruption to their fitness regimen. Core Performance is also offering Sheraton guests a free three-week trial to the online training at CorePerformance.com, which provides customized training regimes based on guests' goals.

Make Your Meeting a "FITMeeting" With Sheraton

As part of "Sheraton Fitness Programmed by Core Performance," the global powerhouse is also unveiling a unique FIT Meetings component that allows corporate businesses to enhance performance at meetings. This FIT Meetings concept includes healthy breaks, techniques to keep the mind and body sharp, and customizable group workout options. FIT Meetings is being piloted at nine hotels including Sheraton Seattle, Sheraton Waikiki, Sheraton Phoenix Convention Center, Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers, Sheraton Denver and Sheraton Dallas, and is expected to roll-out brand wide in early 2011.

Introducing an In-between Meetings Workout That's Really No Sweat

Instead of pouring that fifth cup of coffee to get out of the mid-day slump, Sheraton will help revive and re-energize guests with the unique technology of Power Plate(R), which will be offered in select properties. This easy workout provides business travelers with that extra jolt of energy and adrenaline to keep them productive during meetings. Don't worry about arriving to the next function dripping in sweat because Power Plate, the leader in Whole Body Vibration exercise, uses the principles of Acceleration Training(TM) to stimulate the body with waves of energy that activate muscle contractions between 25 and 50 times per second, enhancing overall performance, health and fitness in sweat-free sessions as short as 15-25 minutes. By using the Power Plate, an individual weighing 154lbs. and standing on the plate in a squat position for 30 seconds, will generate as much force on the muscle as a person doing full squats with a 127lb. barbell across the back/shoulders. After one short session, guests will feel refreshed and ready to tackle their next meeting.

"We're excited to partner with Sheraton to unveil this unique, co-branded program that touches multiple elements of a guest's lifestyle, both in and out of the hotel, and helps them compete in the game of life," said Mark Verstegen, Founder and Chairman of Core Performance and Athletes' Performance. "Travel takes its toll on all of us and we are dedicated to working with Sheraton to offer innovative solutions that will enhance the overall health of guests."

To celebrate the roll-out of this global brand standard, Verstegen will lead the "World's Largest Resistance Band Strength Training Class" as certified by the Guinness Book of World Records in the heart of midtown Manhattan in front of Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers on Thursday, September 30.

About Mark Verstegen and Core Performance
Mark Verstegen is the Founder of Core Performance and Athletes' Performance, the global leader in performance training, nutrition, and physical therapy for elite athletes and teams. In addition to his roles at Athletes' Performance and Core Performance, Mark is the Director of Performance for the NFL Players' Association and the author of five Core Performance books, including Core Performance Essentials and Core Performance Golf. Mark is featured regularly in Men's Health and Outside Magazine, and speaks regularly internationally about helping executives, athletes, and consumers alike achieve their performance goals.

Under Mark's leadership, Athletes' Performance has trained some to today's top athletes including major champions in basketball, hockey, tennis, and golf. Core Performance has become the industry leader in proactive wellness, delivering comprehensive, measurable solutions to consumers, corporations, and executives alike.

For more information please visit www.sheratonfitness.com.

About Starwood Hotels & Resorts
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) 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(R), The Luxury Collection(R), W(R), Westin(R), Le Meridien(R), Sheraton(R), Four Points(R) by Sheraton, and the recently launched Aloft(R), 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 .