aloft Brings New Twist in Travel to Bay Harbor Islands, Florida

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. October 14, 2008

MARCH 29, 2007. aloha! Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT) and its much-anticipated new lifestyle brand, aloft hotels - a vision of W Hotels - announced today it has signed a deal with a subsidiary of Martin W. Taplin & Associates, Inc. to develop an aloft hotel in Bay Harbor Islands, Florida.

aloft Bay Harbor, located at 1177 Kane Concourse, is just blocks from shopping mecca Bal Harbour Shops and offers a refreshing alternative to the current lodging options in Bay Harbor Islands. The 135-room hotel is part of a mixed-use project, featuring office and retail space, restaurants, and residential units. Construction is expected to begin in late 2007.

"aloft is infused with the DNA of W to create a new destination sensation, conceived in response to a mega-mundane marketplace," said Ross Klein, President, Starwood Luxury Brand Group and aloft hotels. "aloft brings style and atmosphere to a segment of the industry that has been anything but fashionable, offering guests a fun way to play and stay."

"We are excited to be working with Starwood on this venture and feel the development of this property will aid in the revitalization of the Bay Harbor area and fill the void of a less expensive yet stylish hotel segment that is not currently being catered to," said Neil Sazant, Principal of Martin W. Taplin & Associates. "We are actively seeking other attractive sites and intend to expand our ownership of aloft hotels as part of our growth strategy."

Martin W. Taplin & Associates is a highly-esteemed real-estate investment and development firm with more than 30 years of experience in the office, residential and commercial sectors. The company has bought, managed and sold more than $6 billion in real estate throughout the United States. In 2002, they revitalized the ever popular oceanfront Sagamore hotel on South Beach to a stunning all-suite property boasting Miami's most diverse contemporary art collection with Taplin as the curator.

As a Vision of W Hotels, the aloft brand is shaking up the lodging industry with urban-influenced design, accessible technology, style and a social atmosphere. aloft offers a total sensory experience, with guest lofts featuring nine-foot ceilings and oversized windows to create a bright, airy environment. The centerpiece of the loft room is the ultra-comfortable signature bed, a large stylish bathroom, which complements the guest experience with an oversized walk-in shower and amenities created by bliss spa(R). Each guest loft is also a combination high-tech office and entertainment center, featuring wireless internet access and plug & play, a one-stop connectivity solution for multiple electronic gadgetry such as PDAs, cell phones, mp3 players and laptops - all linked to a large flat panel HDTV ready television for optimal sound and viewing.

Designed in conjunction with world renowned David Rockwell and the Rockwell group, aloft stays true to W's heritage, offering atmospheric public spaces designed to draw guests from their rooms to socialize and make friends. Guests can read the paper, work on their laptops via hotel-wide wireless internet access, play a game of pool or grab a drink with friends at the re:mix communal lobby area and bar w xyz. The re:charge fitness center and splash, the indoor or outdoor pool, give travelers options to de-stress and re-energize; while re:fuel by aloft, a one-stop food and beverage area, offers sweet, savory and healthy food, snacks and beverages to grab & go, 24-hours a day.

The first aloft hotels are targeted to open in first quarter, 2008, with locations expected to be anytown/anywhere... For more information on aloft, please visit www.alofthotels.com.