MUNICH---Nov. 19, 2012-- Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT), and its destination sensation brand, Aloft Hotels, today announces the signings of Aloft Munich and Aloft Stuttgart. Aloft Hotels was created to shake up the traditional mid-market hotel sector. This innovative hotel brand is redefining the category by delivering urban-influenced, modern and vibrant design and a social guest experience all at an affordable price point. Owned and developed by the Schörghuber Corporate Group, Aloft Munich and Aloft Stuttgart will mark the entrance of Starwood’s Aloft Hotels brand in Germany when they open in 2015.

“Together with our long-time partner Schörghuber Corporate Group, we are excited to bring Aloft Hotels to Germany,” said Roeland Vos, President, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Europe, Africa & Middle East. “We see great opportunities to grow our Aloft portfolio in markets like Germany where there is a strong demand for affordable yet stylish, cutting-edge hotel brands.”

“Following the strategic realignment of the Schörghuber Corporate Group’s hotel division in 2011, we are pleased that these two hotel projects in Munich and Stuttgart enhance our portfolio in a sensible and sustainable manner,” stated Dr. Klaus N. Naeve, CEO of the Schörghuber Corporate Group. “The two Aloft hotels in Munich and Stuttgart are a successful continuation of our long-standing partnership with Starwood. The new brand will serve to further stimulate the hotel industry in Germany.”

Pioneering initiatives in music and design have positioned Aloft as a must-have brand for the next generation of travellers. Aloft has reported consistently high guest satisfaction scores since its launch, reflecting the success of the brand’s unique positioning. A vision of W Hotels, Aloft’s social guest experience – with the buzzing re:mixSM lounge and w xyzSM bar – has earned select hotels within the portfolio designations in TripAdvisor’s 2012 Top 25 trendiest hotels around the world.

“Aloft Hotels has completely reinvented the mid-market hotel category and continues to emerge as a popular choice for owners and developers in primary and secondary markets throughout Europe,” said Bart Carnahan, Senior Vice President, Acquisitions & Development, Europe, Africa and Middle East, Starwood Hotels & Resorts. “The signings of Aloft Munich and Aloft Stuttgart underline Starwood’s continued commitment to expanding our portfolio of mid-market brands in Germany and throughout Europe.”

Located near Munich’s buzzing city centre, Aloft Munich will be within walking distance of retail stores, cafés and restaurants. The hotel will be directly next to Munich Central Station, offering easy access to key locations throughout the city, including Munich’s Franz Josef Strauss International Airport. Aloft Munich will feature 184 guest rooms.

The new-build Aloft Stuttgart will be part of the MILANEO mixed-use development project in Stuttgart’s European Quarter. MILANEO is a pioneering, multi-use development project which will offer shopping, restaurants and entertainment venues as well as office space and residential units. Aloft Stuttgart will comprise 165 guest rooms.

Featuring loft-like guest rooms, a buzzing bar scene in the open lobby, a grab-and go café and industrial design elements throughout, Aloft provides modern comforts and a fun social guest experience. All Aloft guest rooms are urban-influenced with over-sized windows and ultra-comfortable plush platform beds as well as walk-in showers and Bliss® amenities.

Both hotels will feature a re:mixSM lounge and w xyzSM bar. These atmospheric public spaces provide guests with a place to mix and mingle, read the paper, work on laptops, play a game of pool or grab a drink with friends. The re:chargeSM fitness centre offers an opportunity to re-energise and the unique re:fuelSM by Aloft introduces a convenient deli option for guests on the go, with an array of food and drinks available 24 hours a day.

After opening its first hotel in 2008, Aloft has since grown to over 60 hotels strong in countries such as the United States, Canada, China, India, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, Belgium and the United Kingdom. Starwood has plans to open its 70th Aloft hotel next year. The company currently operates two Aloft hotels in Europe – Aloft Brussels and Aloft London Excel.

About Aloft Hotels
With more than 60 hotels in 10 countries, Aloft has changed the hotel landscape by offering “style at a steal” everywhere from Baltimore to Beijing to Bogota to Brussels – and everywhere in between. For more information, please visit www.alofthotels.com

Aloft, like all brands within Starwood's portfolio, is proud to offer the Starwood Preferred Guest(R) program, which offers a breakthrough policy of no blackout dates on Free Night Awards. To learn more, please visit www.spg.com

About the Schörghuber Corporate Group
The family-run Schörghuber Corporate Group, which was founded in 1954 and has its headquarters in Munich, is successfully involved in the four business sectors real estate and construction, beverages, hotels and seafood, in both the national and international arenas. Bayerische Hausbau, which bundles all the real estate, property development and prefabricated housing activities of the Schörghuber Corporate Group, is one of the largest full-service real estate companies in Germany. As a long-standing company, Bayerische Hausbau has been active in the hotel property segment for over 45 years. The company is also responsible for the hotel buildings under construction in Stuttgart and Munich as well as in Berlin and Düsseldorf. Brau Holding International, a joint venture with Heineken NV, is one of Germany’s largest brewery groups and comprises the Paulaner Brewery Group, the Kulmbacher Group and the Südwest Group. The Hotels division, with the management company Arabella Hospitality, performs asset management for the 22 hotels owned and leased in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and on the Balearic island of Mallorca and thus represents the interests of the Schörghuber Corporate Group vis-à-vis Starwood Hotels & Resorts, which is responsible for managing the majority of the hotels. The salmon farming and processing activities in Chile are bundled under the roof of Productos del Mar Ventisqueros and became the Schörghuber Corporate Group’s fourth business division in 2011. Common values – diversity, quality and growth – forge a bond between the four business divisions. The group’s approximately 6,500 employees ensure that customers enjoy the benefits provided by these shared values every single day. www.sug-munich.com.