WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., July 12, 1999 - Starwood Hotels
and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) confirmed today that Fred Kleisner,
President of Starwood�s hotel operations for the Americas, has resigned
from the company to become the President of Wyndham Hotels. Ted Darnall,
Executive Vice President, Operations, North America for Starwood�s hotel
group will assume Mr. Kleisner�s position. Osvaldo Librizzi, President
of South American hotel operations will report directly to Juergen Bartels,
Chief Executive Officer of Starwood�s Hotel Group.
�We are very pleased to have an executive of Ted Darnall�s caliber and
experience on board to assume full responsibility for our operations in
North America,� Mr. Bartels said.
Mr. Darnall, 41, has in-depth knowledge and expertise of the industry
drawn from his affiliation with organizations that are both owners and
operators of hotels. He joined Starwood Hotels Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
in 1996 as Chief Operating Officer and was responsible for the operational
and financial performance for the company�s portfolio of owned, managed
and franchised hotels, which prior to the Westin and ITT acquisitions represented
more than 100 hotels operating under 21 different brands, and 26 independent
properties. He was appointed to his current position, Executive Vice President,
Hotel Operations, North America in March 1998. Prior to joining Starwood
Lodging, Mr. Darnall was with Interstate Hotels Corporation for more than
14 years where he held a variety of management positions, and in 1995 was
named Senior Vice President of Operations.
Starwood,
through its St. Regis/Luxury Collection, Westin, Sheraton, Four Points
and W subsidiaries, is one of the leading hotel companies in the world
with more than 700 hotels in 72 countries and 130,000 employees at its
owned and managed properties. |