The announcement was made today by Starwood in conjunction with developer Capital Pacific Holdings, Inc., a Newport Beach, Calif.-based real estate investment and development company with operations in California, Nevada, Colorado, Arizona and Texas.

There are now nine St. Regis hotels, all named for the 1904 Beaux Arts landmark hotel in New York City, which was built by Col. John Jacob Astor. The legendary flagship is consistently ranked as one of the world�s finest.  There also are St. Regis hotels in Aspen, Beijing, Houston, Rome and Washington, D.C.  The St. Regis, Los Angeles will open this Fall and The St. Regis Shanghai is scheduled for completion in 2002.  Each is unique to its surroundings, and each offers guests a high level of customized service.

�The St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort will further enhance our expanding St.  Regis portfolio, which represents only the most luxurious hotel assets in the world�s top destinations.  We are delighted to be in partnership with Capital Pacific Holdings in opening what promises to become the most prestigious luxury resort on the California coast,� stated Ted Darnall, President, North American Hotel Operations, Starwood.  �The resort also combines superior meeting facilities for business travelers as well as exclusive beach access to accommodate large groups.  We look forward to developing other St. Regis beach resorts in the future along the caliber of The St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort,� Darnall added.

Scheduled to open in the Summer/Fall of 2001, The St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort will be California�s only coastal resort offering a world-class hotel with:

• Beach club
• Day Spa and Fitness Center
• 18-hole, championship golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr.

The St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort will offer premier service and 400 guest rooms, including 74 suites, and two Presidential Suites.  Upgraded guest rooms will be located on the Executive (sixth) Floor and almost 90% of the rooms will enjoy full or partial ocean views.  Each Presidential Suite will measure 2,650 square feet in size and feature such amenities as a grand piano, whirlpool, private library, multiple balconies, high-speed Internet access, exercise equipment room, wet bar, pantry, and a dining room for up to 16 people.

Other guest room features and amenities include:

• Suites will offer flat-screen televisions and other upgraded amenities
• Custom-designed furniture, goose-down comforters, 300-thread-count bed sheets, etc.
• Bathrooms will feature separate walk-in shower, garden or ocean views through an interior shuttered opening
• All guest rooms will contain a DVD and CD player with library, high-speed Internet access, data ports, Web TV with wireless keyboards

Existing amenities include the Robert Trent Jones, Jr.-designed Monarch Links Golf Course, a mature course featuring 6,344 yards of play with red, white and blue tees.  It is Southern California�s only championship course with two holes on the beach and other holes offering mountain and ocean views, embellished by numerous lakes and creeks.  The resort also includes The Monarch Bay Club, a first-class beach club complex adjacent to the resort grounds.  Among its amenities are dining facilities and an expansive beachfront.

Monarch Links Golf Course Along the dramatic bluffs of the California Riviera, master architect Robert Trent Jones II has fashioned an intriguing layout in the Scottish links tradition on one of the few ocean courses in Southern California.

The St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort will be Orange County�s largest resort/meeting facility offering 30,000 square feet of indoor meeting space and more than 60,000 square feet of outdoor meeting space including the 12,000 square foot Main Ballroom, accommodating up to 1,000 individuals.  The resort will also have a business center equipped with state-of-the-art office equipment for meeting planners.  Business travelers will also be treated to a 200 square foot conference room including seven meeting rooms and three boardrooms.

The resort will feature four restaurants, including a fine dining signature restaurant located on the lobby level boasting spectacular ocean views and a main dining room located on the third floor offering Mediterranean-inspired cuisine in both indoor and al fresco settings.  Guests will be treated to outdoor dining opportunities as well, including a casual, 32-seat Pool Grill and Bar and a 78-seat Lobby Lounge serving afternoon tea, cocktails and light fare or on a full ocean view terrace.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., through its St. Regis, Luxury Collection, Westin, Sheraton, Four Points and W brands, is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with more than 700 hotels in 80 countries and 120,000 employees at its owned and managed properties.