�As we continue to divest our non-strategic assets, Starwood is focused on continuing our momentum of increasing market share and EBITDA through aggressive franchise and management contract growth,� remarked Barry S.  Sternlicht, chairman and chief executive officer of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.  �We finalized 116 contracts, representing 30,000 guest rooms in 1999, and continue this pace during the first half of 2000.�

Starwood�s new and pending projects include such noteworthy developments as the St. Regis Monarch Beach (near Dana Point, Calif.), the W Times Square, New York (which will be the fifth of Starwood�s highly successful W Hotels in Manhattan), the Sheraton Hacienda del Mar in Los Cabos, Mexico and the Arabella Sheraton Mardavall Spa & Resort in Mallorca, Spain.  In addition, the recent signing of The Westin Royal Plaza, Beruit and The Westin Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, represent Westin�s entrance into the Africa, India and the Middle East region.

Although the bulk of these new Starwood properties are within North America, the projects span every division and every brand worldwide (full list attached).
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., through its St. Regis, Luxury Collection, Westin, Sheraton , Four Points and W Hotels brands, is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with more than 725 hotels in 80 countries and 120,000 employees at its owned and managed properties.