The $20 million, 10-story hotel, owned by an affiliate of Argosy Gaming Company, is the first newly constructed hotel to be built in downtown Baton Rouge in more than 50 years, according to local officials.  The Sheraton is located across the street from the Centroplex Convention Center, which is expanding to include an additional 100,000 square feet of convention space.

�We welcome the Sheraton Baton Rouge Convention Center Hotel as an extremely important addition to the downtown landscape of Baton Rouge,� says Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, whose office oversees the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism in Louisiana.  �Tourism is our second largest industry and Louisiana is currently the top state in the nation for tourism growth.  This means that the demand for hotel rooms is greater than ever.  New hotel capacity will position the city of Baton Rouge for larger conferences and conventions, opening new market possibilities.  We will do our part to market Baton Rouge, and I predict that this investment will prove to be a good one for the city of Baton Rouge as well as the principals of Starwood Hotels & Resorts.�

A management contract with a first-tier company was considered an important goal since construction on the hotel was initiated last August, according to Argosy Gaming Company President and Chief Executive Officer James B. Perry.  �The hotel, in conjunction with the expanded convention center, will have a tremendous positive impact on the future of Baton Rouge and will serve as a catalyst for the redevelopment of the downtown area,� says Perry.  �We are pleased that we can add the strength of the Sheraton brand to this significant project.�

The totally modern Sheraton Baton Rouge Convention Center Hotel celebrates the city�s past with architecture complementing the look of the old brick riverfront warehouses that surround it.  The warehouses, restored several years ago, were transformed into an entertainment complex with the addition of a 50,000-square foot, glass enclosed atrium.

One end of the landscaped atrium will be incorporated into the lobby of the new hotel, which will offer upscale accommodations for the business and leisure traveler, as well as an exercise center, full service restaurant, swimming pool, business center, concierge lounge, room service and Internet access.

�This convention center hotel, operated by a company with the credentials of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., literally elevates us to the next level as a destination city,� says Davis Rhorer, executive director of Baton Rouge�s Downtown Development District.  �It completes the circle of art, history, education and entertainment that is available around our convention center and makes us able to market downtown Baton Rouge around the world in the way we have always wanted to.�

This project is the latest in a string of Sheraton projects dedicated to renovation and revitalization, some of which have saved a building from the wrecker�s ball.  An historic warehouse built in St. Louis in the 1920s and a Beaux Arts Public Market Building in Sacramento are just two of the sites being converted into Sheraton hotels:  the Sheraton Hotel & Suites�St.  Louis City Center and the Sheraton Grand Sacramento.  Both will open next year.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with more than 725 properties in 80 countries and 120,000 employees at its owned and managed properties.