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SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills, a Luxury Collection Hotel Officially
 LOS
ANGELES - November 4, 2008 - Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
(NYSE: HOT) and SBE today announced the debut of the 297 room Philippe
Starck-designed SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills, A Luxury Collection Hotel.
The hotel, formerly the Le Meridien Hotel Beverly Hills, is located at
465 S. La Cienega Boulevard, Los Angeles, California.
Introducing dynamic new concepts for dining and guest services, SLS
offers a truly evolved luxury hospitality experience for today�s global
explorer. Created by some of the world�s most talented minds, SLS features
exclusive designs and custom furnishings by Philippe Starck, a culinary
program crafted by Spanish Chef José Andrés, custom-curated
retail by Moss and Pascal Humbert-designed uniforms. SLS Hotel at Beverly
Hills is operated under a management agreement with Starwood Hotels &
Resorts Worldwide, Inc., as part of The Luxury Collection Hotels &
Resorts, a glittering ensemble of more than 65 of the world�s finest hotels
and resorts in more than 26 countries in bustling cities and spectacular
destinations around the world.
�We are proud to debut our latest global destination with the opening
of SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills, A Luxury Collection Hotel in the highly
desirable and dynamic heart of Los Angeles,� said Frits Van Paasschen,
President and Chief Executive Officer, Starwood Hotels & Resorts. �The
hotel�s leading-edge design by Philippe Starck, unparalleled epicurean
offerings by Chef José Andrés and innovative retail concept
by Moss, make it an ideal setting for our latest hotel within The Luxury
Collection brand, offering global explorers a portal to one of the world�s
most exciting cities.�
�The opening of SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills is incredibly exciting for
me and all of us at SBE, for it represents the culmination of over four
years of creation and planning, but is really only the first step in our
expansion plans for the SLS brand,� said Sam Nazarian, CEO and Founder,
SBE. Combined with SBE�s already successful development and operation of
some of the country�s hottest restaurants and nightclubs, the addition
of SLS represents an incredible and matchless synergy. SBE�s Katsuya, XIV,
Foxtail, Hyde Lounge, S Bar, Area, and The Abbey have all become wildly
popular destinations for Los Angeles� A+ list, and additional U.S. locations
for these brands are already in the works, including possible outposts
at future SLS properties. SLS guests will thus be able to enjoy not only
incredible hotels but also fantastic restaurants and nightclubs, and receive
preferential access at each establishment.
Design mastermind Philippe Starck has created the look and feel of SLS
under a 15-year design exclusive with SBE for the U.S., Caribbean and Mexico.
SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills is the first truly luxury hotel that Starck
has designed in North America, having single-handedly redefined every aspect
of the hotel experience in the 1990s and spurred the �boutique hotel� movement.
Featuring a unique dual guest lobby concept where one caters exclusively
to hotel guests, while the other is a lively, multi-faceted public dining
and retail environment called The Bazaar by José Andrés,
Starck�s ingenious innovations for SLS promise to surprise, soothe, excite
and enchant, while representing an important evolution for the celebrated
designer. Exclusively for SLS, Starck has also designed a collection of
high-end furniture which is being manufactured by SLS partner, Cassina
Contract, and is available for sale through the hotel. Collaborating with
Starck on the design and creation of SLS is SBE Chief Creative Officer
Theresa Fatino, who directs all aspects of SBE�s marketing, environmental,
interior and graphic design, and orchestrates such vital brand touchstones
as operating supplies, staff attire, ambient music, and retailing.
The SLS experience is further enhanced by SBE�s exclusive collaboration
with renowned culinary innovator José Andrés, who has created
all food and beverage concepts for SLS. In the gifted hands of Chef Andrés,
SLS guests can enjoy revolutionary culinary experiences in the hotels�
restaurants, lobbies, bars, and pool deck, as well as in-room dining, banquets
and meetings. Exclusively for hotel guests, Andrés has reinvented
the concept of hotel dining with the innovative Tres restaurant in the
private guest-only lobby as well as offering lighter fare on the panoramic
pool deck, Altitude. A particular signature of SLS, The Bazaar by José
Andrés is �hotel lobby reinvented as fête extraordinaire�
with a heady array of pioneering culinary and lounge concepts created by
Andrés � everything from traditional tapas to vegetable-focused
small plates to a Patisserie to cutting-edge cocktails to roving carts
of edible delights.
The Bazaar also features a revolutionary and innovative �shop without
walls� retail concept curated by Moss, a renowned New York City-based design
purveyor and trailblazer. SLS guests will be immediately engaged in the
�windowless� shopping experience in The Bazaar, where objets d�art reminiscent
of items found in the grand hotels of Europe from the 18th and 19th century
are displayed in a series of free-standing glass vitrines. Additionally,
SBE partnered with French fashion designer Pascal Humbert to create a distinctive
uniform collection for SLS hotel ambassadors. The SLS uniforms consist
of 80 separate styles in neutral tones, with modernistic details and characteristics
that establish and define each position within the hotel.
The property includes seven �Lifestyle Suites� which offer built-in
Kinesis Personal fitness equipment by leading Italian manufacturer, Technogym
-- the first time ever this cutting-edge system has been available in a
hotel. Specialized trainers provided by celebrated fitness guru Harley
Pasternak are available on call to hotel guests looking to enhance their
travel fitness regime. Technogym�s innovative high-end design, and Pasternak�s
dedicated focus on human well-being create an ideal pairing with SLS� commitment
to guest wellness and innovation.
For more information on SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills, a Luxury Collection
Hotel, visit www.luxurycollection.com/sls.
ABOUT SBE
Founded in 2002, the Los Angeles-based SBE brings exquisite balance
to the worlds of hospitality, real estate development and independent film
production. As a privately held company founded and helmed by CEO Sam Nazarian,
SBE acquires, develops and manages exceptional projects through its divisions
� Hotels, Restaurant and Nightlife, Real Estate, Bolthouse Productions
and Element Films. With a mission to redefine standards of excellence and
innovation, SBE has harnessed the creativity and innovation of the best
minds in the business, including design visionary Philippe Starck, with
whom the company has an exclusive agreement for the creation of hotels,
restaurants and lounges in the U.S., Canada, Caribbean and Mexico. SBE�s
Restaurant and Nightlife division constantly stays ahead of the curve,
creating and expanding trend-setting restaurant and nightlife concepts,
which currently include Katsuya, Foxtail, The Abbey, Hyde Lounge, S Bar
and Area. As the cornerstone of its synergistic approach, SBE has also
completely rethought and re-imagined the luxury hotel experience. SBE will
debut its first luxury hotel brand, SLS Hotels, with the Fall 2008 opening
of SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills featuring a Starck design and an innovative
culinary program by chef José Andrés. Also in the SBE Hotel
collection are Miami�s Ritz Plaza hotel, to debut in late 2009, and Las
Vegas� Sahara Hotel & Casino, which will undergo a complete redevelopment
for completion in early 2011.
ABOUT PHILIPPE STARCK
Philippe Starck is widely recognized as the world�s leading designer
of luxury restaurant, hotel and real estate properties and has established
a global �cultural tribe� of devotees. Born in Paris, M. Starck has always
sought to introduce love and happiness into our lives by designing objects
and settings which illuminate one�s passage throughout the day. M. Starck
developed his eclectic style at a young age and since as early as 1979,
he has introduced fun and stylish designs into everyday products. While
many of Starck�s masterful creations are exhibited at the world�s most
prestigious museums, his primary goal has invariably been democratic design
- to create smart and useful products that are also beautiful and cutting-edge.
M. Starck�s hotels and restaurants punctuate a new imagery of the world:
the Delano in Miami, Felix restaurant at The Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong,
the Hudson in New York -- and more recently the Faena hotel in Buenos Aires,
Bon restaurant in Moscow, and Volar nightclub in Shanghai -- have changed
the hospitality experience forever. In 2005, he signed an exclusive agreement
for North America with SBE Entertainment Group for the design of its restaurants
and lounges, which expanded to SBE�s hotels in 2006. His first SBE projects,
Katsuya restaurants in Brentwood and Hollywood, opened in 2006 and 2007,
and in summer 2008, his designs will shape an entirely new paradigm of
luxury hotels with SLS at Beverly Hills, the first in the new SLS Hotels
brand created by SBE. M. Starck has received numerous accolades throughout
his career such as Grand Prix for Design, the Oscar of the design world;
Chevalier de l�Ordre National de la Légion d�Honneur; Compasso d'
Oro and many others. Additional information on Philippe Starck can be found
at www.philippe-starck.com.
ABOUT JOSÉ ANDRÉS
Widely credited with bringing the small plates (tapas) concept to the
United States, José Andrés is a native of Spain who descended
upon the Washington, D.C. culinary landscape in 1993 at Jaleo. Andrés
went on to neighboring Café Atlantico and Zaytinya before launching
his namesake six-seat �restaurant within a restaurant,� minibar by josé
andrés, at Café Atlantico in 2003. Since then, he has opened
a third Jaleo and Oyamel, and launched THINKfoodTANK, an institution devoted
to the research and development of ideas about food. Andrés has
received numerous accolades for his work, including Bon Appetit�s Chef
of the Year award in 2004, Food & Wine�s �35 Under 35� tastemakers
list and Saveur�s 2004 �Saveur 100� list. In 2003, Andrés won the
James Beard Foundation�s �Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic Region� award and in
2005, released his first cookbook, Tapas: A Taste of Spain in America,
as well as his popular international cooking show �Vamos a Cocinar,� on
Television Española. Andres will bring Spain to the American public
television audience in early 2008 with Made in Spain, a 26-episode cooking
series showcasing the best of Spanish food, wine, culture and travel. In
2007, he was inducted into �Who�s Who of Food & Beverage in America,�
by the James Beard Foundation.
ABOUT THE LUXURY COLLECTION HOTELS & RESORTS
The Luxury Collection® is a selection of hotels and resorts offering
unique, authentic experiences that evoke lasting, treasured memories. For
the global explorer, The Luxury Collection offers a gateway to the world�s
most exciting and desirable destinations. Each hotel and resort is a unique
and cherished expression of its location; a portal to the destination�s
indigenous charms and treasures. Magnificent décor, spectacular
settings, impeccable service and the latest modern conveniences combine
to provide a uniquely enriching experience. Today, The Luxury Collection
is a glittering ensemble of more than 65 of the world�s finest hotels and
resorts in more than 26 countries in bustling cities and spectacular destinations
around the world. The Luxury Collection includes award-winning hotels that
continuously exceed guest expectations by offering unparalleled service,
style and class in some of the most desired destinations in the world.
Most recently, Mystique, a Luxury Collection Resort, was honored with the
2008 Travel + Leisure Design Award for Best Small Resort in the world.
All of these hotels, many of them centuries old, are internationally recognized
as being among the world�s finest. For more information, please visit www.luxurycollection.com.
ABOUT STARWOOD HOTELS & RESORTS WORLDWIDE, INC.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading
hotel and leisure companies in the world with approximately 900 properties
in more than 100 countries and 155,000 employees at its owned and managed
properties. Starwood Hotels is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor
of hotels, resorts and residences with the following internationally renowned
brands: St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, W®, Westin®,
Le Méridien®, Sheraton®, Four Points® by Sheraton, and
the recently launched AloftSM, and ElementSM. Starwood Hotels also owns
Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators
of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts. For more information,
please visit www.starwoodhotels.com.
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