WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., Apr 06, 2011--Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) today announced that it has sold The Westin Gaslamp Quarter to a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pebblebrook Hotel Trust (NYSE: PEB), for $110M, with a commitment of approximately $23 million in property enhancements to be completed prior to the end of 2012 for a total investment in the property of $133M. The sales price represents a multiple of approximately 14 times anticipated 2011 Hotel EBITDA exclusive of the capital commitment. Starwood will continue to operate the hotel under its upper-upscale Westin flag and will maintain a 20-year management agreement with two ten- year extension options, exercisable by Starwood. The Westin Gaslamp Quarter will continue to serve guests throughout the transition and provide the signature services and amenities the Westin brand is renowned for at the heart of San Diego's vibrant Gaslamp Quarter historic district.

As part of the transaction, Pebblebrook Hotel Trust has committed to invest approximately $23 million in property enhancements to The Westin Gaslamp Quarter to continue the hotel's comprehensive renovation, which began in November 2010 and is scheduled to be completed in 2012. All guestrooms have recently completed floor-to-ceiling renovations, which will be followed by major upgrades to the hotel's meeting facilities. The last phase of the renovation will be the complete redesign and re-launch of the hotel's public areas, restaurant and lobby bar creating a significantly enhanced arrival experience for guests.

"Starwood's decision to sell The Westin Gaslamp Quarter is reflective of our asset-light strategy," said Simon Turner, President of Global Development, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. "We continue to pursue opportunities to sell our owned real estate at the right time to the right owners in the best interest of shareholders. Pebblebrook shares our vision for the property and we look forward to close collaboration with this high-quality, experienced hotel owner."

The Westin Gaslamp Quarter is ideally situated in a prime location at the heart of San Diego's lively historic quarter, just steps from a variety of shops, restaurant, theaters, art galleries and night clubs. Nearby attractions include the San Diego Zoo, the Maritime Museum of San Diego, and Coronado Island. Just three miles from San Diego International Airport, the hotel is also convenient to the San Diego Convention Center and numerous corporate offices including Lockheed Martin, Bank of America and Capital One.

The hotel offers 450 guest rooms, including eight suites, and more than 27,000 square feet of indoor meeting space including a 9,000 square foot ballroom and outdoor function space. Additional facilities include an outdoor pool, two restaurants and a café, and an on-site indoor parking facility.

About Pebblebrook Hotel Trust
Pebblebrook Hotel Trust is a publicly traded real estate investment trust ("REIT") organized to acquire and invest primarily in upper upscale, full-service hotels located in large urban and resort markets with an emphasis on the major coastal cities. The company owns ten hotels with a total of 3,002 guest rooms in six states and the District of Columbia including, San Francisco, California; Washington, DC; Santa Monica, California; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Bethesda, Maryland; Buckhead, Georgia; Stevenson, Washington; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and San Diego, California. For more information, please visit www.pebblebrookhotels.com.

About Westin Hotels & Resorts
Westin Hotels & Resorts makes the healthiest choices irresistibly appealing, so guests leave feeling better than when they arrived. With over 170 hotels and resorts in over 36 countries and territories, Westin is owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. Starwood Hotels is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with 1025 properties in nearly 100 countries and territories with 145,000 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(R), The Luxury Collection(R), W(R), Westin(R), Le Méridien(R), Sheraton(R), Four Points(R) by Sheraton, and the recently launched Aloft(R), and Element SM. 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.

Note: This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal securities regulations. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated at the time the forward-looking statements are made. Further results, performance and achievements may be affected by general economic conditions, including the duration and severity of any global or regional economic downturns, the availability of financing alternatives at acceptable terms, the impact of war and terrorist activity, business and financing conditions, foreign exchange fluctuations, cyclicality of the real estate (including residential) and the hotel and vacation ownership businesses, operating risks associated with the hotel, vacation ownership and residential businesses. These risks and uncertainties are presented in detail in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Further, there can be no assurance that agreements will be entered into for the hotels in the Company's pipeline and, if entered into, the timing of any agreement and the opening of the related hotel. Although we believe the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, we can give no assurance that our expectations will be attained or that results will not materially differ. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.