STAMFORD, Conn.--Aug. 22, 2012--
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT) today
announced that it has completed the sale of W Chicago - Lakeshore to
Chesapeake Lodging Trust for $126 million. As part of the sale,
Chesapeake has agreed to undertake a comprehensive property renovation
to the hotel's 520 guestrooms; public spaces, including the Living
Room, Wave restaurant, Whiskey Sky rooftop bar and the Welcome Desk;
and prime meeting space, Altitude, with 360 degree views of the city.
Starwood has entered into a 40-year management agreement with full
extensions to continue operating the hotel under the W flag.
"As part of our asset light strategy, we continue to look for
opportunities to sell our owned real estate at the right time to the
right owners, which is in the best interest of our shareholders," said
Simon Turner, President of Global Development for Starwood. "Chesapeake
has been one of our valued partners, and we are pleased to expand our
relationship with them to deliver an unparalleled W experience to our
guests at W Lakeshore for many years to come."
W Lakeshore, located at 644 North Lake Shore Drive, is a full-service,
luxury property with deluxe guest rooms, more than 12,000 square feet
of meeting and event space, a SWEAT state-of-the-art fitness center, a
9,600 square foot Bliss® Spa and the acclaimed Wave restaurant. The
hotel is the only hotel on Lake Michigan, and is the closest hotel to
Navy Pier and within walking distance of East Michigan Avenue and
Chicago's business districts.
About Starwood Hotels &
Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading
hotel and leisure companies in the world with 1,112 properties in
nearly 100 countries and 154,000 employees at its owned and managed
properties. Starwood 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, Aloft®, and ElementSM.
The Company boasts one of the industry's leading loyalty programs,
Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG), allowing members to earn and redeem
points for room stays, room upgrades and flights, with no blackout
dates. Starwood also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., a premier
provider of world-class vacation experiences through villa-style
resorts and privileged access to Starwood brands. For more information,
please visit http://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 or events and involve risks and uncertainties and
other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ
materially from those anticipated at the time the forward-looking
statements are made. These risks and uncertainties are presented in
detail in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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 and
events 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.)