BOGOTA, Colombia---Jul. 23, 2012-- W Hotels Worldwide today announced it has signed an agreement with Terranum Hotels to debut a new W Hotel in Bogota, Colombia. Slated to open in 2014, W Bogota will be a part of a larger mixed-use development, which will also include premium office space and high-end retail. W Bogota will be located in the heart of the fashionable Usaquen district in the northern part of the city, just steps away from the neighborhood's trendy restaurants, cafes, and shopping.

"We are delighted to expand our partnership with Terranum Hotels to launch the W brand in Colombia," said Osvaldo Librizzi, Co-President of the Americas, Starwood Hotels & Resorts. "Bogota is one of the fastest growing economic hubs in Latin America and is also renowned for its fashion, music, tremendous gastronomic options, and historical significance in the region."

"This signing underscores our commitment to expansion in Latin America and marks an important milestone in our overall growth strategy to introduce our world-class brands into burgeoning cities around the globe," said Ricardo Suarez, Vice President of Latin America Acquisitions and Development for Starwood Hotels & Resorts. "Colombia, at the crossroads between the Americas, draws a diverse set of cultures for both business and leisure travel, and provides an ideal foothold as we continue to grow our pipeline in the region."

"Our vision is to create a hotel which will set a new lifestyle standard for Colombia," said Javier Pimienta, Managing Director of Terranum Hotels. "Selecting Starwood and its innovative W Hotels brand for this development was an easy decision. We have no doubt that W Bogota will become a must-see for both locals and international visitors to Colombia."

W Bogota will be designed by New York-based Studio Gaia, who has drawn inspiration from Colombia's famous El Dorado legend. According to the legend, during the pre-Colombian period, every time the indigenous Muisca tribe had a new Chief, the people would make offerings to their god by throwing gold, emeralds and semi-precious stones into the Guatavita Lake. The mystery and adventure of the El Dorado legend will come to life in the design of the hotel in innovative and unique ways, using color, light and texture to bring in the vibrancy and glamour of Colombia's varied landscape.

"The W brand's expansion into Colombia is another milestone in bringing the global design powerhouse to the world's most exciting cities and vibrant resort destinations," said Vincent Gillet, Global Brand Leader, W Hotels and Le Méridien. "W will offer a completely new and distinctive experience to the hotel market in Bogota, providing a stylish escape and innovative design in one of the city's most premier districts."

W Bogota will provide an integrated contemporary lifestyle experience, offering 168 stylish guestrooms, including 20 suites and one Extreme Wow Suite (the W brand's interpretation of the Presidential Suite), the signature W Lounge experience (the W take on the traditional hotel lobby), destination restaurant and nightclub, Away® spa, and 3,000 square foot Workout fitness center. The hotel will also be an ideal venue for meetings with more than 12,000 square feet of function space, including a Great Room and five state-of-the-art meeting rooms. Guests will also be treated to the W brand's iconic Whatever/Whenever® service philosophy, providing guests with whatever they want, whenever they want it.

W Bogota will be located only seven miles from the El Dorado International Airport in one of the premium areas in Colombia's capital city, where many of the most prominent companies are based.

For more information, please visit http://www.whotels.com or http://www.facebook.com/whotels

About W Hotels Worldwide
W Hotels is a contemporary, design-led lifestyle brand and the industry innovator with 42 hotels and retreats, including 14 W-branded residences, in the most vibrant cities and exotic destinations around the world. Inspiring, iconic, innovative and influential, W Hotels provides the ultimate in insider access, offering a unique mix of cutting-edge design and passions around fashion, music and entertainment. W Hotels offers a holistic lifestyle experience that is integrated into the brand's sensibility through contemporary restaurant concepts, glamorous entertainment experiences, stylish retail concepts, signature spas and inspiring residences. With more than 13 years of proven success, W Hotels is on track to reach more than 60 hotels by the end of 2015. W Hotels have been announced for Guangzhou, Milan, Shanghai, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Bangkok, Athens - Astir Palace, Muscat, Mumbai, Dubai, and Santa Fe, Mexico, while upcoming W Retreats include Verbier and Mexico's Riviera Maya. For more information, visit http://www.whotels.com. To live the W Hotels lifestyle 24/7/365, visit http://www.wresidences.com.
About Starwood Hotels & Resorts
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT) is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with 1,103 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

About Terranum
Terranum is an integrated real estate company based in Bogota, focusing on investment, development and management of commercial real estate with six business units. Terranum is owned by Estrategias Corporativas, a leading investment bank, and the Santo Domingo Family, one of the largest conglomerates in the region. Terranum Hotels is a leading developer of brand-affiliated hotels in Latin America, with three hotels currently under construction. Terranum Development is a corporate real estate development company and Terranum Investment manages the largest Colombian REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust). Terranum Management is the largest property and facility management company in Colombia, managing over 3.5 million square meters for top corporate clients. Terranum Architecture is a leading architectural firm, with a strong emphasis in sustainable development. For more information, please visit http://www.terranum.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.)

About W Hotels Worldwide
W Hotels is a contemporary, design-led lifestyle brand and the industry innovator with 42 hotels and retreats, including 14 W-branded residences, in the most vibrant cities and exotic destinations around the world. Inspiring, iconic, innovative and influential, W Hotels provides the ultimate in insider access, offering a unique mix of cutting-edge design and passions around fashion, music and entertainment. W Hotels offers a holistic lifestyle experience that is integrated into the brand’s sensibility through contemporary restaurant concepts, glamorous entertainment experiences, stylish retail concepts, signature spas and inspiring residences. With more than 13 years of proven success, W Hotels is on track to reach 60 hotels by the end of 2015. W Hotels have been announced for Guangzhou, Singapore, Milan, Shanghai, Abu Dhabi, Bangkok, Athens – Astir Palace, Muscat, Mumbai, and Sante Fe, Mexico, while upcoming W Retreat & Spas® include Verbier and Mexico’s Riviera Maya. For more information, visit www.whotels.com. To live the W Hotels lifestyle 24/7/365, visit www.wresidences.com.