With the first property opening in Fall 1998 in New York, W hotels will offer a new breed of business hotels, combining the personality and chic style of a boutique hotel with the reliability and comprehensive business services that today�s corporate traveler demands. 

As will be custom in all W hotels, both the W San Francisco and W Seattle will have a modern, sophisticated design with an emphasis on elegance and the utmost comfort.  While sharing a common aesthetic and commitment to superior service, each W hotel will have its own distinct personality, imbued with the flavor of its particular city and neighborhood. 

W�s signature guestroom amenities include a luxurious bed with 250 thread-count linens, specially designed room accessories, an oversized desk, radio/CD player (with a selection of CDs available), 27� TV with high-speed Internet access and movies on-command, dual-line cordless phones with speaker and conference capabilities, and Aveda custom bath products.  Rooms can be outfitted with a customized selection of business equipment based on a guest�s needs. 

Each W hotel will feature a lively café and bar open for light fare, coffee and drinks throughout the day and evening, and a newsstand featuring a wide assortment of international magazines and newspapers.  There will also be an upscale, independent restaurant featuring the best of each city�s culinary resources.  Other features include a gift kiosk full of unique items, a state-of-the-art fitness center, and 24-hour room service and concierge. 

The W San Francisco, located in the city�s thriving �South of Market� district at Third and Howard, will offer 418 deluxe guest rooms and five suites on 30 floors. It is conveniently situated directly across from The Moscone Center and adjacent to The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. A key part of the new development area called �Yerba Buena Gardens,� the hotel is five blocks from Union Square and within easy walking distance from an array of boutiques, theaters and galleries as well as the soon-to-open Sony entertainment center. 

Designed by the architectural firm Hornberger & Worstell, the hotel will be a modern yet classicist structure designed to complement the area�s distinctive architecture.  Neighboring buildings include the Mario Botta-designed Museum of Modern Art and the Pacific Telephone Building, a National Trust landmark created by Timothy Pfluger.  Design details include a gray granite façade piped with polished black granite, and an octagonal, three-story, glass entrance and lobby.  In addition to a health club, W San Francisco will feature a glass atrium-covered swimming pool and whirlpool.  There will be a business center and seven meeting/banquet rooms totaling over 9,500 square feet. 

W San Francisco�s Director of Sales and Marketing is Melinda Speck, who previously spent several years as the Director of Sales and Marketing for Wyndham Hotels in San Jose and San Diego.  A graduate of Oregon State University�s Hotel Management Program, Speck brings over 10 years of industry experience to W, including positions at the Atlanta Hilton & Towers and the Flamingo Hilton in Las Vegas.  She also spent five years with Red Lion Hotels as the Director of Sales at their Bakersfield, Sacramento and Bellevue Center properties.   Melinda can be reached at408-226-2871.

Situated at the corner of Fourth and Seneca Streets, the W Seattle will be at the very core of downtown Seattle�s financial, retail and entertainment district.  Just five blocks from Pike Place Market and two blocks from the new Benaroya Symphony Hall, the hotel is surrounded by upscale boutiques and restaurants. 

The 26-floor property will offer 417 deluxe guest rooms and nine suites.  Designed by the Seattle-based Callison Architecture, the hotel will feature several exterior details which embody a contemporary interpretation of classic Seattle architecture.  The building will be crowned by a steel and mesh pyramid, which will glow softly at night and be visible from blocks away.   The hotel will have a two-story lobby and an adjacent restaurant offering an outdoor terrace along Fourth Avenue.  There will be over 10,000 square feet of meeting and banquet space, including 10 meeting rooms and a 4,700-square-foot ballroom, and a business center.

The hotel�s Director of Sales and Marketing is Jolene DiSalvo CMP, who brings to her position some 15 years of hotel industry experience, including Red Lion Hotels, The Brown Palace and Sir Francis Drake.  A graduate of Washington State University, DiSalvo is a Certified Meeting Professional and has worked in several cities including Seattle, San Francisco and Denver.  She can be reached at 206-727-5786.

In addition to San Francisco, Seattle and New York, W Hotels will also open over the next 18 months in other U.S. cities to include Chicago, Los Angeles, and Denver. W hotels are managed by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., a hotel operating and management company whose shares are paired and trade together as a unit with Starwood Hotels & Resorts, the
nation�s largest hotel real estate investment trust (NYSE: HOT).