In response to rising demand, Starwood picks up the pace of Aloft conversions with the opening of Aloft Tucson University

STARWOOD HOTELS’ SIZZLING ALOFT BRAND LAUNCHES IN TUCSON, ARIZONA

STAMFORD, CT – Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT) has announced that its ‘Style-at-a-Steal’ Aloft brand celebrates the debut of Aloft Tucson University.

The opening also marks the completion of yet another Aloft conversion project, helping to accelerate the brand’s phenomenal global growth.

Owned by Starwood Hotels, the former Four Points by Sheraton property underwent a significant renovation to reposition it as an Aloft hotel. Catering to next generation travellers, Aloft Tucson University offers 154 spacious, loft-like rooms, leading-edge technology and a buzzing, social atmosphere.

“We are thrilled to debut the Aloft brand in Tucson, a vibrant city for both students and young professionals who appreciate the Aloft brand’s style aesthetic and buzzing social scene,” said Brian McGuinness, Senior Vice President, Specialty Select Brands for Starwood.  “Conversion projects like this one are becoming an increasingly important growth channel for the Aloft brand, allowing us to enter even more markets, more quickly as we move closer to the 75^th hotel milestone.”

Adjacent to the University of Arizona campus, Aloft Tucson University is just three miles from downtown Tucson and 20 minutes from Tucson International Airport (TUS). Guests will enjoy easy access to a choice of shops and restaurants, numerous corporate offices and entertainment venues such as Centennial Hall and TCC Music Hall. Hotel amenities include an outdoor pool, w xyz ^sm bar, 24-hour fitness center and 1,723 square feet of flexible meeting space, ideal for both business meetings and social gatherings.

Aloft Tucson University is one of several successful Aloft conversion projects including Aloft San Francisco Airport, Aloft Nashville West End and the award-winning Aloft Dallas Downtown – an adaptive re-use project that transformed a historic railroad depot into an Aloft hotel.

"This is the second Aloft conversion, following the recent opening of Aloft SFO, that Starwood has undertaken on at one of our owned properties,” said Simon Turner, Starwood’s President of Global Development.  “We are great believers in the conversion opportunity for the Aloft brand and we have had very positive feedback from developers who have seen what we have accomplished. These two conversion projects have proven that a fully on-brand Aloft can be created from an existing hotel property at a cost that provides attractive returns to owners."

Pioneering initiatives in music, design, and technology have positioned Aloft as a must-have living-social brand for the next generation of travellers. Aloft has reported consistently high guest satisfaction scores since launch, reflecting the success of its modern and vibrant design at an affordable price point. Aloft's social guest experience, with the buzzing re:mix lounge and w xyz bar, has also earned select hotels within the portfolio designations in TripAdvisor's 2012 "Top 25 Trendiest Hotels in the US" rankings.

For more information or reservations, visit www.alofttucsonuniversity.com, or call 520-908-6800.

About Aloft Hotels

With more than 60 hotels in 10 countries, Aloft has changed the hotel landscape by offering ‘style at a steal’ everywhere from Baltimore to Beijing to Bogota to Brussels – and everywhere in between. For more information, please visit www.alofthotels.com.

Aloft, like all brands within Starwood's portfolio, is proud to offer the Starwood Preferred Guest^(R) program, which offers a breakthrough policy of no blackout dates on Free Night Awards. To learn more, please visit www.spg.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 1,134 properties in nearly 100 countries and 171,000 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 www.starwoodhotels.com.