Americans Are Bad in Bed; Sheraton Hotels Goes Under the Covers to Air America's Bad Bedding Habits.

Business Editors

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 23, 2003

Many Americans are bad in bed - or at least in bad beds - according to a new survey on people's bedding habits. A new Sheraton Hotels & Resorts study of 1,000 finds that many folks do not properly maintain their beds, sometimes leading to aches and pains.

The study, called "America Under the Covers"(*) revealed that 23% of Americans are sleeping on mattresses that are past their prime; a third lay their heads on pillows that should have been retired and 22% are sacking out on stale sheets that are not changed or washed enough. People's poor habits in bed may contribute to the fact that 43% of American's surveyed say they wake up with neck or back pain.

Hotel giant Sheraton Hotels & Resorts commissioned the study as it spends more than $75 million rolling out more than 70,000 pristine new beds in 200 hotels throughout North America.

"Throughout our history, big hotel brands skimped on beds - horrid polyester bed spreads, foam mattresses, hard pillows and cheap linens," said Sheraton Executive Vice President Norman MacLeod, dubbed "Mr. Sweet Sleeper" by his colleagues. "No more. Starwood, our parent company, has made a huge commitment to researching and designing elite, custom beds for our W, Westin and now Sheraton Hotel brands."

While Sheraton's business may be beds, even amateurs at home can spruce up their beds with proper care.

Some findings and tips on proper bed maintenance:

-- Nearly a quarter of Americans (23%) sleep on mattresses that

are over 10 years old. Mattresses should be retired after 8-10

years.

-- 20 percent never rotate their mattresses - a big no-no.

Mattresses should be rotated quarterly to eliminate uneven

wear and prevent sagging.

-- 23 percent of folks surveyed never air their bed sheets and

linens. Every morning, folks should throw back their bedspread

or duvet and let sheets linens breathe to allow body moisture

to evaporate.

-- More than one in five Americans (22%) only change their sheets

every few weeks or less. Bed linens should be changed once a

week and more often in warmer climates. Some high maintenance

bedding experts (like Mr. MacLeod) change their pillowcases

daily.

-- One in three of us (33%) sleep on pillows that are more than

three years old, though the life span of most pillows is only

a year or two and even the most expensive pillows should be

replaced every five years.

-- 43 percent of Americans wake up with neck or back pain, which

could be at least partially caused by pillows and mattresses

that are old and out-of-shape.

-- 14 percent say their mattresses actually sag in the middle and

13% would be embarrassed to let their neighbors see their

mattress.

Introducing The Sheraton Sweet Sleeper Bed(sm)

While your bed at home may need some TLC, the brand new Sheraton Sweet Sleeper Beds rolling out in Sheraton Hotels will be sure to put you to sleep. The multi-layered custom designed bed features an 11.5 inch thick Sealy Posturepedic(R) Plush Top mattress, down and allergy sensitive pillows and crisp cotton sheets. In a nod to Sheraton's classic aesthetic, the beds feature a selection of duvet patterns inspired by timeless tattersall checks, hound's-tooth and pinstripe patterns in rich color tones.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with more than 740 properties in more than 80 countries and 105,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. With internationally renowned brands, Starwood is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels and resorts including: St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, Sheraton, Westin, Four Points by Sheraton, W brands, as well as Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts. For more information, please visit www.starwood.com

** Please contact Starwood's new, toll-free media hotline at (866) 4-STAR-PR (866-478-2777) for photography or additional information.**

(*)This report presents the findings of a telephone survey conducted among a national probability sample of 1013 adults comprising 508 men and 505 women 18 years of age and older, living in private households in the continental United States.

Interviewing was completed during the period September 12-14, 2003

using computer assisted telephone interviewing (CATI). Completed interviews are weighted by four variables: age, sex, geographic region, and race, to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the total US population, 18 years of age and older. The full tabulations show both weighted and unweighted bases.

Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results.

In this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 3 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample.