Starwood Vacation Ownership's Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas Receives ACE Project of Excellence from American Resort Development Association; Industry's Highest Accolade Recognizes Resort Excellence.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas, developed and managed by Starwood Vacation Ownership (SVO), a division of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT), received the ACE Project of Excellence, the highest accolade recognizing an individual resort from the American Resort Development Association (ARDA).

The Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas, located in Maui, Hawaii, was Starwood's first vacation ownership property in Hawaii. The first phase opened in December 2003, and the final phase will open this summer. Upon completion, the resort will have 280 fully furnished luxury villas. In addition, SVO will expand its presence in Maui with the construction of a new property immediately next door, The Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas North, which will have will have 258 lock-off units upon completion.

"Since its debut, by any measure, the Westin Ka'anapali has been an incredible addition to our expanding portfolio of resorts, which includes resorts under the Sheraton, Westin, and St. Regis flags," said Raymond L. "Rip" Gellein, Jr., Chief Executive Officer of Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc. "We have worked hard to develop a first-class resort in one of the world's most sought-after destinations, and it is very gratifying to receive this recognition from our peers. We look forward to increasing our presence on the Hawaiian Islands."

The resort began pre sales on September 24, 2001. Despite opening during one of the most difficult times for our country and for the tourism industry in general, the Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas managed to exceed sales expectations during its first month and every month thereafter. The Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas had among the highest Guest Satisfaction scores of any hotel in the Starwood family and is the most requested resort for our owners.

Significant Local Employer and Community Partner

"The Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas employs almost 400 local citizens, and we are extremely proud to be a part of the local community and our work helping to preserve its important culture. The best testament to our commitment to the community is the recent approval of the sequel resort located next door," said Gellein. Today, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide has more than 45 years experience in Hawaii, a diverse portfolio of properties, and is one of the largest employers in the state.

The resort and its employees are embedded in the community and continually find ways to become involved. SVO was the first to make a contribution to the "Bleachers for Lahainaluna,"a project that successfully raised enough money for Maui's Lahainaluna High School to schedule its first home football game ever for the 2005 season. In addition, the resort sponsored a canoe for the International Festival of Canoes, one of the most important cultural events on Maui initiated to rekindle cultural ties between the peoples of Polynesia and preserve the indigenous culture of Lahaina. The canoe is now proudly displayed by the pool at the resort.

Design and Architecture

The beautiful, beach front project was envisioned in the style of contemporary Territorial architecture taken from the period preceding Hawaii's statehood. A large well-landscaped amenity courtyard with pool, slide, pool bar and barbecue areas provide significant open space and privacy for the separate six-story guest room buildings. The main level of the Clubhouse contains the entry and lobby, front office, kids' club and general store, with a large sales center. The lower level houses administrative offices, training center, sales call center, main kitchen, and maintenance and service areas.

All the units are designed in a lock-out configuration off a common entry foyer, allowing separation of the deluxe suite from the efficiency suite. The design of the common foyer is such that when the foyer doors are kept open for a single user, the combined unit feels like one large two-bedroom suite. The ocean-end units are positioned to provide spectacular 180-degree ocean views. The interiors feature ornate, luxurious trim including African mahogany.

About Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with approximately 750 properties in more than 80 countries and 120,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. With internationally renowned brands, Starwood(R) corporation is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels and resorts including: St. Regis(R), The Luxury Collection(R), Sheraton(R), Westin(R), Four Points(R) by Sheraton, and W(R), Hotels and Resorts 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.starwoodhotels.com

About the American Resort Development Association

The American Resort Development Association is the Washington D.C.-based professional association representing the vacation ownership and resort development industries. Established in 1969, ARDA today has nearly 1,000 members ranging from privately held firms to publicly traded companies and international corporations with interests in timeshare resorts, community development, fractional ownership and resort communities. The membership also includes timeshare owner associations (HOAs), resort management companies and owners through the ARDA Resort Owners Coalition (ARDA-ROC).

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