Twenty years after reaching a milestone by being the first international hotel company to sign a management contract in China with the Sheraton brand, Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE : HOT) continues to grow in China.

Starwood's development growth in the last 18 months has surpassed all previous years with the addition of 10 new hotels to the existing portfolio of 18 hotels in China.   Upon opening, these new hotels will bring an additional 3,714 rooms to the Starwood portfolio in key and emerging business and resort destinations in China, bringing Starwood's total upscale guest room inventory in China to 11,809.

China is the engine of growth for Asia and we intend to continue to be a major player.  China is rapidly developing not only in terms of domestic tourism but also a feeder market with a population that is eager to travel the world, said Miguel Ko, President, Asia-Pacific, Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc.  With 28 hotels open or under construction in 21 cities throughout China, under the St Regis, Sheraton, Westin, Four Points by Sheraton and W Hotels brands, we are well-positioned to cater to the growing number of international and domestic business and leisure travelers, added Ko.

A highlight of Starwood's expansion in China is the introduction of new international brands, including the debut of W Hotels, the world's fastest growing collection of world-class design hotels, in China with the signing of W Hong Kong and W Shanghai.   Although cities like New York, London and Los Angeles have long had a stronghold on the world's top design hotels, Starwood has identified enormous potential in developing this genre globally and Asia presents tremendous opportunities.  Other new W hotels in Asia include the newly-opened W Seoul Walkerhill and W Maldives-Fesdhu, W's first resort scheduled to open in 2005.

Starwood Hotels and Resorts expanded its portfolio in China significantly since last year with the opening of Sheraton hotels in Sanya on Hainan Island, Dongguan in Guangdong province and Jiuzhaigou in Sichuan province in 2003.  In the past 18 months, the company also signed agreements to manage new hotels in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Guiyang, Dalian, Shenzhen, Ningbo, Xiamen and Changsha.  Starwood is proud to offer business, leisure, conference and incentive travelers a range of top-class properties in the capital city of Beijing, bustling metropolis of Shanghai, resort haven of Sanya on Hainan island, and in numerous cultural and business destinations throughout the country.