Industry-first relationship enables guests to stay in touch while out of town, with free Wi-Fi and broadband Internet access, localized online information, and 30-day free Yahoo! service trials

Yahoo! Inc., a leading global Internet company, and Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc.'s largest upscale brand, announced today an industry-first strategic relationship that will keep Sheraton guests connected in comfort while on the road.

Yahoo! Link @ Sheraton is the first of many Sheraton initiatives to roll out this year that reinforces the brand's values of offering its guests signature services and amenities in a warm, comfortable environment that will help keep them connected to what matters to them most. Yahoo! Link @ Sheraton officially debuts today both as a physical and virtual space at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina and Sheraton Boston, and as a virtual space at the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers and Sheraton Stamford in Connecticut.

Yahoo! Link @ Sheraton offers a unique and convenient online experience that enables guests to surf the Internet, email loved ones, review local favorite attractions and even print up boarding passes. Customized features include free Wi-Fi and broadband Internet-enabled lounge installations in Sheraton hotel lobbies and a co-branded, locally-tailored portal website available on computers in the lounge areas and in guestrooms. Also available exclusively for Sheraton guests is a special premium service bundle that includes a 30-day free trial of several of Yahoo!'s most popular services including Yahoo! Music, Yahoo! Mail Plus, Yahoo! All Star Games, Yahoo! Finance Tracker and Yahoo! Briefcase.

"Yahoo! and Sheraton are both committed to offering a unique and personalized experience for our visitors, and working together to create the Yahoo! Link is a natural fit," said Cammie Dunaway, chief marketing officer at Yahoo!, Inc. "This pilot program is part of Yahoo!'s ongoing effort to extend our brand beyond the desktop, bringing information and content to users anywhere, at any time."

Out of Town Doesn't Mean Out of Touch

Through this strategic relationship Yahoo! and Sheraton Hotels help guests stay connected by offering both business and leisure travelers access to the same resources they would have in the comfort of their home or office, at anytime during their stay.

"At Sheraton Hotels we provide our guests with a sense of community, helping them connect to what is important to them. In the Yahoo! Link @ Sheraton guests will find a warm, comfortable environment where they can catch up on work, email their family and friends or just sit back and relax," said Javier Benito, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Starwood Hotels & Resorts. "This unique relationship with Yahoo! will help our guests stay in touch with their home base, as well as the city they are visiting no matter where their travels take them all through our co-branded website, 24 hours a day."

The Yahoo! Link @ Sheraton experience begins as guests make their way through the hotel lobby and enter a specially designed communal lounge area featuring comfortable seating, refreshments and a plasma television. Multiple Internet-enabled workstations complete with free 24/7 Ethernet and Wi-Fi connectivity and PrintMe features are also made available for Sheraton guests and visitors. Designed to function as a "virtual concierge," the Yahoo! Link @ Sheraton website, available on all lounge and guestroom computers, will provide Sheraton guests with current local information such as weather conditions, nearby restaurants and attractions, and local driving directions.

Guests and hotel associates can also add their personal favorites and reviews of local restaurants and attractions to the website. In addition, Sheraton guests will receive an exclusive 30-day free trial of a customized Yahoo! premium services bundle including Yahoo! Music, Yahoo! Mail Plus, Yahoo! All Star Games, Yahoo! Finance Tracker and Yahoo! Briefcase.