New hotel concept from Barry Sternlicht will personify Baccarat's luxury.

Starwood Capital Group, announced the creation of Baccarat Hotels and Resorts, a five-star luxury hotel brand inspired by Baccarat's global iconic status.

Starwood Capital Group's controlled affiliate owns 86% of the shares of the Baccarat company. For more than 200 years, Baccarat has been synonymous with luxury, hand-crafted quality and the unending pursuit of perfection. Baccarat Hotels and Resorts will draw upon those same traits to deliver a distinctively personalized experience at the world's most sought-after locations.

Each Baccarat Hotel will be unmistakably unique, designed to draw upon its surroundings while upholding the passionate attention to detail one would expect from the Baccarat name. From its impeccably high standards of service to its refined interior and exterior design, guests and residents will be instantly enveloped by Baccarat's world-renowned blend of culture and aesthetics from the moment they walk through the lobby doors.

Every shimmering detail will radiate elegance, from luminous expansive rooms and residences, which will number from 80 to 250 per property, to luxurious furnishings, which will feature signature Baccarat chandeliers. Other features will include world-class dining options and exclusive services designed to shape personalized experiences for every guest.

The first announced Baccarat Hotel project will be located in Wailea, Hawaii, expected to open in 2010, with several other locations to follow, including the Caribbean, Europe and the Far East. Baccarat Wailea will consist of 193 condominium homes ranging in size from one bedroom, 980 square feet layouts to four-bedroom, 3,330 square feet residences.

"Baccarat Hotels and Resorts will personify the pride and impeccable attention to detail that has made Baccarat one of the world's select few names that define and shape luxury," said Barry Sternlicht, who serves as Chairman and CEO of Starwood Capital and Chairman of Baccarat. "I am extremely excited for the opportunity to display Baccarat's extraordinary and distinctive pedigree in a new and unique way at some of the most breathtaking locations around the world. These hotels will serve as living innovation labs for the Baccarat brand as we move the parent company into today's fashion and design world."

"For centuries Baccarat has built a reputation of providing elegant luxury products offering unparalleled beauty and flawless brilliance, and now we are thrilled to have the opportunity to produce these same elements on a much grander scale," said Marc Leclerc, Managing Director of Baccarat. "Building on our heritage as the provider of crystal to kings, we look forward to creating a new luxury living experience for sophisticated travelers that will be as unique and personal as each product we produce. We take great pride in Baccarat's legendary reputation for excellence, and look forward to working with Mr. Sternlicht, one of the hotel industry's great innovators, to create what we believe will truly be the preeminent name in luxury hotels."

A Starwood Capital Group controlled affiliate acquired its majority interest in the Baccarat company as part of its acquisition in late 2005 of Societe Du Louvre. Mr. Sternlicht, who is widely known for revolutionizing the hospitality industry during his tenure at both Starwood Capital Group and previously as Chairman and CEO of Starwood Hotels and Resorts, also serves as Chairman of Societe Du Louvre.

The Baccarat Hotels and Resorts will join two other international luxury hotel brands under development by Starwood Capital: Crillon and 1 Hotels & Resorts.