Early this year Starwood will mark a milestone with the opening of its 900th hotel and expects to increase its portfolio by 50% over the next five years, driven by aggressive global expansion across all its brands and the unprecedented growth of its two new brands, Aloft and Element, which both expect to open their first hotels this year.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. anticipates another year of extraordinary growth in 2008, building on the company's record-setting success in 2007.

Starwood's active pipeline includes 500 hotels and 120,000 rooms. Approximately half of Starwood's new hotels are expected to open outside of North America, reflecting the company's impressive growth in dynamic international markets. The global hotel giant expects to add 80 - 100 hotels to its portfolio this year, up more than 50% from the number it opened in 2007.

"Starwood continues to win more than our fair share of new hotel projects globally and when we open our 900th hotel that will certainly highlight the company's terrific growth trajectory," said Raymond "Rip" Gellein, President, Global Development Group. "Our lifestyle brands and noted innovations have struck a chord with the development community as they believe this leads to increased loyalty as well as robust returns. In 2008 we expect healthy expansion as our newest brands in the select service category continue to gain traction and our established upper upscale and luxury brands expand in markets where we are currently underpenetrated."

China, India and Middle East Experiencing Explosive Growth

Starwood continues to grow at a breathtaking rate in Asia Pacific, with plans to increase its portfolio by more than 70% this year. Fueling this growth spurt is Starwood's remarkable pace in China, driven by the surge in development of Starwood's select service brands and the increased exposure of the company's upper upscale and luxury brands in the region.

Of Starwood's 70 hotels under development in Asia Pacific, more than half are in China, where it's expected to double its portfolio by 2011. The Sheraton and Four Points by Sheraton brands lead the growth in this region. In addition to the 36 hotels Starwood currently operates in China, Starwood has more than 40 new properties waiting to open.

Starwood is also experiencing prolific growth in India. Building on its current portfolio of 20 properties, Starwood has 10 more waiting to open in vibrant technology hubs such as Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai and Bangalore. Westin and Aloft are particularly hot in India right now - in the past few months, Westin signed deals for five new properties, and Aloft executed deals for three new properties.

Europe, the Middle East and Africa will continue to experience significant growth with over ten new hotels expected to open this year and close to 50 scheduled to open by 2012. More specifically, Starwood is expanding in key Middle Eastern markets such as UAE, Bahrain, and Qatar, where currently there are 20 operating hotels and another ten in the pipeline.

Starwood expects steady growth in underpenetrated markets this year in North America, with over 50 new properties expected to open. Contributing to Starwood's robust expansion in the United States and Canada is the upcoming opening of the first Aloft and Element hotels. Starwood, however, continues to enjoy strong growth in its existing core brands, with Westin, Sheraton and W making up over half of the North American pipeline.

In Latin America, Starwood's portfolio consists of 53 properties, and the company expects to add eight more this year in the region.