Nine Starwood Properties Named In The Top 100 "Best In The World" List; The Westin Turnberry in Scotland Ranked as Top European Resort

It's official... the votes are in and the people have spoken. Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) earned the distinction of having more than 40 of its top hotels and resorts included in Conde Nast Traveler's 2003 Readers' Choice Awards List.

The November 2003 edition of Conde Nast Traveler includes the magazine's 16th Annual Readers' Choice Awards that features the Top 100 "Best in the World" list which rates the best in hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise lines, airlines and car rentals. Nine Starwood properties earned the distinction of making the Top 100 "Best in the World" list, while 32 additional Starwood properties were included in other top regional hotel and resort lists. Hotels and resorts were judged on the following criteria: rooms, service, food/dining, location, overall design, and activities/facilities (resorts only).

The Top 100 "Best in the World" included the following five Starwood properties:

-- The Westin Turnberry, Ayrshire, Scottland
-- Hotel Bristol, A Westin Hotel, Vienna, Austria
-- The Lanesborough, A St. Regis, Hotel, London, England
-- The St. Regis, Aspen, CO
-- The Lodge at Koele, Lanai, HI (a Luxury Collection resort)
-- The Phoenician, (a Luxury Collection resort)
-- Hotel Alfonso XIII, Seville, Spain (a Luxury Collection hotel)
-- Hotel Villa Cipriani, Asolo, Italy (a Sheraton hotel)
-- The St. Regis, New York, NY

In addition, to the Top 100 "Best in the World" list, other Starwood properties were included in various regional hotels/resorts category lists:

Top 75 North American Hotels

-- The St. Regis, New York, NY
-- The St. Regis, Houston, TX
-- The St. Regis, Aspen, CO

Top 25 Asian Hotels

-- Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel & Towers, Bangkok, Thailand
-- The St. Regis, Beijing, China

Top 20 Latin American Hotels

-- Park Tower, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Top 75 European Hotels:

-- The Lanesborough, A St. Regis, Hotel, London, England
-- Hotel Alfonso XIII, A Westin Hotel, San Sebastian, Spain
-- Hotel Villa Cipriani, Asolo, Italy (a Sheraton hotel)
-- Trianon Palace, A Westin Hotel, Versailles, France
-- The Westin Excelsior, Florence, Italy
-- Hotel Goldener Hirsch, Salzburg, Austria (a Luxury Collection hotel)
-- The Westin Palace, Madrid, Spain
-- Hotel Gritti Palace, Venice, Italy (a Luxury Collection hotel)
-- Hotel Imperial, Vienna, Austria (a Luxury Collection hotel)
-- Hotel Bristol, A Westin Hotel, Vienna, Austria

Top 10 Pacific Rim Hotels:

-- Sheraton on the Park, Sydney, Australia
-- W Sydney, Sydney, Australia
-- The Westin Sydney, Sydney, Australia

Top 15 Latin American Resorts:

-- Sheraton Hacienda Del Mar, Los Cabos, Mexico

Top 20 Pacific Rim Resorts:

-- The Lodge at Koele, Lana'i, HI (a Luxury Collection resort)
-- Princeville Resort, Kauai, HI (a Luxury Collection resort)
-- The Manele Bay Hotel, Lana'i, HI (a Luxury Collection resort)
-- Kapalua Bay Hotel, Maui, HI (a Luxury Collection resort)

Top 10 European Resorts:

-- The Westin Turnberry, Ayrshire, Scotland

Top 75 North American Resorts:

-- The Phoenician, Scottsdale, AZ (a Luxury Collection resort)
-- The Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa, Tucson, AZ
-- St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort & Spa, Dana Point, CA
-- The Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa, Hollywood, FL
-- The Westin Resort & Spa, Whistler, British Columbia, Canada