Starwood has announced plans for a new W Hotel in Macao, further solidifying the brand’s extensive and rapidly growing global footprint. Scheduled to open in early 2009, this new-build W hotel will be located within the Macao Studio City complex, situated on Cotai, an area earmarked by the Macao government to become one of the main gaming, entertainment and resort developments in the Special Administrative Region. W Macao Studio City will make its debut in 2009, offering 563 guest rooms, in addition to the innovative design and full-range of branded amenities guests have come to expect of W Hotels.

Designed by Charles Allem of Charles Allem Designs International in co-operation with the W brands’s award winning design team, W Macao Studio City will be an exciting keystone of this new development on Cotai. W Macao Studio City is poised to strengthen Starwood’s presence in Macao, as well as being an integral part of a new flagship development in the new “Las Vegas of Asia.”

“W continues to extend beyond the boundaries of everyday travel, offering a magical mix of sexy destinations and sublime design,” said Ross Klein, President of Starwood’s Luxury Brands Group. “W Macao marks our fourth property in China and promises to offer extraordinary experiences at every turn through the brand’s key lifestyle elements of provocative spaces, delightful indulgences and experiential surprises. From the Maldives to Milan, Hoboken to Hong Kong, W Hotels continues to go global as the influential and innovative lifestyle authority and we are proud to make Macao a W destination.”

“Following the announcements of the Ws in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Guangzhou, W Macao Studio City is a logical extension of W’s dynamic growth in China,” said Miguel Ko, President of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Asia Pacific. “W brings to life its own unique positioning, delivering a differentiated travel experience for travelers and will be an irresistible destination for visitors to Macao. Macao provides guests with a wealth of entertainment options, including world-class shopping and proximity to Macao and China’s most popular attractions, making it a perfect fit for the W brand”, added Ko.

“Macao Studio City brings together the best hotel partners in the world and we are excited to partner with Starwood to bring the W to Macao,” said Peter Lam, co-chairman of Macao Studio City. “Our vision is to create a must-see, must-stay and must-return destination for leisure and business travelers around the world. Along with other hotel partners - not to mention the arrival of the Playboy Mansion Macao - I firmly believe that Macao Studio City will be an experience that visitors will want to return again and again.”

“W will captivate an in-crowd of lifestyle-oriented travelers by offering its special blend of warm, witty and worldly experiences. The brand fits in very well with the overall design and direction of Macao Studio City and its positioning as the coolest place to be in Macao. Macao Studio City will be the place where the stars and celebrities will hang out,” said David Friedman, co-chairman and co-chief executive officer of Macao Studio City.

“The Cotai area is seeing great momentum, and the addition of W Macao Studio City is certainly going to attract stylish and trendy customers who seek innovative design, comfort and cultural influences, to the ‘new Macao’,” said Mr. Ambrose Cheung, co-chief executive officer, Macao Studio City. “Macao Studio City is developing at a rapid pace; our recent announcements have brought other world-class brands in entertainment, retail and hospitality to the complex. We are confident that W Macao Studio City, as well as the Macao Studio City complex itself, will be a tremendous success when it opens in mid-2009.”

W Macao Studio City will be an exciting addition to the brand’s fast-growing international collection of hotels in the world’s most vibrant cities and emerging destinations. Starwood has also recently announced it will open a 4,000-room Sheraton Macao Hotel, a 460-room St. Regis Hotel and over 400 St. Regis Residences on the strip in 2008 and 2009 respectively.

W Macao Studio City will feature 563 rooms and suites, all outfitted with the W signature bed, plasma television and wireless Internet access. The W brand’s signature Living Room will offer a lounge-like atmosphere perfect for reading the paper, sipping a cappuccino or enjoying a cocktail with friends. Other facilities will include a signature restaurant, W Cafe, a Sweat workout facility, approximately 11,000 square feet of meeting space, an outdoor heated pool, and the W Whatever/Whenever service, the hotel’s 24-hour concierge that provides whatever guests want - from a pair of running shoes to private jet service - whenever they want.
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