W Hotels and Westin Hotels & Resorts, two of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT) acclaimedbrands, swept the Upper-Upscale category of Business Travel News` “Annual Top U.S. Hotel Chain Survey” by earning the number one and number two positions, respectively. Founded just three years ago, W Hotels received an overall average score of 8.81 out of 10 points, rising to the number one spot from the number-five spot in the same category last year. Just a fraction of a point away, Westin Hotels & Resorts, took the number-two spot with an overall average score of 8.75 out of 10 points. W Hotels and Westin beat out Loews, Le Meridien, and Inter-Continental to capture the top spots in the Upper-Upscale category.

Four Points by Sheraton, Starwood`s full-service mid-scale brand, also received high accolades by scoring number one in the category of Mid-Price with Food & Beverage, exceeding its mid-price Hilton and Marriott competitors.

St. Regis / Luxury Collection took the second spot in the Deluxe category while Sheraton, Starwood`s largest brand, saw a dramatic improvement in its scores, catapulting to the number three position in the Upscale category from number seven last year.

“We are extremely proud of how well our brands performed in this year`s BTN Survey, which we take very seriously at Starwood, because it represents feedback from travel pros and our most valued customers,” said Barry Sternlicht, Starwood`s Chairman and CEO. “The W and Westin brands are the industry`s innovators in every aspect of the guest experience; from the chic personality and style found at each W hotel to Westin`s acclaimed Heavenly Bed. Wehave spent a lot of money renovating our Sheratons and improving service standards and this survey validates that investment and backs up the dramatic increases reported by our own Guest Satisfaction Indexes. Four Points earned top honors in the midscale category which is terrific, and I`m glad to see Luxury Collection and St. Regis earning acclaim among some very tough competitors.”

Business Travel News, an established trade publication, annually surveys more than 1,500 professional business travel decision-makers, representing Fortune 500 and other companies, for its prestigious hotel chain survey.

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