Nine Starwood properties consisting of hotels and resorts from both The Luxury Collection and Westin Hotels & Resorts, recently made Conde Nast Traveler`s Sixth Annual Top 50 Golf Resorts readers survey list. Thousands of readers were polled as to their favorite golf destinations in North America, Hawaii, and the Caribbean. The Luxury Collection`s Manele Bay Hotel on the island of Lana`i in Hawaii took the big prize and was selected as the best golf resort in the Top 50 that were selected. The survey polled 4,000 readers to evaluate 229 resorts that they had visited in the past three years, using six of the following criteria: course design (40%), accommodations (35%), speed of play (10%), food (5%), pro staff (4%), and other activities (6%).
The Starwood properties that made Conde Nast Traveler`s Top 50 Golf Resorts readers survey included the following:

The Manele Bay Hotel, Lana`i, HI; The Orchid at Mauna Lani, Big Island, Hawaii; The Lodge at Koele, Lana`I, HI; The Phoenician, Scottsdale, AZ; Princeville Resort, Kauai, HI; Kapalua Bay Hotel, Maui, HI, all Luxury Collection hotels; The Westin La Paloma, Tucson, AZ; The Westin La Cantera Resort, San Antonio, TX; and The Westin Regina Golf & Beach Resort, Los Cabos, Mexico. All of the above hotels and resorts are outstanding properties featuring spectacular golf courses, superior accommodations and excellent quality of service.

The Manele Bay Hotel, on the beautiful Hawaiian island of Lana`i was chosen as the Number 1 golf resort in the readers survey, and offers the Jack Nicklaus-designed “Challenge at Manele Course” which ranked fifth for “course design,” second for “speed of play,” and fourth for the “pro staff” categories, respectively. Its rustic sister hotel, The Lodge at Koele, also on Lana`I, ranked first in the “speed of play” category due its level of privacy and ranked fifth in the “food” category. This plantation-inspired resort boasts the Greg Norman designed Championship Experience at Koele Golf Course that features a par 3 thirteenth hole requiring a tee-off over a series of small waterfalls.

The other Hawaiian properties that were chosen in the readers survey include The Orchid at Mauna Lani on the big island of Hawaii, Princeville Resort on the island of Kauai and the Kapalua Bay Hotel on the breathtaking island of Maui. The Orchid features 36 holes of championship golf on the Francis H. I`i Brown course that flows across 32 acres of the lava-laden Kohala Coast. The Princeville Resort, situated on a verdant bluff on the north shore of Kauai and set on 23 landscaped acres, offers 45 holes of championship golf including Hawaii`s number one course—the Prince Course. The Kapalua Bay Hotel is nestled on 18 acres of lush tropical grounds and offers three championship golf courses.

Starwood`s two properties in Arizona which made Conde Nast Traveler`s Top 50 Golf Resort readers survey was The Phoenician resort in Scottsdale and The Westin La Paloma in Tucson. The Phoenician took fifth place in the “accommodations” category and offers a 27-hole championship golf course. The Phoenician is a world-class destination that combines impeccable European service with the tradition and style of the American Southwest. Nestled in the foothills of Tucson`s Santa Catalina Mountains high in the Sonoran desert, The Westin La Paloma features a 27-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course.

The Westin La Cantera Resort in San Antonio, Texas, also made the survey, boasting a championship course designed by golf legend, Arnold Palmer. Mexico`s Triple AAA Four Diamond-rated Westin Regina Golf & Beach Resort in Los Cabos, situated on the tip of the Baja peninsula, serves up five championship golf courses.

Starwood is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with more than 725 properties in 80 countries and 120,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. With internationally renowned brands, Starwood is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchiser of hotels and resorts including: St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, Sheraton, Westin, Four Points by Sheraton, W brands, as well as Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts.

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