Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. announced today that it has acquired Bliss from LVMH Mo‘t Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the world’s leading luxury goods group. As part of
the acquisition, Starwood plans to launch Bliss spas in its W Hotels.  The
first Bliss spa designed for W Hotels is expected to debut at the W New York
late this year, followed by spas in the W New York - Times Square, the W Los
Angeles - Westwood, W San Francisco, the W Chicago - Lakeshore and the W
Chicago - City Center.  Additional Bliss Spas in the U.S. and abroad will be
rolled out as W Hotels continues its rapid global expansion.Often credited with kick starting the mid-90’s spa revolution, Bliss
currently operates three stand-alone day spas, one in Soho, New York, one on
East 57th Street in New York, and one on Sloane Avenue in London.  W Hotels
will additionally focus on strengthening Bliss’ other business lines
including its robust products catalogue, featuring Bliss and Laboratoire
Remède brands, and its international retail business in outlets such as
Sephora, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman-Marcus, Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, Harvey
Nichols, and Harrods.  Bliss’ revenues last year were US$40 million.

“Bliss is a hip, lifestyle brand that is a perfect fit for W guests,
complements the brand and enables us to further enhance the W Hotels hotel
product offering as a distinctive lifestyle brand,” said Barry S.
Sternlicht, Starwood’s Chairman and CEO.  “I have long admired Bliss’
entrepreneurial spirit, creativity and marketing and I think the marriage of
Bliss and W will result in many exciting new innovations, particularly as W
enters the resort and residential markets.”

Bliss founder and renowned skincare authority, Marcia Kilgore, will serve as
the Chief Creative Consultant for Bliss, and consult on various areas of
operation including product development and design, advertising, and
promotional work.  “This is a very exciting opportunity for Bliss, and
brings along with it the concrete and synergistic opportunities for
expansion that we’ve always hoped for,” stated Kilgore.  “It’s a perfect
fit, a great step in the right direction for us as a brand, and an obvious
platform for us - as a still fledgling beauty brand - to get our products
into the hands of a very targeted market of travelers. We’re looking forward
to helping W guests find Bliss.”

Starwood is no stranger to the spa industry, and currently operates of more
than 180 spas in its hotels around the world, including the award-winning
spa at The Westin Turnberry Resort, Ayrshire; One Spa at the Sheraton Grand
Hotel & Spa in Edinburgh; Gaucin at the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort & Spa
in Dana Point, California; The Centre for Well-Being at The Phoenician in
Scottsdale, Arizona; The Carita Spa at The St. Regis New York and the
renowned AltiraSPA at the Mardavall Hotel & Spa in Mallorca, Spain.

Bliss will be operated as a subsidiary of Starwood, with its own
headquarters, management team and advisory board.  Bliss’ existing executive
management team will remain and assist during the transition period.

The first W Hotel opened in New York in December 1998. There are now five W
Hotels in New York City (W New York, W New York - The Court, W New York -
The Tuscany, W New York - Union Square and W New York - Times Square) and 19
hotels brand-wide in the U.S. and abroad. W’s first property in Latin
America - the W Mexico City - recently opened its doors and two new W Hotels
are currently under construction in Seoul and Montreal and just recently,
properties have been announced for both Dallas and Fort Lauderdale.  In
addition, there are more than a dozen W Hotels in the development pipeline
in city and resort destinations around the globe.

For more information on Bliss, visit: www.blissworld.com
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