WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., Jul 8, 2002 (BUSINESS WIRE)—Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT) is pleased to announce that the Marriott Forrestal Village Hotel will be upgraded and transformed to The Westin Princeton effective September 15, 2002.

Starwood, Westin`s parent company, purchased the property in 1996 and the hotel has since been managed under the Marriott flag.

Situated in the upscale, suburban Forrestal Village, the hotel is surrounded by fine boutiques and restaurants. Key to the location of the property is its proximity to many Fortune 500 companies such as Dow Jones & Company, Merrill Lynch, Johnson & Johnson and others.

“We are thrilled to bring the Westin brand to the flourishing city of Princeton,” said Ted Darnall, president, North American hotel operations. “In the past we have been very pleased with the performance of the property and we look forward to offering future guests of The Westin Princeton the luxurious and upscale comforts the Westin name is known for.”

The hotel`s transformation to the Westin brand begins with the installation of the highly acclaimed Heavenly Bed(R) and Heavenly Bath(TM) in all of its 294 rooms, including 4 suites. Providing an oasis for weary travelers. Westin`s Heavenly Bed consists of a custom designed, pillow-top mattress set; cozy down blanket; high quality, high thread count linens; crisp white duvet coverlet and five queen-size and king-size pillows. All guest rooms will also highlight Westin`s latest guest room innovation, the Heavenly Bath, a custom-designed shower with a dual showerhead to provide more power and wider water coverage and a specially-designed curved shower rod allowing more elbow room to eliminate the “dreaded shower curtain cling.”

Other areas of the hotel will be renovated to reflect Westin brand standards. Westin delivers unmatched comfort and outstanding service to affluent, professional business and leisure travelers, in an environment characterized by an elegant, calming and subdued sense of style. Westin guest room components include a large work area with a two-line speakerphone with data port for high speed internet access, cordless bedside telephone, voice messaging, refreshment center, cable television, in-room movies, laptop-sized safe, coffee maker featuring Starbucks coffee, hair dryer, iron and ironing board.

Services for the business traveler include Westin`s Guest Office(R) available for additional purchase. Developed to meet the increasing needs of business travelers, Westin`s Guest Office combines the efficiency and technology of an office with the unsurpassed comfort and luxury of a private guest room. Each Guest Office room includes a comfortable work area complete with an ergonomically-designed chair, multi-function laser printer/fax/copier, speakerphone with data port, printer cables, voice messaging and free, unlimited local calls and long distance access. Westin`s Guest Office also includes convenient late check out privileges.

Other services at the hotel include two restaurants and lounges, indoor and outdoor pool and health club with whirlpool and Sauna. Additionally, the hotel features 19 meeting rooms totaling 15,500 square feet of meeting space. Guests will also enjoy Westin Service Express(R), a “one call does it all” concept allows guests to dial just one number on their telephone to order 24-hour room service, call the luggage attendant or room attendant, or have any other requests filled. The Westin Princeton will take special care of families with The Westin Kids Club(R) program and Westin`s Heavenly Crib(TM) product. Westin Kids Club includes provisions for children`s safety and security, as well as conveniences designed to make overnight and dining experiences more enjoyable, while the Heavenly Crib, inspired by Westin`s Heavenly Bed, provides infants and toddlers with one of the safest and most stylish cribs in the industry.

Guests who stay at The Westin Princeton will be able to earn their way toward free travel in Starwood Preferred Guest(R), consistently rated the best hotel frequency program in the world. With more than 700 participating hotels and resorts around the world, the program is the industry`s most global and offers a structure focused on simplicity, flexibility in redemption options and inclusion of all Starwood`s brands.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with more than 740 properties in more than 80 countries and 110,000 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. For more information, please visit www.starwood.com

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