“The opening of The Westin Resort & Spa Playa Conchal accelerates the brand’s expansion in Latin America where Westin will open three more properties by the end of 2011 and double its portfolio by 2014,” said Brian Povinelli, global brand leader for Westin Hotels & Resorts. “The Westin brand’s emphasis on wellness plays well in diverse international markets and has fueled our phenomenal global growth. More than 90% of Westin hotels currently in development will open outside the United States.”

Centered around an expansive, lagoon-style pool, The Westin Resort & Spa, Playa Conchal is adjacent to the championship Robert Trent Jones II golf facility and is easily accessible from the international airport in Liberia, Guanacaste. Inspiring wellness with its signature Westin The Spa, the resort features beautiful gardens, luxurious suites, thatch-roofed bungalows, as well as breathtaking vistas. Guests will enjoy a variety of outdoor recreation and nightly entertainment and several restaurants serving both local and international cuisine.

“Costa Rica is an increasingly popular destination for tourists and leisure travelers and a terrific location for our first all-inclusive Westin Resort,” said Osvaldo Librizzi, President of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Latin America. “Recent growth in the all-inclusive luxury resort market in Mexico and Central America, coupled with increasing demand from our SPG members for vacation packages have created fertile conditions for our entry in the all-inclusive market.”

Westin currently has six hotels in Mexico and one in Guatemala, and will be opening four more in Latin America during the next two years including The Westin Lima Hotel & Convention Center, Peru; The Westin Guadalajara, Mexico; and two in Panama: The Westin Panama and The Westin Playa Bonita.

“We are especially proud to be associated with Starwood in the management of The Westin Resort & Spa, Playa Conchal,” said Helmuth Sauter, Director of Reserva Conchal. “The conversion of this scenic and restful retreat allows us to maintain our commitment of bringing outstanding all-inclusive service to our guests, while introducing the Westin brand’s signature services and amenities to one of Costa Rica’s most desirable destinations.”

The soothing Westin Sensory Welcome creates an oasis of calm as guests enter the resort with its subtle White Tea by Westin fragrance, gentle music, botanicals and mood lighting. The brand’s world-renowned 10-layer Heavenly BedTM is designed to provide guests with a deep, undisturbed night’s sleep that energizes body and brain. The Westin Heavenly Bath experience transforms guests’ shower or bath time into an intensely rejuvenating spa-like experience.

An ideal venue for weddings, social galas and business functions, The Westin Resort & Spa, Playa Conchal features 6,500 square feet of meeting and banquet facilities, as well as a WestinWORKOUT gym, enabling guests to maintain their exercise program and stay in the best possible shape, physically and mentally.

The Resort was selected by Condé Nast Traveler Magazine as one of the Top 25 Foreign Golf Resort in 2010.

Westin Hotels & Resorts, like all brands within Starwood’s robust portfolio, is proud to offer the Starwood Preferred Guest® program, which made headlines when it launched in 1999 with a breakthrough policy of no blackout dates on Free Night Awards. SPG® offers members the ability to redeem awards at more resorts, more luxury properties, more European hotels and more golf properties than any other hotel program.

Desarrollos Hoteleros Guanacaste is a fully owned subsidiary of Reserva Conchal, an upscale mixed-use development located in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Reserva Conchal is an environmentally-sensitive development. Reserva Conchal is a fully owned subsidiary of Florida Ice & Farm Co., a publicly traded company in the Costa Rican stock exchange.