NEW YORK, June 2, 2003 - W Hotels -- the world's foremost "style" hotel brand-makes a bold entry into Latin America with the architecturally-striking W Mexico City, opening in the upscale Polanco neighborhood in August. With cherry red rooms, hammocks in the showers, a black-lava tunnel and a transparent, five- story all-glass facade -- which will give sidewalk voyeurs a glimpse of the lively restaurant, bar and lounge scene inside -- W Mexico City will feature some of the most envelope-pushing design in the world. 

In developing the 26-story, 237-room hotel, Starwood and Mexico City-based Grupo Plan S.A. de C.V. joined forces with innovative New York-based design team STUDIO GAIA to create W's most 'out of the box' design yet for its 18th property. 

"With W we continue to experiment with design that functions and delights," said Barry S. Sternlicht, Chairman and CEO of W's parent, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT). "This will certainly be our most avant-garde hotel yet. The design is sophisticated, vibrant, sexy and full of surprises -- which fits in well with Mexico City, and particularly the Polanco neighborhood." 

Located in the heart of that exciting area, on the corner of Campos Eliseos and Andres Bello, W Mexico City will include Rande Gerber's first bar outside the U.S., a signature restaurant, a full spa, a ballroom, a conference center and nine 'Loft' suites, including the Presidential or, here, 'Extreme Wow' suite.

Glass Enclosed Public Spaces Reveal Tableau Vivant

As one approaches the all glass entrance to W Mexico City, an indoor theatre of life and movement will be visible.  Guests will enter the hotel through a dramatic lobby area with an intriguing array of stepped-lounge areas that will appear weightless. The entire entry level will appear to float on water, with various small pools appearing underneath a maze of walkways and seating-areas designed to encourage socializing. 

Guests checking-in will walk through a black-lava stone tunnel to find a welcoming reception area. Visitors to the hotel bars or restaurants will find them accessible via loosely-connected "islands": built-in seating areas made of white leather and yellow fabric -- a subtle homage to the yellow sunflower so popular in Mexico. The seating areas will be in a spiral formation that will lead to the dramatic The Whiskey bar, adjacent to a koi pond and dramatically visible from street level. 

Sure to be a favorite among 'the beautiful people' from Mexico City and beyond, The Whiskey will radiate sensuality.  "All the elements that have made Whiskey bars so popular in the States -- great service, beautifully-designed spaces, cool music and a wonderfully eclectic mix of people -- will be the perfect match for such a hot city, radiating with the sort of energy Miami had 10 years ago," said Rande Gerber, whose bars in the United States include those in W Hotels in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and New Orleans. 

W Mexico City's second floor restaurant will be developed by Cornerstone, the renowned restaurateur group behind the highly- acclaimed one sixtyblue, we and Wave restaurants in Chicago. The restaurant will feature a bar and communal table at the entrance, with chocolate-colored walls and ebony-stained wood floors. Anchored by a white-stone tunnel, it will have banquette seating-areas separated by red glass partitions. An eye-catching 12-seat dining room will be sunken several feet so that the lower half-enclosed by glass walls-will be transparent to people in the lobby. 

Located in the heart of Mexico, the restaurant will offer an exciting 'Coastal Cuisine,' with fresh seafood from both the Caribbean and the Pacific. Melding local ingredients with an Asian flair, specialties will include 'sushi and ceviche' and whole roasted fish based on the catch of the day. 

Adjacent to the restaurant will be an expansive outdoor Whiskey bar with three fireplaces and views of Polanco.  Both breakfast and lunch will be served on the terrace, which will convert to a hot spot for drinks and light food in the evening. 

Forward Thinking Guestrooms

W Mexico City's guestrooms are designed to resemble no other hotel rooms in the world. Walls and ceilings will be cherry red, in stark contrast with all white beds, terrazzo floors, built-in shelving and desks. Rooms will reflect the needs of the business traveler, with large work areas, oversized desks and ample seating for small meetings. 

In a radical departure from the norm, bathrooms will be located at the far end from room entrances and have window views. Unlike typically smaller-size hotel bathrooms, they will be large, open spaces covered in light-hued stone.  Large "rain" (big enough for two) showers will have two additional body jets and be bisected by woven hammocks that can be used with the showerhead turned on or off. The hammocks will also be "turned down" before evening, creating cozy lounging spots. Vanities and sinks will be located near the beds in the main rooms. 

W signature beds -- known for being among the most comfortable beds available in a hotel -- will be placed in the middle of the rooms. Sumptuous as always, they will be outfitted with pillow-top mattresses, 250-thread-count linens and goose-down comforters and pillows. 

The hotel will offer nine Loft suites, with high ceilings, expansive views of Chapultepec Park and amenities like green glass showers and flat-screen TVs mounted on the ceiling above the beds. 'Cool Corner' suites will have terraces, while the 3,000 sq.-ft. Extreme Wow suite will have three outdoor spaces, a soaring living room, an adjacent 'play room' with a raised platform covered in pillows, a wet bar and kitchen and two bedrooms. 

Other W standard in-room features will be dual telephones, high- speed internet access, CD players, 27"-color TVs with advanced in- room entertainment systems, coffeemakers with W's own blend of coffee, custom-designed bathrobes and W-tailored bath products. 

Spa

W Mexico City will feature a destination spa complete with juice bar and five treatment rooms encased on four sides by green glass. The centerpiece of the spa will be a modern interpretation of the traditional Mexican adobe hut ("temazcal") sauna. Guests will be able to work out in a full-service health club, also enclosed in glass and overlooking the street. 

Like all W properties, W Mexico City will have a full-service business center, 24-hour room service, concierge, W's signature "Whatever/Whenever" service. W Mexico City will have 6,650 square feet of meeting facilities, including a ballroom and conference center. A signature W program designed to liven up meetings, "Sensory Setup," will be available to ease guests into a creative frame of mind, with lively music, smells, tastes and visuals. 

About W Hotels: 
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 17 hotels brand-wide in the U.S. and abroad. Two new W Hotels are currently under construction in Seoul and Montreal. 

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.