Starwood launches concert tour program

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) and its award-winning Starwood Preferred Guest® program today announce the global launch of On Tour with SPG – an exciting, new program that gives SPG members the chance to redeem Starpoints on premium concert tickets to see headliners around the globe. As part of Starwood’s official hotel sponsorship, concert tickets to ‘An Evening with Sting Featuring the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, Conducted by Steven Mercurio’ Tour, are on auction now. A new lineup of “On Tour with SPG” auctions will launch each Friday throughout the summer

“We're thrilled to be the Official Hotel sponsor of the 2010 Sting tour, as he is one of the most celebrated artists of our time,” said Chris Holdren, Senior Vice President of Starwood Preferred Guest. “This sponsorship provides a distinctive opportunity for us to reward our loyal members by connecting with them through their passion for music.”

On Tour with SPG is a direct outgrowth of the innovative alliance formed last year between Starwood and Live Nation, the world’s largest music company. SPG members enjoy access to a variety of benefits including premium ticket access and priority seating, music-inspired promotions, exclusive access to top artists for select Live Nation concerts, and retail discounts for artist merchandise and House of Blues restaurants. SPG members are invited to visit www.SPG.com/moments to view and bid on these exciting auction items, plus a whole lot more.

The groundbreaking SPG Moments program launched in 2007, and since then thousands of members have transformed their Starpoints® into extraordinary lifestyle events. Beyond music offerings SPG members have gained insider access to red carpet movie premieres, championship sporting events, and private dinners with world-renowned chefs. Through its PGA TOUR partnership, SPG also offers grounds passes to many major tournaments around the country, clinics taught by PGA TOUR professionals, and the opportunity to observe behind the ropes at PGA TOUR tournaments.

In addition to “On Tour with SPG”, Moments has a host of other once-in-a-lifetime experiences on auction right now including:

Sporting Events and Celebrity Sports Clinics
Two suite tickets to the Indianapolis 500 in May, plus two pit and garage passes
A private basketball clinic for up to ten participants with the Chicago Sky WNBA basketball team, plus tickets for 10 to a regular season Chicago Sky home game

Dinners with Celebrity Chefs
Private dinner at French Laundry in Napa, CA – evening begins with a canapé and champagne reception with renowned Chef Thomas Keller, followed by a nine-course tasting menu, behind the scenes kitchen tour. Guests also receive an autographed copy of Chef Keller’s award-winning French Laundry cookbook.
Private dinner with Mario Batali at Del Posto restaurant in New York City, featuring a special meal created and introduced by Mario Batali, plus wine pairings and autographed copy of his book.

And coming up shortly members can bid on exciting opportunities like these and so many more:

Arts and Lifestyle
Five pairs of tickets to the star-studded Maxim Hot 100 Party in Los Angeles in May
Balcony tickets to the American Idol Finale in Los Angeles, plus an assortment of memorabilia from the show


About Starwood Preferred Guest
The SPG program’s breakthrough policy of No Blackout Dates at the world’s most sought after collection of hotels, reinvented the hospitality loyalty program when it launched in 1999. By creating a program centered on its members, SPG has developed the most passionate and knowledgeable membership base in the hotel loyalty space. Through its use of new technologies and innovative channels such as SPG.com, SPG.com/stayconnected, SPG.com/flights, thelobby.com and others, SPG continues to innovate and lead the industry. By offering No Blackouts on standard rooms at 940 participating properties, No Blackouts on hundreds of airlines, and once in a lifetime experiences available through SPG Moments at spg.com/moments, the program has proven to be a big draw for the world’s most frequent travelers, and a significant competitive advantage for Starwood. For more information about Starwood Preferred Guest please visit SPG.com or call (877) – STARWOOD.

About Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with 1000 properties in nearly 100 countries and territories with 145,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood Hotels is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels, resorts and residences with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, W®, Westin®, Le Méridien®, Sheraton®, Four Points® by Sheraton, and the recently launched Aloft®, and Element SM. Starwood Hotels also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com.