Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT) announces the grand opening of Paraguay's first international hotel, the Sheraton Asuncion. The newly built hotel, located in the heart of Asuncion, Paraguay's fast-growing capital city, is designed to attract both the regional corporate market as well as international business travelers. The property is a management agreement between Starwood and Emprendimientos Hoteleros S.A, a local investment firm.

"We are thrilled to be the first company to open an international hotel in Asuncion, the key to Paraguay's corporate market," stated Osvaldo Librizzi, President of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Latin America. "Given Paraguay's unique and central geographic location between Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil and Chile, the Sheraton Asuncion will attract the corporate meetings market segment as well as travelers conducting business in South America."

The hotel is situated only ten minutes from the city's International Airport, and within walking distance of the country's major business, shopping and entertainment districts. It features 100 guestrooms and suites, all equipped with the Sheraton Sweet Sleeper Bed, as well as two telephone lines, high-speed Internet connections and cable TV.

The Sheraton Asuncion pairs luxury business travel services with a classic approach to comfortable entertaining. The property's in-house restaurant, Manantiales, offers diners an expansive menu that highlights the regional fare of Paraguay and accommodates up to 60 guests. Its gourmet selections often consist of low-carb friendly dishes including quail, duck, lamb, lobster and even Surubi (Amazon River fish).

The hotel boasts an ultra-contemporary design throughout the property beginning with its functional lobby featuring granite-top bars and vivid decor. The rooftop pool overlooks the city and is the ideal setting for quiet lounging or large social events.

In addition, planners will also benefit from the property's facilities including 16,000-square feet of meeting space accommodating up to 2,000 people, ideal for business venues or social events. A business center, gym, spa and salon are also located on premise.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with more than 750 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 franchisor 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 .

Mark Ricci
914/640-8496
Starwood