NEW YORK | The W Mexico City which opened its doors in December 2003 was recognized as the Best Hotel Design worldwide during the "Golden Key Award for Excellence in Hospitality Design 2004" ceremony sponsored by Interior Design magazine and HOTELS magazine.

The award was announced during the Annual International Hotels/Motels and Restaurants Show (IH/M&RS), the most important trade event of the year for the hospitality industry, in which more than 45,000 travel services providers participate from around the world.

The recipients of the Golden Key Award for their work on W Mexico City include Architect Luis Bosoms of Plan Group; William Navas of Starwood Hotels and Resorts; Carlos Fernandez del Valle from KMD architecture studio; and Ilan Waisbrod from Studio Gaia.

"The success of the W brand has much to do with the emphasis we've placed on design, so it's a thrill that the W Mexico City was chosen as the best of the best in an industry that has produced many memorable hotels in the last several years," said Barry Sternlicht, Executive Chairman of Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc. (NYSE:HOT - News) and the creator of W Hotels. "Design will continue to be a hallmark of the W brand and with a robust pipeline of hotels in development we look forward to unveiling innovative hotels around the globe."

"For me and for all of Grupo Plan, it is an honor to receive this award," said Bosoms. "Our work was also recognized by the Mexican Association of Interior Design with its prestigious National Award for Interior Design, back in April. We are very proud to have developed such a widely acclaimed project in Mexico."

Sponsored by the magazines Interior Design and HOTELS, the Golden Key Award for Excellence in Hospitality Design has recognized, for the past 24 years, the best designs in different categories of the hospitality industry, including: Spa, Restaurant, Rooms, Lounge/Bar, Lobby, Suite and Hotel. The criteria that the judges consider are creativity, aesthetic value, commercial viability and innovation among more than 170 participants.

About W Hotels: - The first W Hotel opened in New York December 1998. There are now five hotels in New York City and 20 hotels brand-wide and abroad. Recent openings include W's first property in Canada, W Montreal, in November of 2004, the first property in Latin America, W Mexico City, which opened in December of 2003 and the first property in Asia, W Seoul - Walkerhill, which opened in August of 2004. More than a dozen W Hotels are in development in city and resort destinations around the world, including Shanghai, Hong Kong, Barcelona and the Maldives. Residence properties have been announced for Dallas, Fort Lauderdale, Scottsdale and Hoboken.

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

Jane Glastein
Public Relations Manager
212.930.7408
Starwood

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