SAN MATEO, Calif USA - Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT - news), and WorldRes.com (www.worldres.com), have completed a seamless link between Starwood's central reservations system and WorldRes.com, enabling all of Starwood's member properties to transact real-time bookings through the WorldRes.com network of online partners.

``The Internet is no longer a distribution channel of the future,'' commented Steve Hankin, senior vice president of strategic planning for Starwood. ``As WorldRes.com continues to expand its network, it gives us an efficient way to access guests through web sites and call centers where we currently lack distribution. The WorldRes.com network is one part of our Internet strategy, providing another way to extend online distribution beyond the limitations of the GDS environment.''

``The Starwood properties are a great addition to our system, providing inventory in key destinations around the world,'' said WorldRes.com CEO Greg Jones. ``The seamless connection gives us access to rate plans stored in Starwood's central reservation system, which makes it easy to maintain the quality and integrity of their property information and pricing throughout our entire network.''

About Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with more than 725 upscale and luxury properties in 80 countries and 120,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. With internationally renowned brands, Starwood is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchiser of hotels and resorts including: St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, Sheraton, Westin, Four Points and W brands, as well as Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership.

About WorldRes.com, Inc.

WorldRes.com, Inc. (http://www.worldres.com) operates an online distribution network that connects hotels to leisure travelers through a broad range of web-based partners, including portals, travel and destination web sites, convention and visitor bureaus, tourism authorities, online city guides, call centers and travel agents. For hotels, WorldRes.com offers an efficient, low-cost means for marketing and selling accommodations online. For distribution partners, WorldRes.com provides detailed information and booking capability for a wide range of properties, from bed and breakfasts and independent hotels to resorts, vacation rentals and hotel chains. ¶ WorldRes.com was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in San Mateo, Calif.; WorldRes.com operates offices in Duesseldorf, Germany; Paris; Sophia Antipolis near Nice, France; and Staines, Middlesex, just outside London. WorldRes.com employees collectively possess an extensive knowledge of hotel marketing, systems and operations as well as Internet-based transaction technology. WorldRes.com owns and operates two consumer web sites: PlacesToStay.com (www.placestostay.com), which offers real-time rates, reservations and information for all properties in the WorldRes.com system; and BedandBreakfast.com (www.bedandbreakfast.com), with information on more than 26,000 B&Bs and historic inns around the world.