Company Press Release: Westin Seattle
March 27, 2000
SEATTLE, WA -- The Westin Seattle and Westin Hotels & Resorts have had an award-winning start to the millennium.
The Westin Seattle has earned the Four Diamond Award from AAA Washington for the 19th consecutive year, a record
in the state of Washington. Westin Hotels & Resorts has been chosen number one in the upper-upscale category
of Business Travel News' ``1999 Survey of Top Hotel Chains.''
Four Diamond properties are judged on hospitality, service, quality of facilities and variety of amenities. Prior
to earning the Four Diamond Award, the property undergoes a thorough and rigorous anonymous overnight stay by a
AAA inspector to assess the services offered. Fewer than 4.5 percent of all AAA approved lodgings in North America
have achieved this recognition. In Washington, less than 3.5 percent of approved listing are rated Four Diamond.
``We are proud to once again receive this prestigious award. The Four Diamond Rating signifies our employees continued
commitment and passion to exceed our guest's expectations,'' said Yogi Hutsen, general manager of The Westin Seattle.
Westin Hotels & Resorts also received accolades with a first place finish in the Business Travel News' ``1999
Survey of Top Hotel Chains.'' Westin received an overall score of 7.80 points out of 10 points. Other chains rated
in the upper-upscale category included Intercontinental, Loews, Swissotels, Le Meridien and Kempinski.
Business Travel News, an established trade publication, annually surveys more than 1,500 professional business
travel decision-makers, representing Fortune 500 and other companies, for its prestigious hotel chain survey.
``We are honored with this award, and are grateful to our more than 40,000 employees who make business travel a
pleasure for our guests,'' said Norman MacLeod, executive vice president, Westin Hotels & Resorts, North America.
``This recognition also clearly validates our aggressive capital improvements program along with our growth strategy
and quest for continued innovation of new products like the Heavenly Bed,'' he said.
In November 1999, The Westin Seattle installed over 900 new Heavenly Beds® to its guest rooms. Since the installation,
positive guest comments have soared.
The 891-room Westin Seattle is centrally located in downtown Seattle. The property offers the city's only unobstructed
views of the Puget Sound, downtown and surrounding mountain ranges.
Westin Hotels & Resorts, with more than 110 hotels and resorts in 25 countries, is owned by Starwood Hotels
& Resorts Worldwide, Inc. Starwood through its St. Regis, Luxury Collection, Westin, Sheraton, Four Points
and W brands, is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with more than 700 hotels in 80 countries
and 120,000 employees at its owned and managed companies. For more information or to make reservations call 800-WESTIN-1,
contact your travel counselor or visit www.westin.com.
SOURCE: Westin Seattle