Company Press Release
May 15, 2000
PALO ALTO, CA -- Clement Chen, III, president of Pacific Hotel Management, LLC, announces the grand opening of
the new Westin Palo Alto, the city's first newly-built hotel since 1986. Silicon Valley movers and shakers, Palo
Alto civic leaders and The Westin Palo Alto clients and guests will enjoy ``A Taste of Europe,'' the theme for
a celebration on Friday, May 12, marking The Westin Palo Alto's grand opening. With an impressive 90 percent occupancy
in its first week of operation, The Westin Palo Alto is already meeting pent up demand for upscale accommodations
on the mid-Peninsula region between San Francisco and San Jose.
The Westin Palo Alto is a Mediterranean-style, boutique hotel located on El Camino Real, across the street from
Stanford University. In line with The Westin Palo Alto's European-inspired architecture, interior design and landscaping,
``A Taste of Europe'' will feature cuisine, entertainment and travel representing the continent. Guests will sample
dishes from Spain, Italy, France and England at various cooking stations. The music of a classical guitarist, harpist,
flautist and African drummers will draw party guests to each of the hotel's five uniquely designed, interconnected
courtyards. As guests tour the new property, they will become eligible to win two round trip upper class tickets
to London on Virgin Atlantic with accommodations at the Sheraton Park Lane Hotel.
The Westin Palo Alto has 184 rooms, each with a courtyard view. All overnight guests will enjoy the comfort of
the Heavenly Bed, custom-designed by Westin in response to a recent study of travelers who said the most important
service a hotel can provide is a good night's sleep. The Westin Palo Alto also offers numerous high-tech amenities
for business travelers, 3,300 square feet of meeting space, state-of-the-art services in a boutique hotel setting,
and Restaurant Soleil, an upscale, 70-seat restaurant featuring Mediterranean cuisine by executive chef Phillip
Kaufman.
Guests will also be able to earn their way toward free travel with Starwood Preferred Guest, the new frequent guest
program of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. With more than 600 participating hotels and resorts in
more than 70 countries, including 100 resorts around the world, the new program is the industry's most global and
promises to be the best of the competition with a structure focused on simplicity, flexibility in redemption options
and inclusion of all of Starwood's brands.
The Westin Palo Alto is located at 675 El Camino Real in Palo Alto, next to The Sheraton Palo Alto and proximate
to downtown Palo Alto's many fine shops, galleries, bookstores, boutiques, and night spots.
The property is owned by Pacific Hotel Management, LLC, and Westin will provide sales and marketing support through
a franchise agreement. Westin Hotels & Resorts, with more than 110 hotels and resorts in 23 countries, is owned
by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., through its Westin,
Sheraton, St. Regis/Luxury Collection, Four Points and W Hotels, has more than 700 hotels in nearly 80 countries
with 120,000 employees, and is one of the largest hotel companies in the world. For more information or to make
reservations, call 800/WESTIN-1 or visit www.westin.com.
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Contact:
Westin Hotels & Resorts
Melissa Henninger, 914/640-5268
or
Pacific Hotel Management, LLC
Suzanne Murdoch, 650/566-4684
or
Glodow-Nead Communications
Tish Gallegos or Jeff Nead, 415/864-2333