Press Release: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
March 29, 2001
WHITE PLAINS, NY -- Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) officially broke ground yesterday
and announced its partnership with Turner Construction Company to build the 412-room Sheraton Overland Park, Kansas.
On behalf of the Overland Park Development Corporation, Sheraton Hotels & Resorts will manage the 20-story
hotel.
Completion of both the Sheraton hotel and the adjacent Overland Park Convention Center is scheduled to open in
December of 2002. The 317,000 square foot Sheraton will be the official headquarter hotel for conventions and events
utilizing the new 240,000 square foot Convention Center facility.
Presenting at the ceremony were Kansas Lieutenant Governor, Gary Sherrer, along with Overland Park Mayor, Ed Eilert,
City Council President, Greg Musil and Executive Vice President, Hotel Operations, Starwood Hotels & Resorts,
Norman MacLeod -- all commemorating the official groundbreaking.
``Sheraton has the experience of operating some of the most successful convention hotels in the U.S.,'' said MacLeod.
``We look forward to adding this new facility to our global distribution network and bringing new customers to
Overland Park.''
The Sheraton Overland Park will be equipped with new high tech business capabilities, a full-service restaurant,
coffee bar, health club, swimming pool and the newly designed Sheraton room and signature Sleigh Bed -- new to
the Sheraton brand in 2000. The design of the overall facility will enable hotel guests the luxury of transitioning
from hotel to Convention Center through connected meeting rooms and covered walkways -- creating one convenient
complex.
C.H. Johnson Consultants, a national convention center consulting company based out of Chicago, Illinois, have
estimated the economic impact of Overland Park's first full-service Convention Center could be over $80 million
annually when the center reaches full use in 2006.
Sheraton, the largest brand of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., has more than 375 hotels in 67 countries.
Guests at Sheraton hotels and other Starwood properties can take advantage of the Starwood Preferred Guest program,
the only frequent guest program in the industry without blackout dates.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in
the world with more than 725 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 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 http://www.starwoodhotels.com
SOURCE: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.