Company Press Release
December 17, 1999
SEATTLE, WA -- Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide announces the realignment of two Seattle hotels, the Sheraton
Seattle Hotel & Towers and Westin Seattle.
As part of a corporate-wide realignment, Sheraton Seattle Hotel & Towers general manager, Yogi Hutsen will
become general manager of The Westin Seattle.
Hutsen will also continue to serve as Starwood area managing director for Westin properties located in the Pacific
Northwest region including The Westin Alyeska (Girdwood, Alaska), Westin Whistler (Whistler, BC), Westin Grand
and Westin Bay Shore (Vancouver, BC), Westin Portland and The Westin Salishan (Gleneden Beach, Ore.) and future
Westin properties in Bellevue and SeaTac (Wash.).
The switch also brings Westin Seattle general manager, Carla Murray, to the Sheraton Seattle Hotel & Towers
as general manager. Murray spent five years at the Sheraton Seattle as hotel manager and director of sales and
marketing from 1990 through 1995.
Hutsen said, ``We are excited by the opportunities created by the brand realignment. This will allow us to better
serve our customers and develop a distinct brand identity for Starwood's Sheraton and Westin properties.''
The 840-room Sheraton Seattle Hotel & Towers, recipient of Meetings and Conventions Gold Key Award for five
consecutive years, is located in the heart of downtown Seattle at 1400 Sixth Avenue in downtown Seattle. For information
call 206/447-5547.
Located at 1900 Fifth Avenue, the four-diamond, 891-room Westin Seattle offers the city's only unobstructed views
of the Puget Sound, downtown and surrounding mountain ranges. For information call 206/728-1000.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., 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
77 countries and 130,000 employees at its owned and managed properties.
``Starwood
Yogi Hutsen
General Manager
Yogi Hutsen was named general manager of the Sheraton Seattle Hotel & Towers in June 1993. Hutsen has been
affiliated with Sheraton Hotels for the past twenty years. In July 1998 he was appointed area managing director
for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (owner of ITT Sheraton) to oversee eleven Washington and Oregon
properties. Prior to his position in Seattle, Hutsen served as the general manager of the Sheraton Music City in
Nashville, Tennessee and at the same time was the Area Director of Operations for Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia.
Hutsen spent six years as the general manager of the Sheraton El Conquistador in Tucson, Arizona before he was
promoted to Area Director of Operations of the Western Region in Los Angeles, California.
With a constant focus on his community, Hutsen currently serves on several Seattle boards and bureaus including:
-- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
-- Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce
-- Seattle King County Convention & Visitor's Bureau
-- Seattle Sports & Events Council
-- Stadium Task Force
-- Washington State Hotel & Motel Association
-- Downtown Seattle Association
Hutsen is a graduate of Indiana University with a Bachelor of Science degree in urban and regional development.
Carla Murray
General Manager
Carla Murray was named general manager of The Westin Seattle in October 1999 marking her return to the Seattle
hospitality industry. Prior to her position at The Westin Seattle, Murray held the position of hotel manager at
the Sheraton Boston Hotel & Towers and spent five years as hotel manager and director of sales and marketing
at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel & Towers. Most recently, she served as general manager of the prestigious St.
Regis Aspen, in Aspen, Colorado.
Murray is committed to the Seattle community as she serves on the board of directors and trustees of the following:
-- Seattle Hotel Association, Downtown Seattle Association
-- Independent Colleges of Washington
-- American Heart Walk
-- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Gala
-- Ski Alliance Gala
Murray is a graduate of Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications. She also
was selected to participate in a British Broadcasting Company program at Oxford University.
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