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(www.asiatraveltips.com 2004-07-28)

Starwood's W Hotel is to make its debut in the People's Republic of China with a 383-room waterfront hotel in Hong Kong scheduled to open in early 2008. The company has also signed a letter of agreement to develop a W hotel in Shanghai. W is the world's fastest growing collection of world-class design hotels, having announced six new projects this year alone, including new hotels in Barcelona, Spain; Scottsdale, Arizona; Hoboken, New Jersey and the Maldives.

The W Hong Kong will be developed by Sun Hung Kai Properties and located right next to Hong Kong's future Cultural and Entertainment District on the West Kowloon Waterfront. This new area will feature high-end retail, office, art museums, theatres, man-made gardens and lagoons, a yacht anchorage, lush landscape, a promenade, and food and beverage outlets along the waterfront when it is fully completed in 2010. The W Hong Kong will feature exciting dining, nightlife and entertainment options including a dazzling roof top bar, major spa, destination health club, indoor and outdoor pool and the W Retail store. The hotel will also house extensive meeting facilities.

Starwood and Sun Hung Kai have also signed a letter of agreement to develop a W Hotel in Lujiazui, the financial district in Pudong district, Shanghai.

"New York City, London, Miami and Los Angeles have long had a stronghold on the world's top design hotels, but Starwood sees enormous potential in developing this genre globally. There is perhaps no more dynamic a market in the world today than China," said Barry S. Sternlicht, Starwood's Chairman and CEO, and founder of W Hotels. "We are firm believers in the importance of China in the world travel market for decades to come. In addition to our two new W projects, we have 25 hotels currently open or under construction in China under our St. Regis, Westin, Sheraton and Four Points by Sheraton brands."

"W is the world's most innovative and stylish hospitality brand and is the natural choice for our stunning new Kowloon Station Development project on the West Kowloon Waterfront," said Walter Kwok, Chairman and Chief Executive of Sun Hung Kai Properties. "As the largest developer of innovative and contemporary real estate developments in Hong Kong and China, Sun Hung Kai Properties is delighted to be working with the W brand to launch this exciting new hotel in Hong Kong"

Currently there are 18 W Hotels worldwide in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, New Orleans, San Francisco, Seattle, Honolulu, Silicon Valley, Atlanta, San Diego, Sydney and Mexico City. Eight W Hotels are under development or construction: The W Seoul (August, 2004); the W Montreal (September, 2004); the W Maldives-Fesdhu (2006); the W Hoboken Hotel and Residences (2006); the W Dallas Hotel and Residences (2007) the W Fort Lauderdale Hotel and Residences (2007); the W Scottsdale Hotel and Residences (2007) and the W Barcelona (2008).