Introducing the Westin Well-Being Movement - A Year-Long, Global Initiative featuring

New Partnerships, Programs and a Dedicated Council of Wellness Experts

Singapore - March 21, 2014 - Renowned as an industry innovator with a history of firsts in the wellness space, Westin Hotels & Resorts has announced the global launch of the Westin Well-being Movement, an ambitious million brand-wide campaign designed to enhance the well-being of guests and associates around the world. The year-long initiative will introduce a string of innovative partnerships and programs across Westin's six brand pillars: Feel Well, Work Well, Move Well, Eat Well, Sleep Well and Play Well.  Today's launch coincides with the International day of Happiness and Well-being and the Spring Equinox - traditionally recognized as the season of renewal.   

To celebrate, Westin hotels around the world will open their doors for a well-being open house, where guests, associates and consumers can experience the brand's signature programs.  For the next week, nearly 200 hotels and resorts will hold wellness events and programs open to the public, including charity runs, inspirational well-being talks and tips sharing sessions, as well as yoga and meditation activities led by well-being experts. 

For more information on open house activities, please visit Westin.com.  

Mindfulness and Meditation Pioneer Checks-In to Westin Hotels

The Westin Well-being Movement will launch globally with Headspace, a leading force in the field of health and wellbeing. This first new partnership of 2014 is aimed at helping guests "feel well."

Headspace co-founder and meditation expert, Andy Puddicombe, will lead the charge as the authority for the brand's "Feel Well" pillar and is the first appointee to the Westin Well-being Council - a diverse advisory board composed of renowned thought leaders, each of whom aligns with a specific wellness brand pillar. This Council will be the cornerstone to the Movement and will guide and inspire new initiatives, leveraging proprietary research to inform and introduce new programs throughout the year.

The Council will be featured on the brand's new well-being digital hub - an online portal that will serve as a catalyst for a global exchange of new ideas and interpretations of well-being and bring the Movement's initiatives to life. Additional Council members will be announced throughout the year, featuring a mix of industry innovators, high-profile executives and renowned professionals dedicated to the global pursuit of wellness.

"At Westin, our mission is to be a partner in our guest's well-being before, during and after their stay and this is the motivation behind this movement," said Brian Povinelli, Global Brand Leader for Westin Hotels. "We are proud to partner with some of the world's premier wellness brands and experts to provide innovative, personalized offerings at our hotels around the world, with the goal of inspiring and empowering our guests and associates. Headspace is a brand who shares our passion for improving the health and well-being of communities around the world and we are thrilled that Andy and his team will be a part of this journey."

The new partnership with Headspace will encourage guests and associates to look after the health of their minds, with simple guided meditation exercises that help them smile more, listen more, worry less and sleep better.

Westin is the first hotel brand to launch a brand-wide mindfulness and meditation program. The partnership with Headspace will provide guests with customized content through a dedicated space on Westin.com, including videos and audio files. Specifically curated for Westin guests, the program is designed to address the needs of both leisure and business travelers, pre and post-stay and including programs to help guests get ready for their onward journey. Westin will also introduce Headspace modules to help promote wellness in the workplace.

"We are very excited to be the official launch partner for Westin's Well-being Movement. The health benefits of practicing mindfulness are widely recognised, and this partnership highlights Westin's commitment to improving the wellbeing of their guests and associates," said Andy Puddicombe, Co-Founder, Headspace. "We believe that the simple and easy to learn mindfulness techniques we have developed at Headspace will help both guests and associates alike lead happier and healthier lives."

Need some Headspace? Join renewal activities at Westin properties across Asia Pacific

Hotel guests and the public are invited to join a series of well-being activities at Westin hotels and resorts across Asia Pacific. On 21 March, Greater China will kick off their well-being activities at The Westin Beijing Financial Street with meditation and yoga movement led by Yoga guru Wang Yuan, followed by a session with professional writer and columnist Qiu Wei, who will share well-being tips. Additionally, Westin properties in China will be motivating Chinese netizens with a 21-day well-being tips sharing campaign on its weibo account. In India, The Westin Chennai Velachery will organize a week long well-being run across Chennai. With the aim of clocking over 2000 kilometres, the event will include the participation of eminent local personalities. The Westin Hyderabad Mindspace, will launch a detox program, while the Westin Gurgaon New Delhi will hold group yoga and meditation sessions.In Japan, The Westin Tokyo will be joining hands with Waka Nozawa, a Japanese celebrity yoga instructor, to conduct a yoga class.

Many of the well-being activities will continue throughout the year to inspire the long-term well-being of guests and local residents. For example, The Westin Sydney and The Westin Melbourne Hotel will partner with Charlotte Dodson, Australia's best-known yoga instructor, to launch a yoga travel toolkit that will be available at the two Westin properties in Australia. Additionally, The Westin Singapore will launch its partnership with Loopz® Fitness to offer weekly fitness classes for all guests.

The Westin Well-being Movement is a natural extension of brand's historic commitment to health and wellness. The inspiration for the brand's wellness strategy, the iconic Heavenly® Bed (Sleep Well) is beloved by guests and lauded as one of hospitality's great innovations. Westin's global partnership with SuperfoodsRxTM (Eat Well) offers guests food that fuels the body with rich antioxidants and tastes great. WestinWORKOUT®, RunWESTINSM and Westin Gear Lending with New Balance® (Move Well) together pack a formidable punch and offer guests a holistic fitness solution. The brand's nature-inspired design, signature sensory welcome and Heavenly® Bath and Heavenly Spa by WestinTM (Feel Well) offer a relaxing respite from the rigors of travel. TangentTM at Westin (Work Well), the innovative workspace concept modeled to support today's mobile traveler, is receiving rave reviews and high usage from guests.  Westin Weekend (Play Well) signature experiences are designed to let guests escape, discover and relax without all the hassles and restrictions other brands impose. The brand's new digital destination guide, Westin Finds from Afar, provides guests with uniquely curated travel experience.

For more information on the Westin Well-being Movement and Westin Hotels, please visit www.westin.com, Facebook or follow Westin on Twitter.

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About Headspace
Headspace was founded in 2010 by Rich Pierson and Andy Puddicombe. Bringing together authentic content, modern technology and a fresh approach to creative design, Headspace produce practical mindfulness tools for modern day living. Their mission is to improve the health and happiness of the world by helping people to stress less, focus more and sleep better through the practical application of the Headspace meditation techniques. With no chanting, no sitting cross-legged, no incense and definitely no gurus - this is meditation for modern day living.

The app has been designed for both iOS + android platforms. For more information, please visit www.headspace.com

About Westin Hotels & Resorts

Westin Hotels & Resorts offers innovative programs that transform every aspect of a stay into a revitalizing experience. All Westin signature services - like the Heavenly Bed®, delicious SuperFoodsRx® and WestinWORKOUT® studio - have been designed with the guests' well-being in mind. Westin hotels,with more than 190 hotels and resorts in nearly 40 countries and territories, is owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with nearly 1,200 properties in 100 countries and 181,400 employees at its owned and managed properties.  Starwood is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels, resorts and residences with the following internationally renowned brands:  St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, W®, Westin®, Le Méridien®, Sheraton®, Four Points® by Sheraton, Aloft®, and Element®.  The Company boasts one of the industry's leading loyalty programs, Starwood Preferred Guest® (SPG®), allowing members to earn and redeem points for room stays, room upgrades and flights, with no blackout dates.  Starwood also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., a premier provider of world-class vacation experiences through villa-style resorts and privileged access to Starwood brands.  For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com.

Warm regards,

Punnee Bunma

MANAGER, CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS

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