Westin Hotels Bets Big on Hotel Gyms; 53 New Hotel Gyms Open in Time t

    Business Editors

    WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 3, 2005--Just in time to cater to the 25% of Americans resolving to get fit in '05, Westin Hotels & Resorts has spent $12 million to build new fitness centers. Thousands of brand new treadmills, cycles, elliptical trainers, medicine balls, yoga mats and core boards have been installed in 53 new WestinWORKOUT(R) Powered by Reebok fitness facilities recently opened in Westin hotels in North America, Mexico and the Caribbean. Another 40 new fitness centers will debut in 2005, primarily in Europe and Asia-Pacific. The WestinWORKOUT Powered by Reebok custom-designed fitness facilities feature state-of-the art equipment from Life Fitness(R), Precor(R), as well as Cardio Theater(R), Reebok(R)-designed fitness regimens for travelers, and in-room yoga workout.
    In an industry first, Westin is launching an advertising and marketing campaign focused on its fitness facilities. A $2 million print campaign breaks this month in USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Self, Men's Health, Women's Health, Runner's World and Best Life.

    Reebok Helps Whip Westin into Shape

    Westin partnered with worldwide fitness leader Reebok to develop the travel industry's most extensive fitness and wellness program. The sleek new fitness rooms are inspired by upscale health clubs and feature treadmills, upright bikes, recumbent bikes, steppers, elliptical trainers as well as leg extension, leg curl, shoulder press, lat pulldown and chest machines, free weights and Cardio Theater - personal viewing screens and sound systems on all cardio equipment. Each fitness room also features a Reebok Core Training Zone, a unique center created to improve strength, flexibility, balance and aerobic conditioning and outfitted with special equipment by Reebok including Core Boards, medicine balls, stability balls and resistance tubing.
    The fitness experts at Reebok University also developed 20, 40 and 60 minute workouts exclusively for Westin guests. These complete body workouts target each major muscle group and can fit into the busy schedule of any business traveler. In addition, several Westin hotels and resorts have developed signature fitness and wellness classes. At The Westin Maui guests can take an Aqua Yoga class and at The Westin St. John Water Tai Chi and Cardio Burn classes are available. Other classes available at dozens of properties include Kickboxing, Yoga, Rowing, Circuit Interval Training, Spinning, Weight Training and walk and running clubs.

    De-kink Your Body and Mind in the Comfort of Your Guestroom

    Need to unwind but not in the mood to leave your room and go to the gym? The experts at Reebok University, including acclaimed fitness expert Lisa Wheeler, developed an in-room yoga and Pilates inspired regimen that guests can do in their room. This specially designed in-room workout was developed to de-kink the traveler's body and relax the mind and is available in all Westin guestrooms on the brand's custom TV channel.

    Survey Says Hotel Fitness Facilities Need to Shape Up

    Why the focus on fitness? A survey* of 300 business travelers conducted by Lieberman Research Worldwide for Westin found that hotel fitness rooms often disappoint. Sixty-four percent of business travelers say that hotel fitness rooms "seem like an afterthought," 75% say the quality of workout rooms is inconsistent from one hotel to the next and more than half the travelers (55%) decided not to use a hotel workout room because it was in such bad condition.
    "Working out on the road is a priority for many travelers but hotels have typically cut corners in hotel workout rooms and we wanted to fix that," said Sue Brush, Senior Vice President of Westin Hotels & Resorts. "We want to improve our guests' lives so they feel better from check-in to check-out. Accomplishing that will build loyalty and clearly distinguish Westin from other hotels."
    Westin Hotels & Resorts, with 120 hotels and resorts in 30 countries and territories, is owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with more than 750 properties in more than 80 countries and 110,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. With internationally renowned brands, Starwood is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor 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 www.westin.com.
    Reebok International Ltd., headquartered in Canton, MA, is a leading worldwide designer, marketer and distributor of sports, fitness and casual footwear, apparel and equipment under the Reebok, Rockport, CCM, JOFA, KOHO and Greg Norman Brands and footwear under the Polo Ralph Lauren Brand. Sales for 2003 totalled approximately $3.5 billion.
    *Survey participants - 150 men and 150 women - had stayed at least two consecutive nights at a hotel in the past year and exercised while on a business trip. In practice, most respondents stayed many more nights than the qualifying threshold, many of them over 10 nights in the past year. The telephone interviewing was conducted during the period September 2 - 15, 2003. With a sample this size (n==300) results have a margin of error attributable to sample size of +/- 6 percentage points on totals. Smaller subgroups therefore have higher margins of error.

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CONTACT: Westin Hotels & Resorts K.C. Kavanagh, 914-640-8339 or Reebok Diane Pelkey, 781-401-7790

KEYWORD: NEW YORK INDUSTRY KEYWORD: REAL ESTATE BUILDING/CONSTRUCTION SPORTS APPAREL/TEXTILES SOURCE: Westin Hotels & Resorts

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