Starwood Hotels to Launch Dual-Hotel Development in Charlotte, North Carolina

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) today announced plans to open both a Sheraton and Le Méridien hotel in Charlotte's bustling uptown business district as part of a $20 million conversion and renovation project. Sheraton Charlotte Hotel and Le Méridien Charlotte will each occupy one tower of a massive hotel complex, currently operated as The Blake Hotel. Owned by Carolina Hospitality and managed by Wischermann Partners, Sheraton Charlotte Hotel will open on August, 15. The other hotel tower will operate as an independent hotel through renovations and re-open as Le Méridien Charlotte in January 2014.

"This strategic conversion project gives Starwood the opportunity to both debut Le Méridien and expand the Sheraton portfolio in Charlotte, the second largest banking center in the United States after New York City," said Allison Reid, Senior Vice President of North American Development. "The opening of Sheraton Charlotte Hotel will accelerate the Sheraton brand's global $8 billion expansion effort, while Le Méridien Charlotte will provide even more momentum to the global brand's portfolio growth across North America."

Located at 555 South McDowell Street, the dual-hotel complex is walking distance to the Time Warner Cable Arena, the Charlotte Convention Center, the light rail system, and the offices of Bank of America, BB&T and Wachovia. Charlotte/Douglas International Airport (CLT) is just seven miles away and nearby attractions include the NASCAR Hall of Fame, the shops at Carolina Place, and Bank of America Stadium - home of the Carolina Panthers.

Sheraton Charlotte Hotel and Le Méridien Charlotte will each have its own porte-cochere, entrance and lobby and will share a 24-hour fitness center, spa, indoor and outdoor pools and pool bar, underground parking, and 55,000 square feet of flexible meeting space. There will be a total of six restaurants between the two towers following the opening of both hotels, including a lobby bar and full-service restaurant in the Sheraton tower, and Le Méridien's Hub and signature Latitude Bar. Additionally, Le Méridien Charlotte will feature a spectacular rooftop bar that showcases beautiful views of the downtown Charlotte skyline. All dining outlets will be accessible to guests at both hotels.

Prior to opening, Sheraton Charlotte Hotel will implement the Sheraton brand's signature Link@Sheraton experienced with Microsoft and Link@Sheraton Café. All 306 guest rooms will be fully refurbished and outfitted with the all-white Sheraton Sweet Sleeper bed, designed to meet AAA's Five Diamond Award criteria, as well as an oversized work desk, ergonomic chair, high-speed Internet, and LCD flat panel television. Following further renovations, the hotel's fitness facility will feature the brand's revolutionary new health and fitness program, Sheraton Fitness, Programmed by Core Performance, designed exclusively for Sheraton guests through its partner Core Performance.

Le Méridien Charlotte will undergo extensive renovations to its public areas and its 305 guest rooms prior to opening. The hotel will feature the Le Méridien Hub experience, which re-interprets the traditional lobby into a social gathering place for creative people to converse, debate, and exchange, further building on the brand's award-winning arrival experience and curated coffee culture. Le Méridien arrival consists of four elements: large-scale artwork in high impact areas to reset the mind and stimulate dialogue and curiosity; the sensory experience, illustrated through Le Méridien signature scent, sound and use of light, creating a unique and distinctive atmosphere; UNLOCK ART program, featuring LM100 artist designed key card collections that not only offer access to the guestroom but also to Le Méridien affiliated contemporary cultural centers in the city; and a 24-hour curated soundtrack.

Sheraton Hotels & Resorts and Le Méridien, like all brands within Starwood's robust portfolio, are proud to offer the Starwood Preferred Guest program, which made headlines when it launched in 1999 with a breakthrough policy of no blackout dates on Free Night Awards. SPG offers members the ability to redeem awards at more resorts, more luxury properties, more European hotels and more golf properties than any other hotel program.

SOURCE: BUSINESS WIRE