Starwood Hotels & Resorts Earns Top Rating on the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT) announced today that the company scored a 100 percent rating on the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) tenth annual Corporate Equality Index and is a recipient of the HRC "Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality” award.

"Corporate America is leading the charge for equality in the workplace,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. "We commend the businesses that participated in the CEI. They understand that LGBT-inclusive workplace policies are the right thing to do and good business practices.”

With no federal nondiscrimination law and limited state protections, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index (CEI) has helped transform the American workplace for the better over the past ten years. This year, 190 corporations, across industries, geographies and size, will receive a 100 percent score on significantly more stringent criteria, including 10 of the top 20 Fortune-ranked companies. As companies compete to recruit and retain the best employees and influence consumer choices, CEI ratings have redefined the norm for how all companies treat LGBT workers and their families.

"At Starwood, we work hard at each of our nearly 1100 locations around the world to welcome all of our associates, guests, and customers. We believe people want to feel valued and respected each time they visit us. The support of HRC has been a great help, and we are proud of the hard work across Starwood to deepen our commitment to the LGBT community. Our efforts are another clear example of how we are keeping pace with an ever changing global landscape,” said Frits van Paasschen, President and CEO of Starwood.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against GLBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.

About Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with 1,071 properties in 100 countries and territories with approximately 145,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood Hotels 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^SM. 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 Hotels also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com.