New W Designed to Exceed the Needs of the High Tech Business Traveler
In Silicon Valley
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., July 25 /PRNewswire/ -- W Hotels, the successful brand
of business hotels launched in 1998 by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide,
Inc., has announced the opening of W | SUITES, in Newark, California.
Starwood will manage the 174 all-suite property, a new-build set amid the
Silicon Valley corporate campus of Sun Microsystems/JAVA. W | SUITES
represents the W brand's second property in the San Francisco Bay Area,
following the much-heralded May 1999 opening of the 423-room W San Francisco,
located in the city's thriving Yerba Buena district, across from the Moscone
Convention Center and adjacent to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
W | SUITES, Newark was developed by Gatehouse Newark Tenant, L.P., a
subsidiary of Gatehouse Capital of Dallas, Texas.
"The successful launch of W Hotels has exceeded even our own high
expectations ... and, in a very short period, W has become the hotel of choice
for the Wired Generation of frequent travelers," said Barry S. Sternlicht,
chairman and CEO of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. "This is a new
prototype with suites, extending the W product line of successful urban
hotels. We are grateful to and congratulate our development partners for
their commitment to this exciting new concept."
Located near Silicon Valley's dot.com and biotech epicenter, W | SUITES
will offer cutting-edge technological amenities, provided by high-tech
pioneers Lucent Technologies and end-to-end high-speed Internet Service
Provider CAIS (Capital Area Internet Service). W | SUITES will be one of the
few hotels in the United States to offer ORiNOCO, a PC card offering "one
card, one technology, one solution." A Lucent Technologies product, ORiNOCO
delivers broadband Internet access through a secure high-speed wireless
Internet network.
The ORiNOCO system allows flawless roaming with wireless Internet access
with a range of up to 1200 feet, at a speed of 11 mbs (megabits per second),
more than 100 times faster than a regular high-speed modem connection. While
on the ORiNOCO system, guests will have the flexibility and mobility to work
on their laptops while walking freely about the entire first floor --
including the living room, W Cafe and Bar and the outdoor pool and
Zen-influenced garden -- while seamlessly linked to the Internet via a
high-speed, wireless connection.
In addition, W | SUITES will offer guests one of the only hotel network
printing capabilities in the United States, provided by CAIS, a leading
provider of broadband and in-room network access. CAIS features include the
unique ability to access a Web-driven printing service, enabling guests to
print directly from their laptops to a centrally located printer. Guests
simply select documents from their laptop -- whether they are working in their
suite, outside by the pool or elsewhere in the hotel -- and then print them
directly to a secure and confidential laser printer located at the reception
desk. Guests at W | SUITES may also choose the option of a staying in a "Home
Office Suite" that is equipped with its own combination
fax/copier/scanner/printer.
W | SUITES, a five story hotel, will feature 174 suites, a W Cafe and bar,
and a fitness center that overlooks the swimming pool. As with all W Hotels,
W | SUITES' standard amenities include custom-formulated Aveda bath products;
a lush, terry-lined, cotton pique W bathrobe; high-speed Internet access data
ports; Web browser television; and two 900MHz dual-line speakerphones with
built-in data ports (one phone is cordless). Each room will also feature the
W signature bed, with a pillow-top mattress, 250 thread count linens and goose
down comforters and pillows.
In addition to serving the high-tech needs of business travelers,
W | SUITES also offers meeting facilities and full catering, including two
suites designed as creative "think tanks." Recognizing the need for the
non-traditional atmosphere that is not offered within the constraints of
typical boardrooms, these suites have been designed to inspire creative
thought by featuring comfortable, overstuffed furniture.
The first W Hotel opened in New York in December 1998. This was followed
by the 1999 openings of W Atlanta (February); W San Francisco (May); W Seattle
(September); W Honolulu -- Diamond Head (October); W New York -- The
Court -- The Tuscany (November); and W Los Angeles -- Westwood (December).
This year W opened two properties in New Orleans (March), Sydney, Australia
(June) and Newark, CA (July). More than 20 W Hotels are scheduled to be
opened by the end of 2002, including the hotel in New York's Union Square
(November 2000); W Times Square (2001); two properties in Chicago (2001);
Miami -- South Beach (2001); Philadelphia (2002); San Diego (2002) and Mexico
City (2002).
W | SUITES was created by Starwood Design Group in collaboration with
Intraspec. The architect is Seattle-based Jensen Associates; Webcor of San
Francisco is the contractor. W | SUITES is located at 8200 Gateway
Boulevard, Newark, CA 94560. For reservations and information on W Hotels,
call toll-free 877-WHOTELS or visit the W Website at http://www.whotels.com.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., through its St.Regis, Luxury
Collection, Westin, Sheraton, Four Points and W brands, is one of the leading
hotel and leisure companies in the world with more than 725 hotels in
80 countries and 120,000 employees at its owned and managed properties.
CONTACT: Katie Meyer, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
914-640- 824; or Joel Costa, W | SUITES Newark, CA 510-494-8800,
or Sarah Abell or Jeff Nead, Glodow Nead Communications,
415-864- 2333
SOURCE Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.starwoodlodging.com
http://www.whotels.com
Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/443150.html or fax,
800-758-5804, ext. 443150
CONTACT:
Katie Meyer of Starwood Hotels & Resorts
Worldwide, Inc., 914-640-8247, katie.meyer@starwoodhotels.com; or
Joel Costa of W | SUITES Newark, CA, 510-494-8800
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