Westin Hotels Iconic Heavenly Bed to Be Sold at Nordstrom Stores Nationwide; Westin The First Hotel Company To Gain National Retail Store Presence

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., May 03, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Westin Hotels, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) upper-upscale brand, and Nordstrom, Inc. (NYSE: JWN) announced that they have formed a relationship that will make Westin the first hotel chain to sell its custom designed, signature line of luxury bedding at a leading national retailer. Starting today, the iconic, signature all-white Westin(R) Heavenly Bed(R) line will be available in almost 50 Nordstrom stores nationwide. Through this relationship, Westin and Nordstrom hope to offer customers the opportunity to experience Westin's signature Heavenly Bed ensemble, previously only available through the hotel leader's in-room catalogue and branded website, www.westin.com. Westin also hopes to capture a larger share of the $60 million hotel retail market and capitalize on the strong consumer demand for its products.

The Westin Heavenly Bed is the leader in luxury hotel bedding and just one week after its 1999 introduction, dozens of Westin guests called to find out how they could purchase the Heavenly Bed for their home. A special hotline and website were quickly introduced to take the hundreds of orders for beds that followed and since then more than 30,000 guests have taken the bed and linens home. Now Nordstrom customers nationwide can easily bring home the comfort and style of the Heavenly Bed.

Introducing The Westin Heavenly Bed At Home(TM) Collection - Now at Nordstrom

Specially designed display areas dedicated to the Heavenly Bed At Home collection will grace select Nordstrom At Home departments carrying the line. During the past several months many Nordstrom At Home sales people at participating stores have undergone special "bed intense" training sessions where participants spent time in bed to experience the ten-layers of luxury that make the Heavenly Bed so heavenly. Piled high on a pillow-top mattress custom-designed by Simmons are 300 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets, a light weight goose down blanket, jacquard duvet filled with a generous down insert and a host of feather down sleeping pillows. A silky boudoir pillow tops off the experience.

The Heavenly Bed At Home collection at Nordstrom is priced from $35-$300 for linens and from $1,250-$1,450 for the mattress, which features Simmons' signature Beautyrest(R) Pocketed Coil(R) construction, a unique design that ensures the most rejuvenating sleep possible by providing total body support and reducing motion transfer so sleep is not disturbed by the movement of a partner. The entire ten-layer ensemble is priced from $3,115 - $3615.

"Who would have thought ten years ago during the days of multi-colored, uninviting polyester bedspreads and lumpy mattresses that there would ever be such a huge demand from hotel guests to take the bed home," said Sue Brush, Senior Vice President for Westin. "Nordstrom, the nation's leading fashion specialty retailer, is the perfect home for Westin's luxurious line of bedding - it's truly a match made in heaven."

"The Heavenly Bed represents quality and comfort and is the kind of product customers expect to find at Nordstrom - it is a perfect fit," said Paul Begich, National Merchandise Manager for Nordstrom At Home. "We are thrilled to offer our customers the Heavenly Bed at Home collection."

For more information about the Westin Hotels & Resorts please visit www.westin.com. For a list of Nordstrom locations featuring the Heavenly Bed At Home collection, please visit www.nordstrom.com.

About Westin

Westin Hotels & Resorts, with 121 hotels and resorts in 31 countries and territories, is owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. and was ranked "Highest in Guest Satisfaction Among Upscale Hotel Chains" in J.D. Power and Associates 2004 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Study(SM)." Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with approximately 750 properties in more than 80 countries and 120,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. With internationally renowned brands, Starwood(R) corporation is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels and resorts including: St. Regis(R), The Luxury Collection(R), Sheraton(R), Westin(R), Four Points(R) by Sheraton, and W(R), Hotels and Resorts 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.starwoodhotels.com

About Nordstrom

Nordstrom, Inc. is one of the nation's leading fashion specialty retailers, with 151 US stores located in 27 states. Founded in 1901 as a shoe store in Seattle, today Nordstrom operates 95 full-line stores, 49 Nordstrom Racks, five Faconnable boutiques, one free-standing shoe store, and one clearance store. Nordstrom also operates 31 international Faconnable boutiques, primarily in Europe. Additionally, Nordstrom serves customers through its online presence at www.nordstrom.com and through its direct mail catalogs.

Nordstrom, Inc. is publicly traded on the NYSE under the symbol JWN.

SOURCE: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. and Nordstrom, Inc.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. Nadeen Ayala, 914-640-8259