W Macao Studio City to open in 2009

    HONG KONG, Aug. 10 /Xinhua-PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Macao Studio City
 (MSC), one of Asia's first integrated leisure resort properties combining
 studios, retail, entertainment and world-class hotels today announced the
 arrival of the first W hotel to Macao at the Macao Studio City complex
 located on Cotai. The new hotel is named W Macao Studio City and will open
 in 2009. Offering 563 guest rooms, it will offer a unique mix of innovative
 design, comfort and cultural influences, from fashion to music to art and
 everything in between.
     Today also marks a significant milestone for Macao Studio City. During
 the last 6 months since its groundbreaking, Macao Studio City has welcomed
 world renowned brands to the project, worth over US$2 billion, offering
 international visitors, business travelers and corporate customers a unique
 leisure and business travel experience. The all-star cast features industry
 leaders such as Taubman, Playboy Enterprises and the icon of Asian style,
 Mr. David Tang. The addition of W completes all the strategic partnerships
 that make up Macao Studio City's hotel products in phase 1. Four
 world-class hotel partners of Macao Studio City will add 1,902 hotel rooms
 to the booming Cotai area.
     "Macao Studio City brings together the best hotel partners in the world
 and we are excited to partner with Starwood to bring the W to Macao," said
 Peter Lam, co-chairman of Macao Studio City. "Our vision is to create a
 must- see, must-stay and must-return destination for leisure and business
 travelers around the world. Along with other hotel partners -- not to
 mention the arrival of the Playboy Mansion Macao -- I firmly believe that
 Macao Studio City will be an experience that visitors will want to return
 again and again."
     "W will captivate an in-crowd of lifestyle-oriented travelers by
 offering its special blend of cool experiences. The brand fits in very well
 with the overall design and direction of Macao Studio City and its
 positioning as the hippest and coolest place to be in Macao. Macao Studio
 City will be the place where the stars and celebrities will hang out," said
 David Friedman, co- chairman and co-chief executive officer of Macao Studio
 City.
     Friedman added, "With the arrival of W, Macao Studio City has completed
 all its hotel partnerships and this is an important milestone for us. We
 are thrilled with the progress of the project. In the last 6 months since
 our groundbreaking, we made many important announcements and welcomed a
 vast array of brands who are all leaders in their respective industries. We
 have taken a major step towards our ultimate goal, which is to provide our
 customers a truly unique experience."
     "Following the announcements of the Ws in Hong Kong, Shanghai and
 Guangzhou, W Macao Studio City is a logical extension of W's dynamic growth
 in China," said Miguel Ko, President of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Asia
 Pacific. "W brings to life its own unique positioning, delivering a
 differentiated travel experience for travelers and will be an irresistible
 destination for visitors to Macao."
     The 563 rooms and suites at W Macao Studio City will be outfitted with
 many W signature elements, including the world renowned W signature bed,
 The Living Room, W Cafe, state of the art fitness center, and featuring W's
 award winning Whatever/Whenever 24-hour concierge service. Other facilities
 include an 11,000 square feet of meeting space, an outdoor heated pool and
 private cabana service. W Macao Studio City will be designed by celebrity
 designer Charles Allem of Charles Allem Designs International.
     "The Cotai area is seeing great momentum, and the addition of W Macao
 Studio City is certainly going to attract stylish and trendy customers who
 seek innovative design, comfort and cultural influences, to the 'new
 Macao'," said Mr. Ambrose Cheung, co-chief executive officer, Macao Studio
 City. "Macao Studio City is developing at a rapid pace; our recent
 announcements have brought other world-class brands in entertainment,
 retail and hospitality to the complex. We are confident that W Macao Studio
 City, as well as the Macao Studio City complex itself, will be a tremendous
 success when it opens in mid-2009."
     Macao Studio City is being developed on a 32.3-acre site in Macao,
 strategically located "Where Cotai BeginsTM", next to the new Lotus Bridge
 immigration checkpoint, linking the complex directly to Zhuhai's Hengqin
 Island. When completed, Macao Studio City will boast some of the most
 comprehensive entertainment and retail facilities of any single property in
 Macao, as well as a one million square foot Studio RetailTM complex called
 The Mall at Studio City -- created in partnership with Taubman Centers,
 Inc. About W Hotels
     W Hotels is a global lifestyle brand with 21 properties in the most
 vibrant cities around the world. Inspiring and indulging its guests with
 thoughtful, refreshing and stylish experiences, signature restaurants, bars
 and destination spas, W has become the fastest growing luxury hotel brand
 in the world. Each hotel offers a unique mix of innovative design, comfort,
 and cultural influences from fashion to music to art and everything in
 between. W's first residential property, W Dallas-Victory, opened in June
 of 2006, and soon thereafter was named a Forbes Magazine "Top Business
 Hotel." W Residences, offering the W lifestyle at home, have been announced
 for Scottsdale (2008), Midtown Atlanta (2008), Fort Lauderdale (2008),
 Buckhead (2008), Hoboken (2008), Downtown Atlanta (2009), Downtown New York
 (2009), South Beach (2009), Phoenix (2009), Hollywood (2009), Philadelphia
 (2009), and Austin (2010). Internationally, W has announced plans for
 hotels in Istanbul (2008), Doha (2008), Hong Kong (2008), St. Petersburg
 (2008), Athens (2008), Santiago (2008), Milan (2008), Dubai-Festival City
 (2008), Shanghai (2009), Barcelona (2009), Guangzhou (2010), and Dubai-The
 Palm (2010). W's first Retreat & Spa, W Maldives, opened in September of
 2006 and in March of 2007, received the prestigious Travel + Leisure Design
 Award for Best Resort. W has plans to open Retreat & Spa hotels in Vieques
 (2008), Koh Samui (2008), and Verbier (2010), the latter of which will
 serve as W's first ski retreat. For more information, visit
 www.whotels.com.
     About Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
     Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.(R) is one of the leading
 hotel and leisure companies in the world with approximately 850 properties
 in more than 95 countries and 145,000 employees at its owned and managed
 properties. Starwood(R) Hotels is a fully integrated owner, operator and
 franchisor of hotels and resorts with the following internationally
 renowned brands: St. Regis(R), The Luxury Collection(R), Sheraton(R),
 Westin(R), Four Points(R) by Sheraton, W(R), Le Meridien(R) and the
 recently announced AloftSM and ElementSM Hotels. 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
     About Macao Studio City
     Macao Studio City is Asia's first leisure resort property with studios,
 retail, entertainment and world-class hotels, such as the Ritz-Carlton,
 Marriott, W and The Tang Hotel. Macao Studio City is being developed by
 Cyber One Agents Limited, a joint venture between New Cotai, LLC and East
 Asia Satellite Television Holdings, a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based eSun
 Holdings ("eSun"; stock code: 571). Singapore's CapitaLand owns 33.3 per
 cent of East Asia Satellite Television Holdings while eSun Holdings owns
 the remaining 66.7 per cent.
     eSun Holdings is one of Asia's leading media and entertainment
 companies and an associate company of Lai Sun Development ("LSD"; stock
 code: 488), a leading hotel and property developer. Both companies are part
 of Hong Kong's Lai Sun Group.
     New Cotai, LLC is a consortium of US-based investors, including the co-
 chairman and co-CEO of Macao Studio City, David Friedman. Mr. Friedman is a
 veteran resort and gaming developer who led Las Vegas Sands' entry into
 Macao. The funds of New Cotai, LLC are managed by Silver Point Capital,
 L.P., a private US-based investment firm, and Oaktree Capital Management,
 LLC, a global independent investment management firm.
     CapitaLand is one of the largest listed real estate companies in Asia.
 Headquartered in Singapore, the multinational company's core businesses in
 real estate, hospitality and real estate financial services are focused in
 gateway cities in Asia Pacific, Europe and the Middle East. The company's
 real estate and hospitality portfolio spans more than 90 cities in over 20
 countries. CapitaLand also leverages on its significant real estate asset
 base, financial skills and market knowledge to develop real estate
 financial products and services in Singapore and the region.
     For more information, please visit http://www.macaostudiocity.com .
 
     Media enquiries:
 
     Jacqueline Wu
      Macao Studio City
      Tel:   +852-3760-2626
      Fax:   +852-3760-2673
      Email: Jacqueline.wu@macaostudiocity.com
 
     Adrian Fu
      Burson-Marsteller
      Tel: +852-2963-6715
      Fax: +852-2856-1101
      Email: Adrian.fu@bm.com
 
     Hwee Peng Yeo
      Starwood Hotels and Resorts, Asia Pacific
      Tel:    +65-6335-4837
      Fax:    +65-6335-4820
      Email: Hweepeng.yeo@starwoodhotels.com
 
 

SOURCE Macao Studio City

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