White Lodging Named Specialty Service Developer of the Year from Starwood Hotels & Resorts

MERRILLVILLE, Ind., April 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- White Lodging is pleased to announce it was named as the Specialty Service Developer of the Year from Starwood Hotels & Resorts.

"Starwood is delighted to recognize White Lodging as Specialty Select Developer of the Year," stated Simon Turner, President of Development, Starwood Hotels & Resorts.  "We very much appreciate their ongoing collaboration, creativity and commitment to developing outstanding on-brand hotels that guests will enjoy for years to come." 

According to the organization, Starwood's vision for the continued growth of its brands and the integrity of its portfolio would go unrealized without the creativity, savvy and dedication of its development partners. The Developer of the Year Award recognizes those people or organizations that go above and beyond.

"Starwood's well defined brands will play an integral role as we continue to execute our strategic growth plan of developing and opening premium branded hotels in growing urban markets," said Deno Yiankes, president and CEO, White Lodging investments and development.

Last year, White Lodging opened the high-profile Aloft Chicago City Center which has quickly become the destination of choice for both locals and travelers.  The hotel was named one of the best hotels that opened in 2013 by Chicago Magazine, and includes Beatrix, a restaurant and wine bar adjacent to the hotel lobby.

Located in Chicago's trendy River North neighborhood, the LEED Certified Aloft Chicago City Center offers a fresh, forward-thinking alternative for tech-savvy and social travelers, and is surrounded by the city's most popular dining and nightlife destinations.

Located at the center of Austin's lively downtown, the Westin Austin Downtown will be just one and a half blocks from the city's convention center and a short walk to many of the city's restaurants and music venues. The famous Sixth Street entertainment district is just around the corner. Hotel facilities will include an American regional kitchen and bar, featuring and committed to local, artisan ingredients within a contemporary eclectic design. Also, the hotel will have a fitness center and 15,000 square feet of state-of-the-art meeting and banquet space.  The hotel will also feature a rooftop pool and bar that will offer commanding views of the city, including the famous 6th Street entertainment district. The hotel is scheduled to open in 2015.

White Lodging also recently announced it would build an Aloft and Element in downtown Austin in a dual-brand development. Located near the intersection of 7^th and Congress, the 32-story development will include the 260-room Aloft Austin Downtown and 150-room Element Austin Downtown. White Lodging will start construction early next year on the hotels, which are both scheduled to open in the summer of 2016.

White Lodging Services Corporation was established in 1985 and is headquartered in Merrillville, Ind. White Lodging is a fully integrated hotel ownership, development and operations company focused on developing and operating premium-branded hotels in growing urban markets across the United States. The company is a recognized leader that has defined and cultivated the ability to achieve consistent, sustainable growth among mid- to large-scale hotels. Its current portfolio consists of more than 162 hotels in 21 states and encompasses representation of the following leading brands:  Marriott International, Inc., Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt Global, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, Preferred Hotel Group and InterContinental Hotel Group.

For more information about White Lodging, please visit www.whitelodging.com.

Contact:
Kathleen Quilligan
Phone: 219.472.2861
Fax: 219.472.2273

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SOURCE White Lodging