MERRILLVILLE, Ind., Sept. 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- White Lodging Services Corporation hosted a groundbreaking celebration for a second Westin hotel in Austin, Texas. The Westin Austin Downtown broke ground Aug. 5 and is scheduled to open in Spring 2015 on the northeast corner of East Fifth Street and San Jacinto Boulevard. The 20-story, 366-room Westin hotel is a joint venture between White Lodging Services Corporation, the Harry Whittington family and REI Real Estate Services, LLC.

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Once open, the hotel will be the 24^th White Lodging managed hotel in the Austin area.

"This hotel represents yet another example of our commitment to continued growth with the dynamic City of Austin as we create hundreds of well-paying construction and more than 140 permanent jobs upon opening in the spring of 2015," said Deno Yiankes, White Lodging president and CEO, investments and development. "The iconic Westin brand and the hotel's central location will undoubtedly play a significant role in attracting more visitors to the downtown core."

Local elected officials, business leaders and representatives from Austin's hospitality industry attended the event adjacent to the site.

"We're excited about Starwood and White Lodging bringing another first class project to Austin," said Bob Lander, Austin CVB President and CEO. "The addition of this top tier brand to our downtown gives conventioneers, leisure and business travelers more choices and of course, adds much needed capacity for major events that are drawn to central Texas."

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 6^th Street entertainment district.

In addition to helping meet an ever-growing demand for hotel rooms, the Westin will generate significant economic benefits, including roughly $6.3 million in taxes annually.

The sensory-rich environment at Westin offers a respite from the rigors of travel and sets a welcoming tone. The Westin brand's innovative programs and instinctive service transform every aspect of a guest's stay into a revitalizing experience. All guestrooms and suites at The Westin Austin Downtown will offer the world-renowned Westin Heavenly® Bed – an oasis of lush sheets, down and a patented pillow-top mattress, which cradles and contours to the body for truly restorative sleep. Guests will revive in the Heavenly® Bath enhanced with the brand's Heavenly® Shower, Heavenly® Robe and White Tea Aloe bath amenities, in-room and high-speed Internet access. The hotel also will also offer the Westin brand's signature SuperFoodsRx® menu, which includes nutrient-rich and delicious options to tempt every palate.

Westin Hotels & Resorts, like all brands within Starwood's robust portfolio, is proud to offer the Starwood Preferred Guest® program, which made headlines when it launched in 1999 with a breakthrough policy of no blackout dates on Free Night Awards. SPG® offers members the ability to redeem awards at more resorts, more luxury properties, more European hotels and more golf properties than any other hotel program.  

For more information on Westin Hotels & Resorts, please visit www.westin.com, Facebook or follow Westin on Twitter.

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 – a recognized leader that has defined and cultivated the ability to achieve consistent, sustainable growth among mid-to large-scale hotels across the country. Its current portfolio consists of more than 168 hotels in 21 states and encompasses representation of the following leading brands: Preferred Hotel Group, Marriott International, Inc., Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt Global, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, InterContinental Hotel Group and Carlson Hotels Worldwide. For more information about White Lodging, please visit www.whitelodging.com.

About Westin Hotels & Resorts

Westin Hotels & Resorts offers innovative programs that transform every aspect of a stay into a revitalizing experience. All Westin signature services – like the Heavenly Bed®, delicious SuperFoodsRx® and WestinWORKOUT® studio – have been designed with the guests' well-being in mind. Westin hotels,with more than 190 hotels and resorts in nearly 40 countries and territories, is owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with 1,162 properties in nearly 100 countries and 171,000 employees at its owned and managed properties.  Starwood 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 Meridien®, Sheraton®, Four Points® by Sheraton, Aloft®, and Element®.  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 also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., a premier provider of world-class vacation experiences through villa-style resorts and privileged access to Starwood brands.  For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com.

Contact: Kathleen QuilliganPhone: 219.472.2861Fax: 219.472.2273

SOURCE White Lodging Services Corporation

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