The Westin Ottawa receives Hall of Fame award of Excellence

TORONTO, February 4, 2013—The Westin Ottawa will be presented with a Hall of Fame Award of Excellence tonight at the Hotel Association of Canada’s 100^th Anniversary Celebration Gala.

The Hotel Association of Canada’s Hall of Fame Awards of Excellence Program was developed in 2004 with the purpose of recognizing those of its members (individuals, companies, properties) that have demonstrated significant accomplishments, exemplary leadership and tireless commitment to Canada’s lodging industry.

 The Energy and Environment Hall of Fame Award, which will be presented to The Westin Ottawa, recognizes lodging properties that have developed a culture towards integrating environmental management practices that improve everyday operations and the bottom line, while maintaining quality service and meeting guest expectations.

The Westin Ottawa demonstrates industry leadership and commitment in protecting the environment through a number of wide ranging policies, practices and creative initiatives that involve management, employees, guests and the public as a whole and have shown substantial and measurable results. The Westin Ottawa has raised the bar by integrating environmental management into every day operations and creating an environmental culture for associates and guests.

Since 2006, the hotel’s Green Committee, a highly dedicated group made up of one employee per department, has been the foundation of the success and movement towards reaching the hotel’s environmental goals and reducing their ecological footprint.   The Westin Ottawa is the only hotel in North America to be the recipient of the coveted five Green Keys for both hotel operations and meeting and conference practices. The Green Key Eco-Rating Program and Green Key Meetings Program are graduated rating systems designed to recognize green hotels, motels and resorts that are committed to improving their environmental and fiscal performance.

The Energy and Environment Award is sponsored by Enbridge. Diana Helferty, Sales Manager/Sustainability Champion & Jeff White, Director of Engineering, will be accepting the award on behalf of The Westin Ottawa during the 100^th anniversary awards gala taking place February 4^th at the Hilton Toronto Downtown.

About Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with 1,134 properties in nearly 100 countries and 154,000 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 Méridien®, Sheraton®, Four Points® by Sheraton, Aloft®, and ElementSM. 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.

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