W Hotels Worldwide Appoints Renowned Stylist and Fashion Expert Amanda Ross as First Ever Global Fashion Director

From Paris Fashion Week, W Hotels Worldwide, the hotel category buster and industry innovator, tonight celebrates an industry first, the appointment of international stylist and fashion authority Amanda Ross as the brand’s first ever Global Fashion Director. For more than 10 years, W has continually broken new ground through innovative and first-of-its-kind fashion initiatives and programs. As W Hotels continues to grow globally, on track to increase its footprint to more than 50 hotels by 2011, Ross will serve as a strategic fashion advisor to the brand, providing global insight and guidance for an integrated, cutting-edge approach to fashion. A respected industry veteran, Ross will provide an authentic point of view for W, fostering industry relationships and identifying partnerships and collaborations that will make W Hotels a credible player within the fashion industry. She will also work closely with W Hotels The Store, W’s twist on the traditional hotel gift shop, including Global Glam, a newly launched fashion and accessories collection created exclusively for W by established and emerging designers inspired by the design of W’s latest hotels.

"Fashion is an extension of design, one of the key differentiators for W Hotels,” said Eva Ziegler, Global Brand Leader, W Hotels Worldwide and Le Méridien. "As fashion is ever-changing and evolving on a seasonal basis, it appeals to our guests who are always seeking the latest, newest, hippest, and Amanda, with her extensive industry experience, will guide us in further integrating fashion into our hotels in credible ways that positively affect the guest experience.”

Ross began her multi-faceted career more than 20 years ago at Condé Nast under the guidance of renowned Art Director Alexander Liberman and went on to serve as Market Director for Harper’s Bazaar, where she worked with the world’s foremost fashion designers and helped to identify and nurture emerging talent. Today, she combines extensive editorial work (Harper’s Bazaar, Russian L’Officiel, Town & Country) with international style consulting for film, television and retail interiors. Her film and television credits include Lipstick Jungle (Brooke Shields, Kim Raver, Lindsay Price) and It’s Complicated (Meryl Streep, Steve Martin, Alec Baldwin). Ross also styles personal clients, including celebrities such as Mariska Hargitay, Julianna Margulies, Vera Farmiga, Kim Raver, and Lindsay Price. Over the years, she has consulted for fashion houses, including Dennis Basso, Elie Tahari, Ashleigh Verrier and Allegra Hicks as well as advertising campaigns for Maybelline, NBC and Volkswagen.

"I am so honored and excited to have been chosen for this first-of-its-kind position,” said Ross. "I share in W’s passion for fashion and look forward to using my years of editorial, styling and consulting experience to help W further connect the dots between fashion and hotels.”

The announcement of Ross comes on the heels of W’s appointment last September of Michaelangelo L’Acqua as the brand’s Global Music Director. Both passions of W, these two newly created roles will work closely together to provide an integrated global point of view on fashion and music, further establishing W as an authority in both industries.

Ross was introduced as W Hotels’ Global Fashion Director during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York, where the W brand hosted the 13^th season of its Backstage VIP Lounge at Bryant Park. The W Hotels Arrivals Lounge, designed by Slade Architecture in collaboration with Starwood Brand Design and inspired by the experience of arriving to a new destination, was a contemporary cool interpretation on an airport baggage claim that brought to life W’s next destinations, including hotels and retreats in Bali, London, Paris, Koh Samui and St. Petersburg. The Arrivals Lounge provided an escape for celebrities, designers, and fashion’s elite from the hustle and bustle of backstage, offering cocktails and small bites while high-profile DJs, selected by L’Acqua, spun the hottest tracks from around the world. When she wasn’t sitting runway-side, the Arrivals Lounge served as Ross’s home base during Fashion Week, where she met with fashion insiders from across the globe.

W Hotels has long been engaged in the world of fashion and was the first to link hotels with fashion when it launched the Backstage VIP Lounge at Bryant Park 13 seasons ago. In 2009, W for the first time had a presence at Paris Fashion Week in anticipation of the soon to open W Paris – Opera in early 2011. Over the years, W has collaborated with some of fashion’s most elite, including Michael Kors, Diane von Furstenberg, and Gwen Stefani. Last fall, W formed an exclusive partnership with renowned department store Barneys New York and its creative director Simon Doonan to create an exclusive window display at W New York – Union Square. W has also redefined traditional hotel retailing with the creation of W Hotels The Store, a trendsetting collection of boutique stores that sell designer apparel, jewelry, accessories, home and design items in W Hotels around the world and online. Recently, W Hotels The Store unveiled Global Glam, another industry first, that is inspired by the design of W’s newest hotels and retreats. The first Global Glam collection (Fall/Winter 2010) featured exclusive designs for W by Alex and Ani, Foley + Corrina, and Lauren Merkin, while the second Global Glam collection, debuting in stores April 2010, will feature pieces from Rebecca Minkoff, DANNIJO, Dolce Vita and Yumi Kim, among others.

About W Hotels Worldwide®

W Hotels is an innovative, contemporary, design-led lifestyle brand and the hotel category buster with 36 hotels and retreats in the most vibrant cities and exotic destinations around the world. Inspiring, iconic, innovative and influential, W Hotels provides the ultimate in insider access to a world of "Wow." Each hotel offers a unique mix of innovative design and passions around fashion, music and entertainment. W Hotels offers a holistic lifestyle experience that is integrated into the brand's sensibility through contemporary restaurant concepts, glamorous nightlife experiences, stylish retail concepts and signature spas. With more than 10 years of proven success, W Hotels is on track to more than double its footprint by 2011. W Hotels and W Retreats have been announced for Downtown New York, London, Paris, St. Petersburg, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Bali, Vieques Island, Koh Samui, and Verbier, among other international destinations. For more information, visit www.whotels.com.