Starwood Hotels & Resorts Concludes Month ... - Franchising.com

During Five-Week Relocation, Starwood's Leaders Visited 19 Cities in 12 Countries Covering 38,000 Miles from World's Most Vibrant Travel Hub

DUBAI - (BUSINESS WIRE) - Apr. 4, 2013 - Marking the conclusion of Starwood's month-long relocation to Dubai, Frits van Paasschen, President & CEO of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT), today shared highlights and insights from the company's immersion in the Middle East.

Throughout the month of March, van Paasschen and members of Starwood's Senior Leadership Team met with 3,000 associates, conducted nearly 50 owner meetings and visited all 14 Starwood hotels in Dubai, which is the company's second largest hotel market behind only New York City. The team also took advantage of Dubai's strategic location to travel to 19 cities across 12 countries, meeting with government officials and potential development partners in fast-growing markets, including Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Mauritius, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and India. During the five-week relocation, the team travelled 61,000 kilometres (38,000 miles) - the equivalent of circling the globe one and half times.

Over the course of the month, more than 200 of Starwood's senior leaders and General Managers travelled to Dubai as the company ran day-to-day operations almost 7,000 miles and an eight-hour time zone difference away from the company's global headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut.

During the relocation, Starwood executives also met with more than 150 corporate and leisure customers who drive business to hotels globally. The Middle East is an increasingly important outbound travel market, and regional membership in Starwood Preferred Guest, the company's loyalty program, has increased 140% over the last five years.

"It is hard to overstate the potential for our business in this region of the world. By bringing our executives here and spending time with our partners and local teams, we are uniquely positioned to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime growth opportunity," said van Paasschen. "I have no doubt that our time spent here will drive future hotel contracts in the region, accelerate Starwood's position as the most global high-end hotel company and further define our culture."

Last month Starwood announced that it will increase its Middle East and Africa (MEA) portfolio by more than 60 percent with nearly 50 new hotels set to open over the next five years, adding more than 14,000 guest rooms to the region and creating thousands of local employment opportunities. With 82 operating hotels and over 20 hotels expected to open by the end of 2015, Starwood is on track to reach a milestone 100 hotels across MEA.

"With 80 percent of Starwood's pipeline coming from rapidly growing markets, it's important for us to remain at the forefront of new travel demands and changing travel patterns," said Simon Turner, President of Global Development, Starwood Hotels & Resorts. "The Middle East is experiencing rapid economic growth, a growing middle class and ever greater global connectivity, and the Dubai relocation will help us expand all of our brands across this important region."

The company also announced a comprehensive renovation strategy for its Le M?ridien brand, for which Starwood and its ownership groups will invest more than $200 million in the renovations of 13 hotels and resorts in the MEA region over the next 3 years.

Following the company's successful relocation to China in June 2011, this second leadership move reflects Starwood's innovative management approach to cultivating a more global culture by understanding, appreciating and leveraging different societal and associate perspectives and approaches to business and hospitality.

Images and updates from the month's journey are available via Tumblr and Instagram at: http://starwoodhotels.tumblr.com/ and http://instagram.com/starwoodbuzz.

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 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 M?ridien?, 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.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20130404005351/en/

Source: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.

Media Contacts:

Starwood Hotels & Resorts

Stacy Trevino
203-964-4661
stacy.trevino@starwoodhotels.com

Carrie Bloom
203-964-5755
carrie.bloom@starwoodhotels.com

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'Finding Dory' Proves 'Everything Is Possible,' Ellen DeGeneres Says

After spending the past decade begging on national television for a 'Finding Nemo' sequel, the comedian confirmed plans on Tuesday.
By Kevin P. Sullivan

Nemo and Dora in "Finding Nemo"
Photo: Disney/Pixar

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1704879/finding-dory-movie.jhtml

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Obama, in Colorado, to press for gun measures

WASHINGTON (AP) ? In danger of losing congressional momentum, President Barack Obama is drawing attention to Colorado's newly passed gun control laws as he applies public pressure on Congress to pass similar federal measures.

Obama was visiting Denver Wednesday, stepping up his call for universal background checks for gun buyers as well as his demands for Congress to at least vote on an assault weapons ban and limits on large-capacity ammunition magazines.

The trip is heavy with political symbolism. Colorado expanded background checks and placed restrictions on magazines despite being a state with a deep-rooted hunting tradition, where gun ownership is a cherished right. Moreover, Obama will meet with law enforcement officials and community leaders at the Denver Police Academy, not far from the Aurora suburb where a gunman last summer killed 12 people in a movie theater. The president's trip is occurring in the same week that prosecutors announced they would seek the death penalty for James Holmes, accused of carrying out the Aurora rampage.

With Congress due to return to Washington after a two-week Easter break, Obama has been scheduling high-profile events on gun legislation to push lawmakers and sustain a drive for some kind of action aimed at curbing gun violence more than three months after the massacre at a Newtown, Conn., elementary school.

Last week Obama called for legislation while flanked by 21 mothers who lost children to gun violence. "I haven't forgotten those kids," he declared then.

On Monday, just before the planned start of the Senate's debate on gun legislation, Obama is scheduled to go to Hartford, Conn., where state lawmakers have announced a bipartisan agreement on gun legislation in response to the shootings at Newtown's Sandy Hook Elementary School, which took the lives of 20 first-graders and six adult staff.

"If it were simple to pass measures through Congress that are very common sense but would reduce gun violence in America, those measures would have passed already," White House spokesman Jay Carney said Tuesday. "And the president has always recognized that this is something that would be a challenge."

In selecting Colorado, Obama is showcasing a state with a long centrist tradition that prizes its Western frontier heritage. But an influx of young coastal transplants and growing Hispanic voter clout have helped Democrats win a string of victories in the state. Even before the Sandy Hook massacre energized gun control proponents, Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper said he was open to new gun control measures in the state.

Colorado Republicans fought the new legislation, contending that Democrats overreached and will be punished by the voters in November. Several county sheriffs have vowed not to enforce the new gun restrictions. Democrats contend that the measures are generally popular, especially among the suburban women who decide Colorado elections.

Obama's trip comes a day after a study commissioned by the National Rifle Association, which has opposed Obama's gun control measures, recommended that schools have trained, armed staffers to increase security for students. The American Federation of Teachers denounced the proposal.

With just days left before the Senate begins its debate, there were signs that sweeping congressional efforts to address gun violence have flagged.

A proposed ban on assault weapons has little hope of passage and the prospects for barring large-capacity magazines also seem difficult. Key senators have been unable to reach a bipartisan compromise that would require federal background checks for gun transactions between private individuals. Federal background checks currently apply only to sales handled by licensed gun dealers.

Carney said administration officials were looking for middle ground.

"We are working with lawmakers of both parties, and trying to achieve a compromise that can make this happen. Especially when it comes to the background checks," Carney told reporters. But he reiterated Obama's insistence that other measures get a vote.

Besides his stop in Denver, Obama will travel to San Francisco to attend fundraisers Wednesday and Thursday for Democratic Party organizations.

___

Associated Press writers Nicholas Riccardi in Denver and Alan Fram in Washington contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-colorado-press-gun-measures-070710751--politics.html

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Anonymous threatens cyberwar on North Korea, steals 15,000 passwords

By Sam Forgione and Jennifer Ablan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bill Gross, manager of the world's largest bond fund, said on Wednesday that the Federal Reserve's aggressive monetary policies may have changed the landscape so greatly that investors like himself and Warren Buffett may face radically new challenges in trying to maintain their track records. Gross, who oversees the $288 billion PIMCO Total Return Fund and is co-chief investment officer of its parent company, Pacific Investment Management Co. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/anonymous-threatens-cyberwar-north-korea-steals-15-000-035903339.html

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Opening statements begin in Las Vegas Sands trial

LAS VEGAS (AP) ? Lawyers begin opening statements Wednesday in the dispute between Las Vegas Sands and a Hong Kong businessman who once consulted for the casino giant.

Attorneys for Richard Suen say Sands owes him $328 million for his help winning a gambling license in the Chinese enclave of Macau.

Sands attorneys say Suen is owed nothing. The casino argues that officials in Macau, not Beijing, decide which companies to license.

Casino mogul Sheldon Adelson is expected to testify Thursday.

It's the second time this fight has played out in a Clark County court. A jury decided in Suen's favor in 2008, but the Nevada Supreme Court overturned the verdict in 2010. Among other things, the Supreme Court said the district judge shouldn't have allowed hearsay statements during the trial.

Suen filed the lawsuit in 2004 after failing to reach a compensation agreement with Sands.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-04-03-Las%20Vegas%20Sands-Lawsuit/id-2d4226619cf94e7daec1b6b3300bf1aa

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April 2013 story tips

Public release date: 2-Apr-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Ron Walli
wallira@ornl.gov
865-576-0226
DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory

ANALYTICS Device has ORNL pedigree . . .

With the introduction of Prosolia's flowprobe, researchers have an instrument that could accelerate drug discovery, aid in cancer research and improve the way scientists perform hundreds of tests. The flowprobe system, which is based on a technique invented by Gary Van Berkel of ORNL's Chemical Sciences Division, allows for efficient, automated direct sampling of surfaces while mapping the location of each chemical. Indianapolis-based Prosolia expects flowprobe to be especially useful for researchers doing clinical research or pathogen characterization. The company expects the product to be available in May. [Contact: Ron Walli, (865) 576-0226; wallira@ornl.gov]

CLIMATE Going small with big computers . . .

ORNL's supercomputers are allowing climate scientists to zoom in on smaller and smaller areas to try to determine whether local and regional droughts influence climate extremes on a larger scale. What is the probability of a drought developing in the Southwest this decade? Ultra-high-resolution climate models may improve our ability to provide informed projections. In the highest-resolution model, grid cells are a mere one-quarter of a degree (23 miles) wide. "Data at this scale is only accessible with leadership computing resources," says ORNL mathematician Rick Archibald, one of nine ORNL researchers collaborating with scientists at Lawrence Berkeley, Lawrence Livermore and Los Alamos national laboratories on the Ultra-high-resolution Global Climate Simulation project. [Contact: Dawn Levy, (865) 241-4630; levyd@ornl.gov]

TRANSPORTATION Highway to green . . .

Aggressive government policies, technological advances and increased use of alternative fuels will be needed to reduce petroleum consumption by 80 percent by 2050, according to a National Research Council report. "If technology advances and the transition is achieved, the total benefits to society are likely to be many times the extra costs of the transition," said Oak Ridge National Laboratory's David Greene, who contributed to the report. He and colleague Changzheng Liu noted that the benefits include not only reduced greenhouse gas emissions and petroleum independence, but also energy savings and increased consumer satisfaction with advanced technology vehicles, resulting in increased sales of cars. The 186-page report is available at http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=18264. [Contact: Ron Walli, (865) 576-0226; wallira@ornl.gov]

ENERGY Extending reactor life . . .

Recent technical enhancements at Oak Ridge National Laboratory's High Flux Isotope Reactor are providing researchers with a more comprehensive suite of characterization tools that could help extend the lives of U.S. light-water reactors. With these new capabilities, scientists can discern microstructural stresses in vessel steels from the microscale millionths of a meter to the nanoscale billionths of a meter. This work is especially significant because nuclear reactors supply about 20 percent of the nation's electricity, and recent budget constraints have made extending their lives a key component of the federal government's energy policy. [Contact: Agatha Bardoel, (865) 574-0644; bardoelaa@ornl.gov]

ENVIRONMENT -- Seeing through soil . . .

Recent droughts have drawn attention to the importance of water availability and management in agriculture and forestry, yet how plants absorb and distribute water is not well understood by scientists. ORNL researchers are working on ways to study how plants take up and move water through their roots, which has been difficult to do because roots are underground. The research team recently used a nondestructive technique called neutron imaging at ORNL's High Flux Isotope Reactor to track and measure water flux in live plant samples. "We can see the roots hydrate and watch how water moves within the roots under different environmental driving forces," said ORNL's Jeff Warren. "We've never been able to visualize this process." Data from the experiments will be used to improve root representation in climate models that could help farmers and foresters adapt to changing environmental conditions. The team's research is published in Plant and Soil. [Contact: Morgan McCorkle, (865) 574-7308; mccorkleml@ornl.gov]

###

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[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 2-Apr-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Ron Walli
wallira@ornl.gov
865-576-0226
DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory

ANALYTICS Device has ORNL pedigree . . .

With the introduction of Prosolia's flowprobe, researchers have an instrument that could accelerate drug discovery, aid in cancer research and improve the way scientists perform hundreds of tests. The flowprobe system, which is based on a technique invented by Gary Van Berkel of ORNL's Chemical Sciences Division, allows for efficient, automated direct sampling of surfaces while mapping the location of each chemical. Indianapolis-based Prosolia expects flowprobe to be especially useful for researchers doing clinical research or pathogen characterization. The company expects the product to be available in May. [Contact: Ron Walli, (865) 576-0226; wallira@ornl.gov]

CLIMATE Going small with big computers . . .

ORNL's supercomputers are allowing climate scientists to zoom in on smaller and smaller areas to try to determine whether local and regional droughts influence climate extremes on a larger scale. What is the probability of a drought developing in the Southwest this decade? Ultra-high-resolution climate models may improve our ability to provide informed projections. In the highest-resolution model, grid cells are a mere one-quarter of a degree (23 miles) wide. "Data at this scale is only accessible with leadership computing resources," says ORNL mathematician Rick Archibald, one of nine ORNL researchers collaborating with scientists at Lawrence Berkeley, Lawrence Livermore and Los Alamos national laboratories on the Ultra-high-resolution Global Climate Simulation project. [Contact: Dawn Levy, (865) 241-4630; levyd@ornl.gov]

TRANSPORTATION Highway to green . . .

Aggressive government policies, technological advances and increased use of alternative fuels will be needed to reduce petroleum consumption by 80 percent by 2050, according to a National Research Council report. "If technology advances and the transition is achieved, the total benefits to society are likely to be many times the extra costs of the transition," said Oak Ridge National Laboratory's David Greene, who contributed to the report. He and colleague Changzheng Liu noted that the benefits include not only reduced greenhouse gas emissions and petroleum independence, but also energy savings and increased consumer satisfaction with advanced technology vehicles, resulting in increased sales of cars. The 186-page report is available at http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=18264. [Contact: Ron Walli, (865) 576-0226; wallira@ornl.gov]

ENERGY Extending reactor life . . .

Recent technical enhancements at Oak Ridge National Laboratory's High Flux Isotope Reactor are providing researchers with a more comprehensive suite of characterization tools that could help extend the lives of U.S. light-water reactors. With these new capabilities, scientists can discern microstructural stresses in vessel steels from the microscale millionths of a meter to the nanoscale billionths of a meter. This work is especially significant because nuclear reactors supply about 20 percent of the nation's electricity, and recent budget constraints have made extending their lives a key component of the federal government's energy policy. [Contact: Agatha Bardoel, (865) 574-0644; bardoelaa@ornl.gov]

ENVIRONMENT -- Seeing through soil . . .

Recent droughts have drawn attention to the importance of water availability and management in agriculture and forestry, yet how plants absorb and distribute water is not well understood by scientists. ORNL researchers are working on ways to study how plants take up and move water through their roots, which has been difficult to do because roots are underground. The research team recently used a nondestructive technique called neutron imaging at ORNL's High Flux Isotope Reactor to track and measure water flux in live plant samples. "We can see the roots hydrate and watch how water moves within the roots under different environmental driving forces," said ORNL's Jeff Warren. "We've never been able to visualize this process." Data from the experiments will be used to improve root representation in climate models that could help farmers and foresters adapt to changing environmental conditions. The team's research is published in Plant and Soil. [Contact: Morgan McCorkle, (865) 574-7308; mccorkleml@ornl.gov]

###

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/drnl-a2s040213.php

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Coronary heart disease increases with body mass index, as well as with age: study

Apr. 2, 2013 ? Coronary heart disease (CHD) increases with body mass index (BMI), as well as with age, finds an article published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Medicine. The research from the Million Women Study indicates that increased weight increases risk of CHD equivalent to that caused by getting older.

Researchers from the University of Oxford followed the health of 1.2 million women from England and Scotland for (on average) almost a decade. Analysis of the data showed that the occurrence of CHD increases with BMI so that every 5 unit increase in BMI, calculated as weight/height2, increases incidence by 23%, which is equivalent to the risk conferred by getting older by 2.5 years.

The results showed that one in eleven lean middle aged women (with an average BMI of 21) will be admitted to hospital or will have died from CHD between the ages of 55 to 74. This risk progressively increases with BMI, and it reaches one in six, for obese women (with an average BMI of 34).

Dr Dexter Canoy, who led this study explained, "The risk of developing CHD increases even with small incremental increases in BMI, and this is seen not only in the heaviest but also in women who are not usually considered obese. Small changes in BMI, together with leading a healthy lifestyle by not smoking, avoiding excess alcohol consumption, and being physically active could potentially prevent the occurrence of CHD for a large number of people in the population.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by BioMed Central Limited, via AlphaGalileo.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Dexter Canoy, Benjamin J Cairns, Angela Balkwill, F. Lucy Wright, Jane Green, Gillian Reeves, Valerie Beral, Million Women Study Collaborators. Body mass index and incident coronary heart disease in women: a population-based prospective study. BMC Medicine, 2013; 11 (1): 87 DOI: 10.1186/1741-7015-11-87

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/g2t_B_s_qBg/130402091303.htm

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