Iridium and Starwood Hotels Join Forces to Provide Added Value to Global Business Travelers
Business Wire - March 18, 1999 11:36
HANNOVER, GERMANY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 18,
1999--Iridium LLC (NASDAQ: IRID)and Starwood Hotels & Resorts
Worldwide, Inc. today announced a joint marketing agreement to enhance
communications needs of international business travelers, while providing
new benefits to their customers.
The agreement enables Iridium and Starwood to jointly promote each
other's products and services through sponsorships, promotions and
advertising. It will also support Iridium's overall marketing efforts as the
global consortium successfully launched the world's first satellite-based
personal communications system in late 1998. Starwood's hotel brands
include The Luxury Collection, W Hotels, Westin Hotels & Resorts,
Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, Four Points Hotels and Caesars.
"We are pleased to partner with Starwood Hotels & Resorts, a
recognized worldwide leader in the hospitality industry," said Edward F.
Staiano, Iridium's Vice Chairman and CEO. "Many of Starwood's valued
guests are business travelers who need to be able to communicate
anytime, anywhere."
Starwood is the first hospitality company that has agreed to offer Iridium
products to its customers. Members of Starwood's new frequent guest
program, Starwood Preferred Guest, will receive up to 5,000 Starpoints
for the purchase of Iridium products and services.
"It's exciting to be associated with a new global product like Iridium," said
Juergen Bartels, Starwood's CEO Hotel Group. "As Starwood continues
to expand around the world, our goal is to provide global travelers with all
the products and services they need to make their trips successful.
Agreements such as this one with Iridium ensure that we will provide our
customers with exceptional business services."
Iridium LLC became the world's first global satellite phone and paging
company on November 1, 1998. The network of 66-low earth orbiting
satellites, combined with terrestrial cellular systems, enables subscribers to
communicate virtually anywhere in the world using one phone and pager,
one phone number, and receiving one monthly bill. Customers access
participating local cellular networks when available, and the Iridium
satellite network when outside terrestrial cellular coverage. Iridium World
Communications, Ltd. (NASDAQ: IRID) is the public investment vehicle
of Iridium LLC.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc (NYSE : HOT), through its
Sheraton, Westin, St Regis/Luxury Collection, Four Points, W and
Caesars subsidiaries, has approximately 690 hotels in 71 countries with
some 230,000 rooms and 125,000 employees, and is one of the largest
hotel and gaming companies in the world.
(c) Iridium is a registered trademark and service mark of Iridium LLC
1999
CONTACT: Michelle Lyle
Director, Media Relations
202/408-3818
or
Iridium News Bureau
202/712-7741
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