Starwood 2008 Annual Report Download - page 13

Download and view the complete annual report

Please find page 13 of the 2008 Starwood annual report below. You can navigate through the pages in the report by either clicking on the pages listed below, or by using the keyword search tool below to find specific information within the annual report.

Page out of 178

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • 17
  • 18
  • 19
  • 20
  • 21
  • 22
  • 23
  • 24
  • 25
  • 26
  • 27
  • 28
  • 29
  • 30
  • 31
  • 32
  • 33
  • 34
  • 35
  • 36
  • 37
  • 38
  • 39
  • 40
  • 41
  • 42
  • 43
  • 44
  • 45
  • 46
  • 47
  • 48
  • 49
  • 50
  • 51
  • 52
  • 53
  • 54
  • 55
  • 56
  • 57
  • 58
  • 59
  • 60
  • 61
  • 62
  • 63
  • 64
  • 65
  • 66
  • 67
  • 68
  • 69
  • 70
  • 71
  • 72
  • 73
  • 74
  • 75
  • 76
  • 77
  • 78
  • 79
  • 80
  • 81
  • 82
  • 83
  • 84
  • 85
  • 86
  • 87
  • 88
  • 89
  • 90
  • 91
  • 92
  • 93
  • 94
  • 95
  • 96
  • 97
  • 98
  • 99
  • 100
  • 101
  • 102
  • 103
  • 104
  • 105
  • 106
  • 107
  • 108
  • 109
  • 110
  • 111
  • 112
  • 113
  • 114
  • 115
  • 116
  • 117
  • 118
  • 119
  • 120
  • 121
  • 122
  • 123
  • 124
  • 125
  • 126
  • 127
  • 128
  • 129
  • 130
  • 131
  • 132
  • 133
  • 134
  • 135
  • 136
  • 137
  • 138
  • 139
  • 140
  • 141
  • 142
  • 143
  • 144
  • 145
  • 146
  • 147
  • 148
  • 149
  • 150
  • 151
  • 152
  • 153
  • 154
  • 155
  • 156
  • 157
  • 158
  • 159
  • 160
  • 161
  • 162
  • 163
  • 164
  • 165
  • 166
  • 167
  • 168
  • 169
  • 170
  • 171
  • 172
  • 173
  • 174
  • 175
  • 176
  • 177
  • 178

STARWOOD HOTELS & RESORTS WORLDWIDE, INC.
1111 WESTCHESTER AVENUE
WHITE PLAINS, NY 10604
PROXY STATEMENT
FOR
ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
TO BE HELD May 6, 2009
THE ANNUAL MEETING AND VOTING — QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Why did I receive the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials or this Proxy Statement?
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., a Maryland corporation (the “Company” or “Starwood”), has
made these materials available to you on the Internet or, upon your request, has delivered printed versions of these
materials to you by mail, in connection with the solicitation of proxies by the Board of Directors (the “Board”) for
use at the Company’s 2009 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”), and at any postponement or
adjournment of the Annual Meeting. The Company is first making these materials available (and is mailing the
Notice of Meeting and Internet Availability of Proxy Materials) on or about March 26, 2009. This Notice contains
instructions on how to access the Company’s proxy statement and 2008 Annual Report to Shareholders and vote
online. By furnishing this Notice, the Company is lowering the costs and reducing the environmental impact of its
Annual Meeting.
The Company intends to start mailing a paper or electronic copy of its proxy statement and 2008 Annual
Report to those stockholders who have requested a paper or electronic copy on or about March 26, 2009.
When and where will the Annual Meeting be held?
The Annual Meeting will be held on May 6, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. (local time), at the St. Regis Washington, D.C.,
923 16th and K Streets, N.W., District of Columbia 20006. If you plan to attend the Annual Meeting and have a
disability or require special assistance, please contact the Company’s Investor Relations department at
(914) 640-8100.
What proposals will be voted on at the Annual Meeting?
At the Annual Meeting, the stockholders of the Company will consider and vote upon:
1. The election of eleven Directors to serve until the next Annual Meeting of Stockholders and until their
successors are duly elected and qualified.
2. The ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP (“Ernst & Young”) as the Company’s
independent registered public accounting firm for 2009.
3 Such other business as may properly come before the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.
The Board is not aware of any matter that will be presented at the Annual Meeting that is not described above.
If any other matter is presented at the Annual Meeting, the persons named as proxies on the enclosed proxy card
will, in the absence of stockholder instructions to the contrary, vote the shares for which such persons have voting
authority in accordance with their discretion on any such matter.
Why did I receive a one-page notice in the mail regarding the Internet availability of proxy materials
instead of a full set of proxy materials?
Pursuant to the rules adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, we are providing access to our
proxy materials over the Internet. Accordingly, we sent a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (the
“Notice”) to our stockholders of record and beneficial owners as of the Record Date. All stockholders will have the
1