NORWALK, Conn., Oct. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- HEI Hotels & Resorts, a rapidly growing hotel ownership and operating company, today announced that it has acquired the 255-room Westin St. Louis in Missouri, for an undisclosed amount from Cupples Station Hotel, L.P., a joint venture comprised of McCormack Baron Salazar and AIG/SunAmerica. The AAA Four-Diamond Award hotel will be managed by HEI.



This marks the 13th property acquired under the HEI Hospitality Fund II, L.P. The hotel, which opened in 2001, will undergo a $7 million enhancement program in stages over the next three years to ensure minimal guest disruption, while enhancing the overall guest experience. Key elements of the upgrade will include a complete lobby renovation, full soft goods replacement, installation of flat screen televisions in all of the guestrooms, and refurbishment of the meeting space.



....continued

Voted 'the number one Westin in the world' in a 2005 Starwood guest survey,

St. Louis is in the midst of a downtown renaissance and is one of the premier cities in the country," said Jin Lee, HEI's senior vice president of acquisitions and development.