"Energy is a significant expense, and we have chosen Enron to help us properly invest in equipment and programs that will ultimately reduce our energy costs," says Robert F. Cotter, the company's chief operating officer. "Starwood recently spent $1.8 billion to improve the front of our house with extensive renovations, new guestroom designs and stunning public areas. Today, as part of our agreement with Enron, we're investing $50 million to reduce energy consumption in our hotels, resulting in a huge cost savings and more environmentally friendly operations."

The agreement calls for Enron to supply or procure electricity and natural gas, manage energy infrastructure through the implementation of energy-related projects and provide energy price stability at the hotels. Enron, a producer of electricity and natural gas, posted revenues of $40 billion in 1999 and $30 billion during the first six months of this year.

"A decade ago, if we had tried to aggressively conserve energy in our hotels, it would have been very apparent to our guests, and not in a good way," says Glenn Tuckman, Starwood's senior vice president of operations. "Light bulbs would have taken a few seconds to turn on and would have appeared dim at first, the TV remote control would not have worked properly and the temperature in guest rooms would have been erratic."