I was told about a new Starwood property to open in Birmingham a couple of weeks ago by a Starwood employee, but haven't been able to find any information until today.
Looks like a new Westin is confirmed as part of a development in the Snow Hill area in central Birmingham. It is not due to open until 2010, but it is good news none the less for a new UK option outside of London.
Link to the article is
here