Practically all published models of β Cephei (β Cep) stars assume a spherical profile, despite the fact that many actual β Cep stars display high rotation velocities. As a result of the centrifugally altered profile of the surface of a rapidly rotating star, the surface area as well as the surface normal of an arbitrary element on the stellar surface will be modified. Numerical integration over the observed surface elements produces the observed luminosity and radial velocity of such a star. The effect of including the centrifugal distortion of a rotating model β Cep star on its observed characteristics was studied for inclination angles (i) of 0°, 22°.5, 45°, 67°.5 and 90° and equatorial rotation speeds of 0, 80, 160, 240, 320 and 400 km/s, for pulsation modes of order l = 0 to 4.