Sheraton gets another $20 million in ad spend to promote its North American rebrand

Starwood’s pumping more and more money into Sheraton’s branding efforts.  This time, it’s a $20 million advertising campaign enticing consumers to “rediscover” the newly revamped Sheraton hotels.  You may recall that the brand has completed a $6 billion dollar makeover effort over the last several years which included new lobbies, new beds, new guestrooms, and new public computer stations in the lobby called the Link@Sheraton.  Well now Starwood is trying to get the word out there.

I’m currently in Kuala Lumpur and had a meeting at the Sheraton Imperial.  The property looks fantastic, but as do most Sheratons in Asia.  In fact, this Sheraton is even part of the Luxury Collection portfolio.  It goes without saying then that the $20 million advertising push is primarily to support the revamped image of Sheratons in North America, where the properties were an embarrasment to the brand (at least three years ago before the multi billion rebranding).

The two newest Sheraton flagship properties in North America are the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown and the Sheraton Puerto Rico.

There was an ad in USA Today that illustrated two businessmen at a table and a couple lounging next to a pool.  The tagline?  ”Who brings business suits and bathing suits together?”  Other taglines on other media including NYTimes.com, CNN.com, and TripAdvisor.com ask, “Who brings power walks and power talks together?” as well as “Who brings bottom lines and bottom ups together?”

“Customers are looking for balance from their travel experience,” said Phil McAveety, Chief Brand Officer.  ”With this campaign, we looked to capture the merging of business and pleasure in our communications.”

Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur - sorry for the generic photo, didn't bring my camera cable on this trip!

Source: Brandweek

No (good) Starwood on the Vegas Strip. Oh well

Yikes, the Planet Hollywood is no longer with Starwood these days.  I haven’t really been keeping up with my news lately because of work travel, but I caught a blog post on the property’s departure from the Starwood family.

“The Planet Hollywood Hotel & Casino, A Sheraton Resort will be leaving the Starwood system on January 15, 2010. Reservations for dates on or after January 15, 2010, will not be eligible for Starwood Preferred Guest membership benefits, award redemption or accrual.”  – SPG

Sure enough, I did a quick search on the SPG.com site and Planet Hollywood didn’t pop up.  There were only two results: The Westin Casuarina and the Element in Summerlin.  I’ve stayed at the Westin Casuarina on three separate occasions and even got a treatment in their Hibiscus Spa.  I have to admit that the hotel is one of the worst Westins I’ve ever visited, and definitely not worth the rates they charge.  The Element seems cool to me since I’ve never stayed at one, but I’m not going to sin city to hang out in the suburbs no matter how cool the hotel is.  Sadly, Vegas is no longer a city where I will stay Starwood.  Time to try the new City Center hotels!

Amendments to Starwood’s lawsuit against Hilton. Did Hilton’s CEO know?

There’s been widespread coverage about Starwood’s recent amendment to its lawsuit against Hilton.  Just to recap, the original lawsuit had Starwood accusing Hilton and two former executives of stealing trade secrets to expedite Hilton’s entry into the lifestyle hotel segment with its own new brand, Denizen Hotels.

Now Starwood is saying that Hilton’s CEO, Chris Nassetta, was aware of the alleged espionage actions of Starwood’s former executives.  Also in the amendment to its complaint, Starwood claims that Hilton’s head of global development, Steven Goldman, also knew of the theft.  ”Nassetta and Goldman induced both Klein and Lalvani to breach their contractual and fiduciary obligations to Starwood,” it said.

I actually met Steven Goldman during a seminar at Cornell on leadership.  His advice to our class on how to climb the corporate ladder was to be as “like-able” as possible.  Let’s see how that strategy works for him if he gets involved in this lawsuit now.

Read it all here if you don’t have anything better to do this week.  Otherwise, PhoCusWright has a great article highlighting all the must-knows.  I recommend reading the latter.

Starwood on the recruiting hunt for 12,000 new worldwide positions!

After a spell of layoffs and hiring freezes that began in 2008, Starwood just announced the other day plans to add roughly 12,000 new jobs to its global workforce in 2010.  There’s going to be about a 50/50 split between domestic and international positions.

My classmates at Cornell are probably jumping with joy at the sound of this news.  The vast majority of the new jobs are going to be more operationally focused in the 80-100 new hotels that Starwood is expected to open around the world this year alone.  I’m curious how much hiring will be done at the corporate offices in US, Europe, and Asia, but my guess is only a small percent of the 12,000 figure.

“Today, the travel industry employs 7.7 million Americans – more than double that of the auto industry – and travel is uniquely positioned to create even more jobs as the economy continues to recover,” said Frits van Paasschen, President and CEO of Starwood.  ”After a year of hunkering down and cutting costs, companies are driving their topline again.  By definition this means getting back on the road, which not only benefits their own business, but also helps spur job creation.”

Check out www.starwood.jobs if you’re interested in viewing posted opportunities with Starwood.  To get a better idea of the hotels in the pipeline, visit this webpage to get a preview of new hotels that are going to need some new people soon!

Starwood’s SPG Q1 promo for the new year. Just so-so.

Well it’s a new year and time for a new Starwood SPG promotion to help you rack up those Starpoints in 2010.  This time it’s called “More Nights = More Rewards” and promises double, triple, or quadruple Starpoints based on the number of nights you stay at a participating property between January 5 and April 15, 2010.  Look at the picture to the right.  You’ll notice that one or two night stays get you double Starpoints.  Three night stays nab you triple Starpoints, and four night or longer stays bank quadruple Starpoints.

The bonus points are awarded for EACH night’s stay.  For example, if you have a four night stay you are then entitled to quadruple Starpoints for each of the nights in your stay, not just the fourth night.

In honesty, I think this SPG promotion delivers some relatively weak sauce.  You’ve got to be a pretty hefty spender or a consecutive-night frequent traveler to hit the quadruple bonus Starpoints and really maximize this promotion.  If you’re like me, double Starpoints is the best you’ll get in this promo, and that’s just peanuts.

But it doesn’t hurt to register and get some bonus Starpoints in case you end up staying Starwood between January 5 and April 15, 2010.  Put your mouse clicker right here: http://www.spgpromos.com/morerewards/index.cfm?EM=Q110_CS

Happy 2010!  I celebrated the ball drop in Los Angeles and stayed at the Sheraton Downtown LA.  It was a bit of a zoo, but what do you expect for new year’s eve?  Wishing you all a healthy, fun, and prosperous 2010.  :-)

Sheraton Downtown LA Lobby

Starwood eliminates peak season SPG award redemptions for 2010. Happy New Year!

If you’re like me, you’d much rather redeem your SPG Starpoints at an upper tier property than at some airport hotel.  The two experiences just can’t be compared.  If that’s the case, then there’s great news for you!

Starwood Preferred Guest has once again eliminated peak season award redemptions in 2010, much like it had done in 2009!  That means for category 5, 6, and 7 properties you will only need to redeem the off-peak points for stays at any time during the year.  For example, in the chart to the right, you’ll notice that category 5 hotels can range from 12,000-16,000 Starpoints per night depending on season.  Well in 2010 all you have to worry about is using 12,000 Starpoints.

This is a move by Starwood’s SPG program to maintain the program’s value to its loyal travelers.  To some level, I see this as a slap in the face to Hilton, which just recently devalued its loyalty points by 20% or more.  I wouldn’t be surprised if some switching takes place in 2010!

Many SPG members received communications from Frits van Paasschen (CEO) announcing, “We’ll continue to stay focused on what matters to you in 2010.  In fact, we’re pleased to announce that peak season Starpoints pricing will be eliminated again for next year.”

As a side note, there are three hotels in Italy that still require peak redemption: Cala Di Volpe, Hotel Pitrizza, and Hotel Romazzino.  They are part of Starwood’s Luxury Collection and my guess is they are the cream of the crop.  All the more reason why I would want to experience these hotels at some time in my life!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!  I will be in LA staying at the Sheraton Downtown.  Normally I stay at the Westin Bonaventure but figured I’d give the Sheraton a shot this time around.  See you in 2010!

Hotel Romazzino, Costa Smeralda

Ring in 2010 and party around the world at the Westin St. Francis

If I weren’t already going to Los Angeles for New Year’s Eve, I would probably check out the New Year’s Eve party at the Westin St. Francis in San Francisco.  It’s called Passport to the World, an upscale A-list party that transforms the meeting rooms at the hotel into various continents/regions around the world.  Asia, South America, Antarctica, and Europe are just a few on the master list.

Here’s an official description . . .

This glitzy, landmark event truly embodies what this great city of San Francisco has to offer!  Come experience for yourself the exciting and diverse mix of music, fashion, art, culture, sophistication, and charitable causes as we take you into 2010 in style at the largest and most amazing event in town.

Just reading off the flyer, it looks like there’s going to be 15 DJs, 40+ bars, a fashion show and live band, and live art.  Wait, what the hell is live art?

If you’re interested in ringing in the new year at Passport to the World at the Westin St. Francis, get your tickets right here: http://alistsf.com

But don’t drink and drive!  Get yourself a party room/suite at the hotel instead.  I hear there’s special rates for party-goers of $229 (regularly $399) if you ask for the special ALIST room rate when calling the Westin St. Francis.

Happy Starwood Holidays!

Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas!  I hope everyone’s holidays are full of good cheer and festivities.   I’ll be at Lake Tahoe carvin up slopes and trying not to eat it after not snowboarding for a couple years.

A friend of mine who works at Starwood sent me a corporate holiday e-card. A bit cheesy, but thoughtful nonetheless.   I’m going to pay it forward and pass it along to you all . . .

The Andaman Langkawi joins Starwood’s Luxury Collection

About a month ago, I was doing a distribution channel analysis for class on The Andaman, a stunning resort in Langkawi, Malaysia that offers both beach and rainforest proximity.  I just found out that this property has joined Starwood’s Luxury Collection portfolio of hotels and will certainly receive a nice boost in distribution breadth.

Starwood already has a Westin and a Sheraton in other areas on Langkawi island, but The Andaman will offer a product that’s a bit more ritzy and indigenous to the local area.  This makes it especially fitting for a Luxury Collection, which prides itself on offering some of the world’s most unique properties with an emphasis on history and heritage.  The resort hotel will have 186 rooms and suites that are surrounded by the clear waters of Datai Bay and a historic rainforest.

For you SPG folks, The Andaman will be a category 4 (requires 10,000 Starpoints per night).  In case you’re not so familiar with Langkawi and where the heck it is, here’s a Google map.

The addition of The Andaman is so recent that it’s not even on Starwood’s Luxury Collection list of new additions.  Check out what else is coming down the line here.

Source: Hospitality Biz

Sheraton Centre Toronto greening up Ontario’s sidewalks

 

I made a quick weekend jaunt to Toronto from Ithaca, NY to take advantage of my last few days here in the bitter cold that is Northeast USA.  As a first timer tourist to this Canadian city, I decided to stay at the Sheraton Centre Toronto.  This is a gynormous 1,000+ room monstrosity situated perfectly in downtown Toronto with convenient access to just about everything.

Equipped with my two coats, gloves, ear muffs, and hand warmers, I braved the bitter cold and meandered around downtown.  All of a sudden I came across a public waste/recycle bin on the sidewalk that double as an advertisement for the Sheraton (see image to the right).  I thought it was a clever way to raise awareness that the hotel is environmentally friendly. 

Since people actually “use” this advertisement to recycle their trash, it just seemed more impactful to me than a billboard advertisement with no functional use.Back at the hotel, the Sheraton Centre Toronto also offered $5 credit on food and beverage or 500 bonus Starpoints if you decline housekeeping service for a night.  They give you hangers to place outside your door if you choose this option, and I actually noticed several guestrooms taking advantage of this program, which started as a pilot program in Hawaii back in 2007.

While I didn’t take any pictures of the green aspects of the hotel, I did take some great shots from the club lounge and the seasonally festive lobby.  Take a look!

Sheraton Centre Toronto - view from the Club Lounge

Sheraton Centre Toronto - Club Lounge

Sheraton Centre Toronto - Lobby