It’s official. China’s first W is up and running with some more W Hotels to come

 

W Hong Kong

There are two other W’s in Asia at the moment (Maldives and Seoul), but the grand opening of the W Hong Kong this past week is a landmark penetration of W Hotels into the blossoming Chinese market.  There’s been a lot of excitement around this hotel since its soft opening back in August.  The W Hong Kong houses Asia’s first Bliss Spa, boasts the city’s most highly elevated hotel swimming pool, offers a 73rd-floor panoramic fitness facility, and introduces the world-renown W living room experience to China.  These pictures from the soft opening several months ago hardly portray the hotel accurately.

The design and appointments in the W Hong Kong are sure to inject some character and flair into the mundane, old-school, antiquated luxury that has long been the norm in high-end Hong Kong hotels.  As the Chinese become more expressive in their creativity and fine arts, it’s great that this W is recognizing this cultural shift and mirroring some of it throughout the hotel.  

Take a look below . . . what other hotel in Hong Kong places such a visible emphasis on modern design concepts and art?

W Hong Kong - Meeting Space

W Hong Kong - Highest Pool in HK

W Hong Kong - Kitchen

W Hong Kong - Fantastic Suite

W Hong Kong - Extreme WOW Suite

Like the rest of the competition, W Hotels certainly has its eyes set on the Asian hotel market.  At this time, the following W Hotels should have broken ground and be taking reservations by 2011:

• W Shanghai – Pudong
• W Shanghai – The Bund
• W Guangzhou
• W Macao
• W Yokohama
• W Bangkok
• W Bali
• W Koh Samui

What are guests saying about the Element Lexington?

Element Lexington on TripAdvisor

Over the past year or two, there has been a lot of hype revolving around Starwood’s newest brand – Element Hotels. As you may know, the Element brand takes great pride in being arguably the greenest hotel brand in the world.

It’s easy to get caught up in the marketing sound bytes around LEED certification, Energy Star appliances, and a slew of other eco-friendly features that risk greenwashing. At the end of the day, a hotel is a hotel and its guests need to feel like they’re sleeping in one and not a botanical garden or a nature preserve. However, having the right (and effective) environmentally friendly initiatives can be a major differentiator in today’s competitive market. Is it possible to pull off both superior energy conservation practices AND a high degree of guest satisfaction?

Let’s take a look at the Element Hotel in Lexington, MA, which opened its doors on July 1, 2008. This was the first hotel to carry the Element brand name on its facade, and it’s currently the flagship Element in the world. It’s been open for four months now, so it’s about time to see what people are saying.

According to TripAdvisor, the Element Lexington is the #1 hotel in Lexington. Okay, okay . . . I know what’s you’re thinking . . . there are only three hotels in the rankings (the second place finisher is the Aloft Lexington). Nonetheless, the 16 guest reviews on the site to date chime loud and clear with positive reviews. Included in these reviews are phrases like, “a stay like home” – “didn’t want to leave” – “the perfect hotel” – “I booked four weekends upon my departure”

Element Lexington kitchen

Element Lexington bathroom

On a related note, Starwood just signed a deal with Philips to replace existing LCD TVs in its hotels with energy efficient TV monitors across all of North America.

Source: TripAdvisor

Philips ‘Green’ TV makes its way into Starwood Hotels

 

LCD TV at Element Hotels

If you’ve ever stood near the flat-screen television at your home, you’ve probably felt a good amount of heat radiating from the set.  Despite the svelte design of flat-screens relative to older tube television sets, they still consume a significant amount of energy.  Looking at the big picture, now think about how much energy is used when you consider all the flat-screen televisions in use at hotels around the world (of which so many are left powered on as you check into your room).  

As part of the greening evolution in the hotel industry, Starwood has signed a three-year partnership with Philips to put energy efficient television sets into all its North American hotels.  The deal involves the procurement of Philips SmartPower2 flat-screen televisions and is valued at $100 million and is projected to save an estimated $12 million on annual energy costs.  These 80,000 televisions will be installed immediately and are expected to cut electricity usage by up to 40%.

Philips PowerSmart2 LCD TV

You can bet that these ‘Green’ TVs will also be placed in all Element hotels, Starwood’s newest and greenest brand that announced all its hotels will be required to pursue the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED certification.

“This is a defining agreement for us, and is indicative of the fundamental change in mindset we have implemented around procurement and sourcing,” said Paul David, Senior VP of Global Sourcing at Starwood.  ”Philips has shown us that it is easy to simultaneously provide our guests with the very latest technology while making a sound business decision that signifiactly impacts costs and reduces energy consumption.”

Philips is also selling these television to the general public as its ‘EcoTV‘ line of LCD sets which recently won a best of show award at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show.  

 

Source: The Green Meeting

Call to action against Proposition 8 in California – VOTE NO ON 8!

 W ad as seen in Out Traveler magazine        

Many hotel chains have joined the fight for gay rights and equality, but none have stepped up to the plate quite like W Hotels.  In the four years that Out Traveler magazine has published its Readers’ Choice Awards, no company has dethroned W Hotels as the best gay-friendly hotel chain.  Since its first marketing campaigns directed at the gay community surfaced in 2003, W Hotels has launched a same-sex marriage campaign as part of its Wow Vows weddings and offers a Pride 365 package tailored to its gay and gay-friendly clientele.  The brand’s print ads are frequently found in gay-related travel magazines, and there was even a W Hotels sponsored float at this year’s New York Gay Pride Parade.  Five years later in 2008, W Hotels has continued to be a mainstream advocate and supporter of the GLBT community.  The openly gay President of W Hotels, Ross Klein, puts it best when he said in a recent Advocate interview, “If there is a trophy or reward for [being the gayest mainstream hotel brand ever], we are happy to accept it.”

Similarly, a handful of states have come a long way in welcoming the gay community and now offer marriage rights to same-sex couples.  On May 15, 2008 California’s Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples have the right to marriage under the California Constitution.  Unfortunately, an initiative has been introduced to change the Constitution so that same-sex couples would no longer have this human right, and that it would be reserved for only unions between a man and a woman.  My friends, this is Proposition 8, and it is a shameful regression to the generations when equal human rights were neglected for many of today’s protected groups.  

You see, all minority groups have at some time or another faced great impediments to equal human rights, and these days it’s gay people who are on the battleground trying to defend their right to marry a loved one (who just so happens to be of the same sex).  What I have immense difficulty understanding is how many of America’s most prominent minority groups, who have faced daunting battles for equal rights in the past, could be so quick to support the elimination of equal rights for another minority group today.

I recently saw a group of middle-aged women with signs protesting gay rights.  I wanted to ask these women if they could imagine living in American society prior to 1920 and how they would feel if they were deprived of their right to vote.  How would they feel if they saw a group of middle-aged men holding signs protesting womens’ rights?  And for the African-American woman I saw within this group of protesting women, had she forgotten that just a few generations back her people had virtually no equal human rights in American society?  

While W hotels has not taken an official stance on Proposition 8, the brand has been a highly visible proponent of gay rights in American pop culture since 2003, contributing to the overall evolution of gay acceptance and equality in American society. I applaud W Hotels for being an active supporter of the gay community, as well as Starwood for being a major corporate contributor to the Human Rights Campaign organization.

California’s Proposition 8 seeks to destroy some of this forward-moving progress made in the struggle for gay rights.  Between now and election day on November 4, those in California should please remember to vote NO on Proposition 8 for the sake of equal human rights for all. 

 

The St. Regis Monarch Beach placed this ad in Passport Magazine

Condé Nast 2008 Readers’ Choice Awards Part Deux – Top Resorts

  

Assawan Spa at Burj Al Arab – Dubai

Starwood did pretty well in the 2008 Condé Nast Readers’ Choice Awards for top overall hotels in the world.  Well what about the luxurious resorts with white sand beaches, the lush rainforests, or the mountainous backdrops?  We all know that resort hotels are a completely different animal, and Condé Nast’s readers have spoken on which of these resorts get to claim top honors around the world.  

Interestingly, 2008 marked the first year Middle East hotels and resorts received their on regional category on the list.  This new category was topped by Burj Al Arab in Dubai (the sail hotel).  

Here’s how Starwood resorts stacked up against the world’s best . . .

Top 25 Mexico Resorts

11. Le Méridien, Cancun 88.6

Top 25 Hawaii Resorts

23. Westin Maui Resort and Spa, 79.2

24. Sheraton Maui Ka’anapali, 78.5

Westin Maui Resort and Spa

Top 25 Europe Resorts

20. Westin Turnberry, Ayrshire 87.4

25. Hotel Cala di Volpe, Sardinia 83.3

Westin Turnberry

Top 10 Middle East Resorts

8. Sheraton Doha Resort & Convention Hotel 80.7

Top 20 Australia/Pacific Resorts

3. Le Méridien Bora Bora, 90.3

8. The St. Regis Bora Bora, 88.6

16. Sheraton Moorea, 82.6

The St. Regis Bora Bora

Top 75 Mainland US Resorts

30. The Phoenician, Scottsdale 89.2

36. St. Regis Resort, Aspen 88.7

45. St. Regis Resort Monarch Beach, Dana Point 88.1

The Phoenician

Top 20 Canada Resorts

11. Westin Resort & Spa, Whistler 87.0

19. Le Westin Resort, Mont Tremblant 83.5

Westin Resort & Spa Whistler

Starwood’s third-quarter profit drops 12% in Q3 2008

50% drop in stock price in roughly the past month and a half

Well, it’s nothing unexpected if you’ve been following the earnings forecasts over the last quarter.  

Earlier this morning, Starwood reported a 12% drop in third quarter profit as the hospitality industry has been hit by significant cutbacks in business and leisure travel in the US.  Starwood expects profits to fall in 2008 and 2009 as the stalling global economy deteriorates travel spend more quickly than originally anticipated.

Revenue per available room (RevPAR) rose 3.5%, thanks to the strong performance of international operations.  This metric could have been higher if it weren’t for the 0.5% decline in North American RevPAR thanks to the sputtering US economy. 

“While we can’t control the economic environment, we can right-size our organization to offset the effects of slowing travel demand,” said Starwood CEO Frits van Paasschen. “Earlier this year we began a process to streamline our organization and reduce costs while continuing to invest in Starwood’s future growth.”

Frits has responded by reducing company jobs, closing sales centers, and managing costs at the hotel level.

 

Source: Marketwatch, Bloomberg

Condé Nast releases its 2008 Readers’ Choice Awards and Starwood does well

Not too long ago, Travel + Leisure announced its annual Readers’ Choice awards, but this time the readers of Condé Nast have spoken.  According to the results, Asia claims the highest rated hotel in the world for 2008 – India’s Oberoi Udaivilas which received a score of 97.5. Other hotel chains with impressive scores above 90: Four Seasons took the lead with 17 hotels in the 90s, Ritz-Carlton with 10, Mandarin Oriental with 6, Peninsula with 5, and Hyatt with 4.

Don’t let these statistics deceive you. It turns out that Starwood actually has 7 hotels with scores exceeding 90. If you don’t breakout each of the luxury brands Starwood has, this actually places Starwood right after Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton as having the most hotels scoring in excess of 90 points.

According to the readers, here’s how Starwood stacked up in each of the different geographic regions . . .

Top 100 Southern Europe Hotels

32. Westin Palace, Madrid 90.4

42. Hotel Grande Bretagne, Athens 89.3

51. Westin Excelsior, Florence 88.7

74. Le Méridien Beach Plaza, Monte Carlo 86.4

77. St. Regis Grand Hotel, Rome 86.3

77. Westin Europa & Regina, Venice 86.3

89. Hotel Gritti Palace, Venice 85.6

Westin Palace Madrid - #32 in Southern Europe

Top 100 United States Hotels

14. The St. Regis, New York 92.5

The St. Regis New York - #14 in USA

Top 100 Asia Hotels

13. Le Royal Méridien, Shanghai 92.4

17. St. Regis, Shanghai 92.4 – Also on T+L Top 100 in the world list

21. Westin Bund Center, Shanghai 91.8

28. Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, Bangkok 91.1

48. St. Regis, Beijing 89.0 – Also on T+L Top 100 in the world list

67. Le Méridien Angkor, Siem Reap 87.2

72. Westin Beijing Financial Street 86.9

80. Plaza Athénée Bangkok, a Royal Méridien Hotel 86.2

91. Westin, Tokyo 84.1

Le Royal Meridien Shanghai - #13 in Asia

Top Africa Hotel

8. Westin Grand Cape Town 87.4

Westin Grand Cape Town - #8 in Africa

Top 50 Northern Europe Hotels

5. Hotel Imperial, Vienna 93.9

29. Le Méridien Grand Hotel Nuremberg 86.9

31. Le Méridien Bristol, Warsaw 86.7 – Also on T+L Top 100 in the world list

40. Le Méridien Hotel des Indes, The Hague

Hotel Imperial Vienna - #5 in Northern Europe

Top 15 Mexico Hotels

7. W, Mexico City 82.9

W Mexico City - #7 in Mexico

Top 20 Australia/Pacific Hotels

3. The Westin, Melbourne 89.7

7. The Westin, Sydney 87.1 – Also on T+L Top 100 in the world list

19. Sheraton on the Park, Sydney 83.5

Westin Melbourne - #3 in Australia

Top 10 Central America Hotels

9. Westin Camino Real, Guatemala City 74.4

Westin Camino Real Guatemala City - #9 in Central America

Marriott Rewards eliminates blackout dates, mimics Starwood’s SPG program

Commencing January 15, 2009, Marriott will eliminate all blackout dates on their Marriott Rewards loyalty program at nearly 2,900 Marriott properties worldwide.   Boy this sounds like what Starwood did with SPG years and years ago.  

So like SPG, now Marriott Rewards members will have the flexibility to book stays whenever they want, so long as the hotel isn’t sold out.  But this isn’t the only enhancement being made to Marriott’s loyalty program, nor is it the only one that resembles SPG awards.  Marriott Rewards will also feature a 5th night free after redeeming 4 consecutive nights.  Starwood offers the same.  Marriott platinum elite members will soon enjoy a 50% bonus on points (an increase from the previous 30%).  Starwood platinums also enjoy a 50% premium on Starpoints earned at the preferred level.  As great as these changes may sound, it still seems like Marriott is just playing catch-up to Starwood’s SPG loyalty program.

But there are some critics out there who aren’t so happy about this new announcement.  Most notably, Scholar in Training posts on his blog that buried in the “positive” changes to Marriott Rewards are increased point redemption thresholds and even the addition of the highest reward category to date (40,000 points).  It’s a sad truth that holding on to your hard-earned points can render them less valuable when the loyalty programs inflate redemption levels.

Despite some of the criticisms of these new changes to Marriott Rewards, the program was voted Americas Hotel Program of the Year at the 2008 Annual Freddie Awards.  Starwood’s Preferred Guest program received the same Program of the Year award in Europe, Middle East, Africa, Japan, Asia, and Australia.

For those that aren’t too familiar with Marriott Hotels, their brands include: Marriott Hotels & Resorts, JW Marriott, Renaissance Hotels & Resorts, Courtyard by Marriott, Residence Inn, Fairfield Inn, TownePlace Suites, and SpringHill Suites.

Here are the T&C of Marriott’s program changes.

 

Source: Marriott, Starwood, Freddie Awards

Own a piece of the newest W in NYC – W New York Downtown Hotel & Residences

W NYC Downtown - Terrace Lounge on Level 5

Starwood is putting the “W” back in Wall Street with yet another addition to its mushrooming list of W Residences around the world.  Get ready for a hefty wait though, as the W New York Downtown Hotel & Residences isn’t scheduled to open its doors until February 24, 2010 (how do they get such exact dates anyway?).

Between now and then though, New Yawkers and visitors to the construction site of the upcoming Freedom Tower will be able to catch a glimpse of the progress being made on the 6th installment of W Hotels in New York City, and the only one of them to have a Residences component.  

Here’s the breakdown of the building . . . The ground floor through level 22 will showcase the newest W hotel rooms in the city.  Levels 23-30 will offer furnished residences designed by Graft and fitted with all the interior accoutrement W fans have come to love.  For those who crave the freedom to design and decorate as they please, the remaining levels 31 through 56 are customizable private homes that have some of the best panoramic views in lower Manhattan.  Take a look for yourself . . .

W NYC Downtown Living Room

W NYC Downtown Northern View

W NYC Downtown Kitchen

W NYC Downtown Corner Bedroom

Like the W Times Square, the welcome desk at the W NYC Downtown is situated several stories above ground level.  In this case it’s on Level 5 and has taken on the name, Sky Welcome Desk.  Adjacent to the living room lobby is an outdoor terrace lounge that overlooks an outdoor plaza below.  If you think that’s impressive already, listen to what the affluent residents get to play with . . . A rooftop terrace on the 56th level and a whole dedicated floor (on Level 31) equipped with a fitness center, a Digital Lounge with a Media Screening Room, and a cafe for the sole use of residents and their guests.  Wow!  Kind of reminds me of the W Hollywood Hotel & Residences with their rooftop silver screen and private pool.

Well you won’t ever see me above the 23rd floor, unless its with security escorting me out of the building.   Until opening day, I recommend you save up your Starpoints because rates here won’t come cheap!

 

Source: Starwood

The Royal Hawaiian will emerge as part of The Luxury Collection with $19.27 post-renovation rates

View of Waikiki Beach from summit of Diamond Head

See that small pink building in the center of the photo to the right?  That’s the Royal Hawaiian hotel (colloquially referred to as the pink hotel), which shut its doors this past June 1 for a thorough $110 million makeover.  After a physically demanding ascent, I snapped this photo from the apex of Diamond Head, which as you can see is equally breathtaking.  

This December when the construction trucks drive away from the 10-acre lot, the Royal Hawaiian will emerge as part of Starwood’s Luxury Collection portfolio.  Aside from what the higher room rates might be, what everyone wants to know is whether or not the pink color that the hotel has become famous for will remain intact after the renovation?  A Starwood spokeswoman said prior to the construction, “The Royal Hawaiian’s majestic architecture and distinctive rosy hue will remain.”  Hopefully the renovation will transform the tower wing into less of an eyesore compared to its historic counterpart.

The not so pretty pink tower

The Royal Hawaiian is arguably the most historic hotel of all in Waikiki and all of Oahu.  Here’s a little walk down memory lane . . .

The Royal Hawaiian opened its doors on February 1, 1927 with an original construction cost of $4 million.  After the addition of its tower wing (also pink but not so pretty) in 1969, the hotel had a total of 528 guestrooms situated in the epicenter of Waikiki Beach in Honolulu.  The Spanish-Moorish design gave the hotel a distinctive appeal to many curious tourists.  These days, The Royal Hawaiian’s historic building is one of the few hotels and condo complexes in Oahu that doesn’t soar 40 floors above sea level.

Upon completion of the renovation this December/next January, over $85 million of the total $110 million will have been spent on public areas including new restaurants, a renovated lobby and row of shops, and THREE swimming pools with water slides (the previous one was miniscule and quite the throwback to when in-ground pools first came about.  The remainder of the budget has been allocated to a luxuriously grand resort grounds and guestroom modernization.

Royal Hawaiian in 1940

Here’s are some interesting facts: The Shirley Temple cocktail was born at the Royal Hawaiian when the film celebrity stayed as a guest in the 1930s.  Other famous celebrities to grace this hotels majestic resort grounds include President Franklin Roosevelt, The Beatles, Kevin Costner, Harrison Ford, and Samuel L. Jackson.  Other not-so-famous “Joe Sixpacks” to have the privilege of staying here include yours truly.  Here are some amateur photos I took from the historic wing of the building . . .

 

 

This photo actually captured by Hawaii Magazine, not me

View from one of the ocean facing historic rooms (508 I think)

Sunset casting shadows of palms on the Royal Hawaiian

Hallway from lobby to the back lawn and beach

View of the Royal Hawaiian from the south end of Waikiki Beach

Pink umbrellas, blue sky, and a lazy cloud . . . life is good!

To celebrate the re-grand opening next January, and to commemorate the year the hotel was first opened, Starwood is offering a $19.27 package.  You’ll notice this figure is ironically similar to the $19.28 figure that was being offered by Leading Hotels of the World before their website crashed and burned.  Don’t expect a similar outcome with the Royal Hawaiian’s promotion though because there’s a slight catch in the promo.  With this deal, rooms at the $19.27 price point are only good for one night out of the four-night minimum stay.  The other three nights start at $450 per night.  Essentially, this is more or less a buy three nights and get one free promotion.  However, the package also includes dinner for two at the new Azure restaurant as well as a pair from the famous Mai Tai Bar and a special hotel parting gift.  This package is available for stays between February 1, 2009 through June 30, 2009 and is subject to availability and some blackout dates.

 

Source: Honolulu Advertiser