Sheraton Downtown Phoenix becomes the new paradigm of Sheraton brand standards

Sheraton Downtown Phoenix

Starwood Hotels CEO, Frits Van Paasschen, helped with the ceremonial ribbon cutting of the Sheraton Downtown Phoenix this past week.  Phoenix Mayor, Phil Gardon, also joined Frits to commemorate the grand opening of the newly-built hotel which serves as the first Sheraton to uphold the new paradigm of brand standards for future Sheraton hotels.  Starwood may not own this hotel, but it has received considerable attention from Frits and other Sheraton leaders throughout the design and construction of the Sheraton Downtown Phoenix.  Many owners of existing Sheratons throughout the world were invited to stay through the grand opening in hopes that they would return home and incorporate some of the new brand concepts in their future renovations.

“The Sheraton Phoenix is a trophy for us and a clear indication of the direction we’re taking,” said Hoyt Harper, the Starwood senior vice president who oversees Sheraton.

In the U.S., many travelers are disappointed with aging Sheraton hotels and the lack of consistency from one to the next.  The Sheraton Downtown Phoenix is part of a corporate strategy to streamline the Sheraton brand and focus on reinvigorating brand perceptions.  The Sheraton Downtown Phoenix’s expansive outdoor pool, sundeck, lobby bar, and Link@Sheraton Café will raise the bar and set a new benchmark for the next generation of Sheraton hotels.  A sensational bonus at this property is its fitness center, which was developed in partnership with Core Performance, an athletic training and development organization that works with elite athletes and Olympians.  This is similar in concept to the Westin Workout Powered by Reebok.

What else is noteworthy about this hotel?  Well for starters it happens to be the largest Sheraton built since 1992, with 1,000 guestrooms on 31 stories.  Its height gives the cloud-like white rooftop visibility from miles away.  What most people don’t know is the rooftop was modeled after the shape of a camel hump.  The hotel also boasts a whopping 80,000 square feet of flexible meeting space.  Located in Phoenix’s Copper Square district, the hotel is just one block from the Phoenix Convention Center and only five miles from Phoenix Sky Harbor airport.  

“The Sheraton Downtown Phoenix is a new flagship hotel for Sheraton and is illustrative of the brand’s aggressive growth plan, which includes an investment of $2.3 billion in new hotel openings in North America,” said Starwood CEO Frits van Paasschen. 

While Phoenix’s housing market is one of the leaders driving the nation’s overall decline, Starwood is still pumping plenty of investment into the Phoenix lodging market.  This market has posted the largest drop in demand (-6.4%) year-to-date, and the number of hotel rooms has increased by 3.3% to date.  With 1,000 rooms flooding the market now, the most of any hotel in Arizona, the Sheraton Downtown Phoenix certainly isn’t going to help supply.

Still, Frits remains positive.  ”We have a long, successful history in Phoenix with an equally bright future that includes an additional six new hotels opening soon,” said the Starwood CEO.  Part of this successful history is The Phoenician Resort in Scottsdale, which was recently reviewed by Tablet Hotels.  The W Scottsdale also just opened up last month after a long delay.

The six new hotels Frits speaks of will include a Westin, an Element and four Aloft hotels.  

Here’s a great slideshow with some first look photos of the Sheraton Downtown Phoenix.

 

Source: City of Phoenix, Finchannel.com, AZ Central