What’s SLS Beverly Hills look like? Check out the first look photos and videos!

SLS Beverly Hills was definitely one of the hottest Starwood properties to open in North America last year.  There was a lot of hype surrounding this hotel, including an opening delay and an unusual opening ceremony.  I recently made a trip down to LA to check out what everyone’s been talking about.  If you haven’t yet seen any photos of this stunning hotel, take a peak below.  

I was also curious to see what some travelers are saying about the SLS Beverly Hills.  TripAdvisor has 16 traveler reviews and 3 amateur photos for the hotel.  With a 3.5 out of 5 rating, some notable comments included “Great Location,”Modern Rooms,” and “A Pretty Cool Hotel.”  TripAdvisor’s newest competitor, TravelPost.com (backed by Kayak), unfortunately has outdated reviews for the SLS Beverly Hills — they are in fact for the former Le Meridien Beverly Hills.

 

In other news re: SLS Beverly Hills, Lionel Richie’s new music video for Just Go takes place throughout the hotel.  The rooftop pool is fimed during sunset and looks fantastic in the video.

Why I like working for Starwood!

 

Check out Starwood's careers site!

I really love working for this company.  Why?  

Diversity.  Training & Development.  And Company Growth.  And this isn’t some sort of refined corporate article.  This is what’s really on mind right now.

Starwood was recently ranked number 39 of 50 on Diversity Inc.’s 2008 Top 50 Companies for Diversity list.  This is the 6th time Starwood has made the list, and this time it was selected “because of its dedication to creating an environment of inclusion and diversity for its customers and more than 145,000 associates worldwide.”  At my hotel, there are all walks of life: young, old, black, white, purple, gay, straight, and even crooked.  Our individual cultures, values, and experiences strengthen our departments and help us better understand our guests, who also happen to come in all shapes and forms.  

I’m also blown away by all the training and development opportunities I’ve had with Starwood.  Management really makes this a priority.  Just this morning I participated in a training initiative called the Northern California Starwood University, a series of courses designed to train Starwood associates in various hotel functions (e.g. revenue management, hotel finance, etc.).  Today’s class was called, “A Day in the Life of a GM” and was taught by Suzie Yang, one of the most well-respected General Managers in the SF Bay Area.  Last week my own GM, Michael Pace, taught a course on sustainability in hotels.  As an industry leader in “green” initiatives (he lectures at several local colleges), Michael shared his passion and knowledge with a generation of future leaders.  I’d like to thank mentors like Michael and our phenomenal HR teams for launching such an amazing and useful program.

Finally, I’m so excited about my future in this industry and hopefully with this growing company.  I was just on our company intranet, Starwood ONE, browsing through some of the corporate team homepages.  One team’s page that stood out in particular was our New Builds & Transitions team, which helps open new properties once deals are signed with owners and/or developers.  In the Asia Pacific region, the property pipeline is MASSIVE.  How energizing is that?  What a dream come true it would be to work with the best professionals in the industry and successfully open new Starwood properties throughout Asia.

But, gotta learn to crawl before I can walk.  So at the moment the goal is to do well in the Cornell MMH program, network my butt off while in Singapore and Ithaca, and ultimately find that sweet spot for me within Starwood upon graduation in June 2010.  :-)

Yapta now tracking hotel rates, including four Starwood brands

For those who don’t know, Yapta.com is an online travel website that monitors airfare for travelers from most of the major domestic and international airlines.  Since launching its initial airfare tracking service in May 2007, Yapta has alerted over 600,000 travelers to more than $160 million in potential savings.

Just last week, the website introduced a hotel rate tracking service that allows customers to track and compare rates for roughly 110,000 domestic and international hotels.  In general, Yapta lets you choose your preferred hotels and then sign up for automatic e-alerts if that hotel’s rate drops for your specified set of dates.

Of the 9 Starwood brands, Westin, W, Sheraton, and Four Points have properties on Yapta.  The brands that don’t have properties listed are St. Regis, Luxury Collection, Le Meridien, Element, and Aloft.  Other hotel companies found on Yapta include Four Seasons, Fairmont, Hilton, and Hyatt, among many others.

How does all this work?  Yapta collects the best available published hotel rates and create a graph to illustrate visually the change in pricing over a specific period of time.  You can track as many hotels as you woud like, and you can also filter through hotels using star ratings, prices, and a laundry list of amenities. 

What really sets Yapta apart from all the other hotel websites is the tracking functionality.  It basically automates the way to monitor and compare hotel rates and airfare without the inconveniences of having to constantly track prices yourself.  In fact, the website will even help you get a refund on your air tickets if you’ve already booked and the price dropped afterward.

“Hotel rates are highly volatile and can fluctuate on a day to day basis. Unfortunately, this ‘black box’ of pricing information has remained obscured to travelers who have little idea of when or in which direction pricing changes will occur,” said Tom Romary, co-founder and CEO of Yapta.com. “By giving travelers a simple online tool by which to track hotel prices over time, they will have full price transparency and a much better understanding of what constitutes a good value. And with Yapta.com’s integrated alert system, they’ll be able to act quickly to secure the best rates on the hotel properties of their choosing.”

 

Source:  Hospitality Net

Hilton teases us with concept prototypes of its new Denizen Hotels lifestyle brand

UPDATE:  Starwood suing Hilton over Denizen Hotels – corporate espionage and theft

It was less than two weeks ago the Hilton unveiled its new Denizen Hotels lifestyle brand at the Berlin Hotel Investment Conference.  Hilton’s been around the block long enough to know that an announcement alone won’t generate the hype needed to launch the newest lifestyle brand into a rivalry-intense market. 

So what did they do?  They created a coming out party for Denizen Hotels!  Here’s Hotels Magazine’s recap of the debut party . . .

After arriving in the evening’s mist to models-turned-hosts offering beer, wine and funky bottles of Coca-Cola, the gathering crowd was approached by servers working the room with trays of cheeseburgers, hot dogs and chicken skewers. About 30 minutes later, suddenly opera star Inva Mula-Tchako of Fifth Element fame popped out of a shipping container installation to sing the “Age of Aquarius” through the noisy cocktail party crowd. 

For more pictures and a more detailed description from those who were there, click on the Hotels Mag link below.

Source: Hotels Mag

Westin Bonaventure + Twitter = Free Weekend Nights!

The Westin Bonaventure, one of LA’s most recognized hotels, is giving away 50 weekend room nights every weekend between now and April 18, 2009.  5 such rooms are reserved for only those who use Twitter, the online social networking site.

This promotion also includes what is called the “Westin Tax Credit.”  This credit is more or less a voucher for 10% off at L.A. Prime, the New York steakhouse that serves a whopping dinner. 

If you didn’t already know, the Westin Bonaventure was featured in numerous blockbusters including In the Line of Fire, Nick of Time, True Lies, Midnight Madness, Showtime, Hard to Kill, Chuck, Escape from LA and Epicenter.  The hotel also makes a cameo in Mission Impossible III and the recent Hancock.  A replica of the hotel is also featured in the video game, Grand Theft Auto – Los Santos.

The official word on the street re: the promo. . .

Only US residents over 21 years of age can enter to win a “U.O.Me” through Twitter or the Westin Bonaventure website, www.thebonaventure.com. Rooms will be given out on a first-come, first-serve basis — the first 45 website entries and the first five tweets will receive a room night.

Eligible dates: March 27 and 28 and April 3, 4, 10, 11, 17 and 18. Entries for March 27 and 28 will be accepted between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. PT, March 17, via the website and Twitter, hashtag #U.O.Me. For all other dates, entries will be accepted between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. the Tuesday before the desired weekend. Winners can choose to spend Friday or Saturday night based on room availability. All winners must present a form of credit upon check-in for the purposes of incidentals.

 

 

Source: PR Newswire

Get to know Starwood’s new Element Hotels with 20% off your stay

What better way to get a new hotel brand on the map than to offer a good introductory rate?   Element Hotels is doing just that by offering 20% off your stay at their brand new, eco-friendly hotels. 

Now through March 31, 2009 at the Element Las Vegas Summerlin and the Element Lexington, and through December 31, 2009 at Element Houston Vintage Park, guests can take advantage of this 20% promotion.  The only condition is you’ve got to stay a minimum of three nights.  The Element Las Vegas Summerlin does require you to arrive on either a Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

For those who aren’t in the know yet, Element Hotels is Starwood’s newest brand that’s all about being eco-friendly and sustainable.  In fact, the flagship Element in Lexington, MA has already received some of the highest LEED recognition.  One of the best things about Element is that all WiFi is complimentary throughout each of their hotels!!

You’ll notice that there’s only a small handful of Elements to explore at the moment (Houston, Las Vegas – Summerlin, and Lexington), but there’s a good pipeline of these on the way, including . . .

• Palmdale, CA
• Lone Tree, CO
• Miami, FL
• Orlando, FL
• Tampa, FL
• Atlanta, GA
• Chicago, IL
• Leawood, KS
• Hanover, MD
• Linthicum, MD
• Cary, NC
• Omaha, NE
• Ewing, NJ
• Hernderson, WV
• New York, NY
• Spring Valley, NY
• Irving, TX
• Ashburn, VA
• Herndon, VA
• Vienna, VA
• Cambridge, ON
• Toronto, ON

Starwood one of the most admired hotel companies, but Marriott takes top honors

 

Industry executives and professionals recently got their say in a global poll conducted on the most admirable hotel companies by Fortune Magazine.  After the dust settled, what was Starwood’s ranking?

4th Place.

The 1st place award went to Marriott, who beat out Wyndham and Wynn Resorts for the industry’s top honors.  These three nudged Starwood out of the gold, silver, and bronze medals.  In the multi-industry rankings, Marriott finished 37th overall.  On a side note, Apple was the number one company across all industries.

The other hotel companies finishing below Starwood were MGM Mirage, Harrah’s Entertainment, Las Vegas Sands, and Penn National Gaming.  

The companies were rated on nine criteria:

• innovation
• people management
• use of corporate assets
• social responsibility
• quality of management
• financial soundness
• long-term investment
• quality of services
• global competitiveness

Here’s a recap of how Starwood scored on the above criteria.  Click here or the image below to see details (and click here for the methodology) . . .

Starwood finished in the top 4 hotel companies

Hilton goes after W Hotels with their new lifestyle brand . . . Denizen Hotels

 

Denizen Hotels by Hilton

UPDATE:  Starwood suing Hilton over Denizen Hotels – corporate espionage and theft

Hilton finally unveiled its new lifestyle brand at the International Hotel Investment Forum today.  Denizen Hotels is aimed at the globally conscious and modern traveler, and it will target the business travel market as well as vacationers.  The new brand will be headed by the former president of W Hotels, Ross Klein. 

 

Straight from the new Denizen Hotels website . . .

Born modern, with global appeal and a local accent, Denizen Hotels will become a cultural epicenter at each destination, cultivating community within its walls.  Each property will be smart in design, cultural in character, and sensitive in service delivery.  Denizen will redefine how you stay and play.

The first Denizen Hotels are expected to debut in 2012.  At this point in time, properties are merely in the planning stages of development according to Hilton representatives I contacted.  However, the official press release provides some greater detail and reports, “active development negotiations are currently underway for resorts and destinations in key cities throughout the globe, including, but not limited to Abu Dhabi, Austin, Beverly Hills, Buenos Aires, Cancun, Hollywood, Istanbul, Jerusalem, Las Vegas, London, Los Cabos, Miami, Montreal, Mumbai, New York City, Panama City and Washington D.C.”

“The term denizen literally means ‘citizen of the world,’” says Ross Klein, global head of luxury & lifestyle brands for Hilton. “We created this new brand in homage to guests who desire and deserve the best hotel experiences, both on an emotional and functional level. We are excited to introduce this new concept and look forward to welcoming the denizens of the world to our properties.”

Those in the know have been anticipating Hilton’s penetration into the arena of lifestyle brands since it tapped two Starwood execs last year who specialized in luxury, lifestyle hotel brands. In addition to Ross Klein, Amar Lalvani was recruited to be Hilton’s global head of luxury and lifestyle brand development.  Previously, these two influential execs helped built the W Hotels brand into what it is today.

 

Source: Hotels Mag

First look photos of Le Méridien Bangkok . . . the flagship of the Le Méridien brand in Asia

Le Meridien Bangkok lobby

Led by the innovative Eva Ziegler, Le Meridien has reinvented itself from the outside in.  The brand now positions itself as a cultural hub with an emphasis on art, design, fashion, and cuisine; it has also shed 30+ properties that didn’t fit this new image.  I recently had the extraordinary opportunity to visit the recently opened Le Meridien Bangkok last week.  Be sure to scroll down and check out the first look photos below.

There is no better example of Le Meridien’s new branding efforts than its newly opened flagship property in Asia. Le Meridien Bangkok is stylish and sophisticated, with 282 guestrooms on 24 floors of brilliant artistic design. The hotel’s lobby, restaurants, and spa incorporate design elements so bold that even the most breathtaking of W Hotels will soon nod in approval.

Thanks to its vibrant location in Bangkok’s Silom district, the hotel carries a unique identity that it might otherwise lose among a crowd of business hotels in a central business district. This identity shines sharply as you walk through the lobby and witness the “Man with Poodle” by artist Ralph Gibson.  This two-story work of glass art is vividly accentuated by daytime lighting and softly illuminated by the glowing neon of the nighttime streets. On the more subtle side, design elements reflecting traditional Thai architecture and culture are gracefully strewn throughout the remaining area of the hotel and guestrooms. With equal aesthetic and poetic beauty, a traditional Thai poem is artfully written on the wall above the bed that wishes the hotel’s guests, “May the wing of winds please her mind. May the light of love please her soul. May the sweetest scent of all kind. May her dream, fold on fold she finds.”

To further showcase Le Meridien’s focus on local art and culture, Le Meridien Bangkok has partnered up with the Thailand Creative & Design Center to offer guests complimentary access to its facility just a short tuk tuk ride away. The hotel’s map goes well beyond identifying the standard tourist traps by highlighting prominent cultural institutions such as museums, libraries, bookstores, and art galleries.

While the hotel’s mission and design bring Thai culture to the foreground, it is the hotel’s Thai staff that bring this nation’s fascinating culture to life. The staff takes great pride in sharing their cultural identity and national history, and the “Thai touch” at Le Meridien Bangkok rivals the service provided by any five-star hotel in the city. For a brand that wants to invite travelers with a heightened cultural awareness, what better place to launch a flagship property than in Bangkok . . . where the warmest smiles in the world invite you to learn one of the richest cultures in the world.

Experience NYC cool in DC for $99 at the Fairfax Embassy Row!

Fairfax Embassy Row

This past week, the venerable travel blog Jaunted wrote up an article about Washington DC stealing NYC’s cool.  The article goes on to say . . .

Washington, DC has spent the better part of its existence in the shadow of its larger neighbor to the north, and there’s no better way to get a Washingtonian riled up then to go on about how much less cool their town is than New York.

So what’s up with the Manhattan media elite fretting about DC overtaking NYC? First none other than New York Magazine wondered whether the balance of power and culture has shifted southward, undoubtedly thanks to the presidential cool of Barack Obama.

Spring may be right around the corner, but it’s still frigid in NYC.  Perhaps a $99 rate at the Fairfax Embassy Row, a Luxury Collection property, is big enough bait for you to experience the new cool of the south, DC.  This hotel may not be what’s stealing NYC’s cool, but who can argue with this price?

On a tangent, the W Washington DC is scheduled to open in August of this year and is sure to borrow some NYC cool (see the rendering below).

Straight from the Fairfax Embassy Row’s webpages, the $99 offer goes as follows . . . Create a memorable experience on your next trip to Washington, D.C.  Visit the iconic landmarks that surround the new Fairfax at Embassy Row.  Join us for stays Friday-Sunday now through June 30, 2009 and receive rates from $99 including parking.

Including parking?!?  This is one of the best opportunities to get a taste of luxury I’ve seen this season!

The Fairfax Embassy Row is located in the vibrant Dupont Circle area of DC and has 259 classically styled rooms/suites that offer sweeping views of Embassy Row and the Washington Monument.
 

Rendering of the new W Washington DC