STAMFORD,
Conn.--May 9, 2012-- Today, Westin Hotels & Resorts
announces a revolutionary new workspace concept that re-invents the
antiquated business center model to meet the changing needs of today’s
business traveler. After conducting in-depth guest research and
monitoring business traveler trends, Westin is transforming business
centers and specially dedicated spaces at its hotels around the world
into highly-functional, fully-equipped workspaces. Modeled to support
today’s mobile traveler, the interconnected workspace dubbed Project
Hive features media:scape by Steelcase technology, video conferencing,
seamless connectivity and collaboration areas. The Workspace is perfect
for small impromptu meetings and can be booked by the hour, at a
moment’s notice. Designed to offer guests a place to work well,
efficiently, and comfortably on the road, the new workspace is
currently available at The Westin Boston Waterfront and The Westin
Arlington Gateway Hotel and soon at the Westin Grand Munich with plans
to roll-out globally through 2013.
75% of U.S. Workforce is Mobile
– Westin Introduces a Space for the Way People Work Today
In the U.S. 75% of the workforce is mobile and by 2013 one-third of the
global workforce will follow suit. Today’s business travelers are more
mobile and global than ever and are in need of a turn-key business and
meeting solution designed for collaboration and connectivity. While the
majority of today’s companies have moved towards office space that is
more open, functional and technology driven, hotel business centers and
small meeting facilities have remained low-tech, hidden, and often
unused. Westin’s concept turns the traditional offerings on its head
and offers guests a modern, fully-equipped and technology savvy space
designed to promote productivity. The brand’s signature new workspace
features:
- media:scape by Steelcase technology
that offers an interactive space for participants to access and share
digital information quickly and seamlessly. Video conferencing is also
available at a four person seated workspace.
- Samsung televisions, printers,
sound systems, Xbox 360® for games or DVDs.
- Floor-to-ceiling white boards and
fully stocked office supplies offer convenience and promote
collaboration.
- Wired and wireless internet for no
additional fee. Flexible outlets are also located throughout the space
allowing devices to power up regardless of location.
- Privacy for groups of up to four to
conduct small group meetings or hold calls and teleconferences.
- Quick, impromptu online bookings
from anywhere with LiquidSpace.com.
“The one-size-fit-all small meeting spaces and traditional business
centers no longer support the way today’s mobile traveler works,” said
Brian Povinelli, Global Brand Leader for Westin Hotels. “More than 70%
of business travelers told us that an environment that better supports
their work objectives would significantly improve their business travel
experience and 48% said having facilities available whenever they
wanted to use them would positively impact the quality of their hotel
stay. While a hotel room or lobby is a place where you can do work,
this workspace was specifically designed as a smart room that promotes
productivity and reflects today’s social and work trends.”
High Design Meets High Performance
Westin’s Vice President of Design Erin Hoover worked with her team to
create a space that also embraced the trend of “co-working” where
flexible, temporary, collaborative workspaces are becoming imperative
for high-performance work. Within a small footprint of 260 square feet
or less, the workspace consists of communal, interactive and individual
work zones.
- The whiteboard area and the
media:scape by Steelcase is a collaborative zone used for presentation
preparation and brainstorming sessions.
- Closets behind the whiteboards
store everything a guest needs, from pens to light refreshments.
- Individuals find comfort in the
lounge area and can utilize wired or wireless technology regardless of
location in the room.
The design team used Westin’s inspiration from nature to create the
color palate for the space and a large-scale wall mural. The
inspiration for the mural was derived from Fibonacci sequences, which
is a sequence of numbers that generate patterns found in nature, like
the spiral of a shell. The color palette was also inspired by colors
found in minerals and crystals to create a neutral base of grey, with
accents of amber, emerald and sapphire blue.
Westin Continues to Innovate
The brand’s innovative new workspace concept joins a host of
initiatives recently introduced by Westin Hotels & Resorts that
have been designed with the guests’ well-being in mind. Most recently,
Westin announced a complete refresh of the WestinWORKOUT® program
to match the evolving fitness trends among guests and further enhance
the brand’s goal of promoting well-being in travel. In September 2011,
Westin launched a brand-wide Associate Enrichment program, introducing
the brand’s “Elements of Well-Being Platform” to more than 25,000
associates around the world through key touch points. In May 2011, the
brand unveiled its groundbreaking “For a Better You” ad campaign that
uses artistic imagery to depict the “Elements of Well-Being” that help
Westin guests leave feeling better than when they arrived. In December
2010, Westin announced an exclusive partnership with New Balance,
helping hotel guests overcome the hurdles of exercising on the road by
providing New Balance footwear, apparel and fitness program content to
its guests to borrow. To learn about Westin’s latest innovations,
follow us on
Facebook.com/westin.
About Westin Hotels & Resorts
Westin Hotels & Resorts makes the healthiest choices irresistibly
appealing, so guests leave feeling better than when they arrived. With
more than 186 hotels and resorts in over 36 countries and territories,
Westin is owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:
HOT -
News). Starwood Hotels
& Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure
companies in the world with 1,103 properties in nearly 100 countries
and 154,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood is
a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels, resorts
and residences with the following internationally renowned brands: St.
Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, W®, Westin®, Le
Méridien®, Sheraton®, Four Points® by Sheraton,
Aloft®, and ElementSM. The Company boasts one of the industry’s
leading loyalty programs, Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG), allowing
members to earn and redeem points for room stays, room upgrades and
flights, with no blackout dates. Starwood also owns Starwood Vacation
Ownership, Inc., a premier provider of world-class vacation experiences
through villa-style resorts and privileged access to Starwood brands.
For more information, please visit
www.starwoodhotels.com
(Note: This press release
contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal
securities regulations. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees
of future performance or events and involve risks and uncertainties and
other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ
materially from those anticipated at the time the forward-looking
statements are made. These risks and uncertainties are presented in
detail in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Although we believe the expectations reflected in such forward-looking
statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, we can give no
assurance that our expectations will be attained or that results and
events will not materially differ. We undertake no obligation to
publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a
result of new information, future events or otherwise.)
