What Starwood learned by moving its execs to Dubai for a month
Skift Take
Rival execs mocked Starwood's decision to relocate, but the brand's leaders are definitely learning more on site than they are mulling over spreadsheets in a corporate campus.
Gone are the days when world-weary travelers preferred hotels that reminded them of home and provided a respite from the location they were visiting. Today, savvy travelers expect hotels to not only provide the creature comforts of home but while stay true to their surroundings.
To meet that need, execs at Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide are taking an unusual step -- temporarily relocating the team to fast-growing markets to determine what will make their hotels stand out.
"There was a time, going back 25 or 30 years, when an international hotel brand was like an embassy or a consulate in a foreign country. It was somewhere you went to feel safe and secure, like a home-from-home," explained Phil McAveety, executive VP-chief brand officer at Starwood.
As the guardian of nine international hotel brands -- Le Meridien, Westin, Sheraton, W, St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, Four Points by Sheraton, Aloft and Element -- Mr. McAveety is focused on this new era of travel. "I
