Starwood redesigns HQs, to live in its own brand image

Executives at Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide are hoping their recently opened worldwide headquarters will itself spur development in its global portfolio.

To that end, they launched last week The Starwood Experience, a “creative design lab” at its offices designed to showcase the company’s nine brands. The space gives associates, owners, developers, customers and marketing partners a first look at innovations in two- and three-dimensional design, guest-facing technology, brand programming, event activation in public spaces, and food-and-beverage initiatives.

“One of the best things about a space like this is that developers can get a real feel for what they want to do—which brand they want to build,” Turner added. “Sitting in a boardroom looking at a PowerPoint presentation is different. If a developers looks at pictures of a lobby in Doha that he likes but his building has a different configuration, our designers are here to talk about how to adapt it. We can put that together.”