Articles tagged “starwood”

Are we guilty of succumbing to these gimmicky PR stunts by writing about them here? Guilty as charged. But as outlandish or strange as some of these things may sound, they do speak to some bigger trends we're seeing in hospitality. Promise.

One major hurdle in Starwood's sale is overcome, but the company still has to see if it can complete its deal with Marriott by mid-year.

At a time when a lot of brands are looking into virtual reality and 360-degree video to immerse consumers in a destination, this campaign proves that incredible visuals and a killer sense of perspective go a long way toward building brand awareness, and making consumers feel like they're right there with you.

Traveler demand for, and use of, Internet connection services is soaring, creating a dilemma for travel brands that must walk a precarious tightrope between charging for access and risking customer anger over unreliable free service.

Selling off two of its most prized and iconic properties will help Starwood in its asset-light pursuit as it prepares to merge with Marriott by mid-year.

Although most of the rankings fall in line with what you'd normally expect, there were a few surprises. It's also clear hotels have some work to do when it comes to their food quality, amenities, and loyalty programs.

Should publishers of traditional travel guidebooks be concerned? Possibly, if this trend continues to evolve. Especially so, if Instagram becomes a more visually appealing replacement for sites like Yelp or TripAdvisor.

Just when we thought this would be a done deal ... Even so, it's business as usual, and as long as the Vistana spinoff closes before the Marriott one does, there shouldn't be any problems for Starwood.

Roots run deep between Host Hotels and Marriott, obviously. But the fact that Host also owns properties that fly under Starwood and Marriott's brands, among others, gives its perspectives on ownership and operations some serious weight when talking about the future of the big merger and the direct booking wars.

Marriott may have won Starwood in the bidding war of the year (thus far), but it's clear there's a lot of work that lies ahead for the company as it prepares to close its big deal by mid-year.