Starwood Hotels Gives Insider Access to Exclusive Events with New Auction Website

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. and its Starwood Preferred Guest program, the award-winning hotel loyalty program, has introduced a new online auction website where members can use their Starpoints to bid on exclusive, once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

Moments by Starwood Preferred Guest lets members transform their Starpoints into extraordinary lifestyle events - giving them insider access to red carpet movie premieres, closed rehearsals with today's top music artists, private dinners with world-renowned chefs, rounds of golf with PGA TOUR pros and more. Members can visit Moments and bid on a full range of specially created experiences not available anywhere else.

It's Better on the Inside...

Sit in on a private pre-show sound-check with Justin Timberlake or watch Gwen Stefani rehearse unscripted before taking a front row VIP seat at their concerts. Attend the premiere of Showtime's original series The Tudors and mingle with the cast on the red carpet, tour renowned artist Georgia O'Keeffe's private residence or sit ringside at the upcoming Oscar de La Hoya/Floyd Mayweather fight and celebrate at the private post-fight party. These are just a few of the exciting happenings that are now available for bidding. The auction site will be updated regularly and upcoming events include a private dinner with Jean-Georges Vongerichten at his signature, namesake restaurant in New York City, red carpet access to upcoming Hollywood premieres and more.

According to Robin Korman, Vice President of Loyalty Marketing for Starwood, during a three month pilot for the new auction site several events created a bidding war among members. A Justin Timberlake private sound-check session and VIP concert tickets started with a minimum bid of 20,000 Starpoints and was auctioned for more than 120,000 - the equivalent of a 12 night stay at The Westin St. Maarten or Le Meridien Cancun. A Superbowl package, including tickets to the game and access to several private pre-game events, started bidding at 250,000 Starpoints and ultimately sold for more than 500,000.

"Moments by Starwood Preferred Guest give our members access to once-in-a-lifetime events that go beyond just offering tickets to a concert or sporting event," said Korman. "We want to make an emotional connection with our members that extends outside of our hotel doors by providing them with rich experiences that go beyond the world of upgrades and free flights. Moments is designed to play to people's passions with amazing events that are available only to our members."

To make sure members don't miss out on the experience of a lifetime, Moments will introduce a cash and points option to the site shortly - allowing bidders to use a combination of cash and Starpoints for auction events. For more information about Moments by Starwood Preferred Guest please visit Moments.

Hilton Re-launches Two Web Sites and announces Spanish version of the Booking portal.

Hilton Hotels announced the re-launch of two of the brand's online channels - HiltonJourneys.com and HiltonToHome.com. In addition to the two refreshed sites, the brand recently completed the translation of its Hilton.com booking portal into Spanish, and is in the process of completing a French version of the site.

'The explosive and global growth of the Hilton brand has led us to rethink the way we use the internet to connect with our guests,' said Jeff Diskin, senior vice president, brand marketing and management - Hilton Hotels. 'With these refreshed sites we have three unique touch points that allow our guests to connect with Hilton in ways that are most relevant to them.'

HiltonJourneys.com

As demonstrated by its sponsorship of the Grammy Awards and the launch of its award-winning 'Travel Should Take You Places' advertising campaign featuring emerging musicians, Hilton's marketing initiatives use music to connect with consumers at an emotional level. At the new HiltonJourneys.com visitors will be able to follow the personal journeys of the six emerging artists featured in the ads. In addition to videos of the six ads, interviews with the artists and an acoustic performance from each, the web site also features 'Behind the Scenes' interviews with each musician discussing their favourite things to do while travelling.

Also featured on HiltonJourneys.com are many of Hilton's new products and services, including Hilton On Time, a system allowing guests to pre-order items - such as extra towels or pillows, snacks and drinks - for delivery in room upon check in.

HiltonToHome.com

This e-commerce site offers consumers the opportunity to buy 'for home versions' of the same products they enjoy in Hilton hotel rooms. Crabtree and Evelyn(R) La Source bath products, the Hilton Family Exclusive Clock Radio, and Cuisinart Two to Go Coffeemakers are just a few of the items found on this site.

In its upgraded version, Hilton leverages its relationships with strategic partners. The Hilton Serenity Bed Collection, including mattress/box spring and linens, are now branded with 'As Seen on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,' promoting Hilton's relationship with ABC's TV hit program. To further enhance Hilton's sponsorship of the Grammy Awards, visitors to HiltonToHome.com can purchase the 2007 Grammy Nominees CD.

World Travel & Tourism Climbs to US$ 7 Trillion in 2007

World Travel & Tourism is expected to generate in excess of US$7 trillion in 2007, rising to over US$13 trillion over the coming decade according to the World Travel & Tourism Council's (WTTC) Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) research, sponsored by Accenture and prepared by Oxford Economics.

The new TSA results show strong performance for Travel & Tourism Demand in 2007, growing at a rate of 3.9 per cent. This forecast points to a mature but steady phase of growth for World Travel & Tourism in the short and medium term, averaging 4.3 per cent per annum, between 2008 and 2017.

Some findings summarised from the report are:

• The US is still in number one position accounting for US$1,689,3 billion this year
• China is going to gain ground and grow at almost 10% per annum over the next 10 years
• By 2017 the Russian Federation will enter the top 10 countries
• The world’s highest performers are Montenegro, China and India
• Other high performers are Croatia, Romania, Namibia

No mention of South Africa… we ought to be there!

Global Hyatt Launches Bold New Brand - Hyatt Place™ - Designed Around Travellers’ Integrated Mindset

On March 26, Global Hyatt Corporation unveiled its new brand Hyatt Place™, an innovative hotel concept with strong appeal to the “24/7” lifestyle customer.

For this group of sophisticated travellers, personal and professional activities have intermingled. “Hyatt Place is the first hotel of its kind to cater to both the functional and emotional aspects of today’s business and leisure travellers,” said Tom O’Toole, senior vice president of strategy and systems, Global Hyatt Corporation. “For many, the separation between professional and personal life is obsolete, but unfortunately, hotels have not successfully evolved with this trend – until now. Demonstrating that we know what matters most to our guests, we’ve created a hotel brand defined by a mindset of a whole person who is combining personal fulfilment with professional growth while travelling.”

Hyatt Place is designed to meet the needs of this new customer segment and offers travellers a balanced mix of comfortable and functional guestroom amenities such as: 42-inch high-definition televisions with next generation entertainment content; free Wi-Fi access; a comfortable, eight-foot sectional sofa-sleeper, all within an oversized, suite-like room with 20 percent more space than the average hotel room. In addition guests can buy hot breakfast entrées along with Starbucks® specialty coffees or enjoy a free continental breakfast. Hyatt also offers a variety of freshly prepared, café quality items, including made-to-order entrées, sandwiches, soups, salads and pizza which guests can order 24 hours a day, seven days a week via a touch screen menu in the Guest Kitchen or from the Gallery Host.

more about Hyatt Place
press release

Starwood Hotels Brings a New Twist in Travel to Europe

aloha! Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide and its much-anticipated new lifestyle brand, aloft hotels, announced it has signed an agreement with Thornsett Group Ltd, an Irish property development company, to develop the first aloft hotel in Europe, the aloft Brussels, Belgium. The deal was signed at the 10th International Hotel Investment Forum in Berlin last week, when Starwood and its stylish W Hotels division introduced their aloft brand into the Europe, Middle East & Africa regions.

The 150 room aloft Brussels will be located on Rue Belliard, Leopold, in the 'European' quarter of Brussels. The property is conveniently located approximately 800 feet from the European Commission and European Parliament buildings, and just minutes away from the Council of Ministers building.

The site has full planning permission for a mixed-use development with a gross development value of approximately U.S. $105 million. In addition to the aloft hotel, the 74,000 square foot development will also include 108 one- and two-bedroom apartments and approximately 5,000 square feet of retail space with parking. Construction will begin in the Fall of this year, with completion scheduled for Fall 2009.

"We say aloha to Europe with the introduction of aloft hotels, a new lifestyle brand that will redefine travel, delivering style with substance and a fun new way to play and stay," said Ross Klein, President of Starwood's Luxury Brands Group and aloft hotels. "From Brussels to Beijing and beyond, aloft brings a sassy, refreshing oasis to a global market."

"With aloft we are reinventing the select service category, and are thrilled to be working with Thornsett Group to bring the first aloft hotel into Europe," said Roeland Vos, President Europe, Middle East & Africa, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. "Brussels is a great city for aloft's first exposure to Europe, and the hotel will deliver great style, comfort, design and functionality to travellers. We look forward to this development being the start of a long term relationship with Thornsett Group."

As a division of W Hotels, aloft is shaking up the lodging industry with urban-influenced design, accessible technology, style and a social atmosphere. aloft offers a total sensory experience, with guest lofts featuring loft-like nine-foot ceilings and oversized windows to create a bright, airy environment. The centrepiece of the loft room is the ultra-comfortable signature bed, and large stylish bathrooms complement the guest experience with oversized walk-in showers and amenities created by bliss spa. Each guest loft is also a combination high-tech office and entertainment centre, featuring wireless internet access and plug & play, a one-stop connectivity solution for multiple electronic gadgetry such as PDAs, cell phones, mp3 players and laptops - all linked to a large flat panel HDTV ready television for optimal sound and viewing.

Designed in conjunction with world-renowned David Rockwell and the Rockwell Group, aloft stays true to W's heritage, offering atmospheric public spaces designed to draw guests from their rooms to socialize and make friends. Guests can read the paper, work on their laptops via hotel-wide wireless internet access, play a game of pool or grab a drink with friends at the re:mix communal lobby area and bar w xyz. The re:charge fitness centre and splash, the indoor or outdoor pool, give travellers options to de-stress and re-energize; while re:fuel, a one-stop food and beverage area, offers sweet, savoury and healthy food, snacks and beverages to grab & go, 24-hours a day.

The first aloft hotels are targeted to open in first quarter, 2008. For more information on aloft, please visit www.alofthotels.com.

To date, announced locations for aloft hotels are:
ALOFT BEIJING – CHINA - Opening in 2009, the 200-room aloft Beijing will be located in Haidian district, a major information technology hub in Beijing, as well as the Haidian government district and site of major universities and research institutes.

ALOFT CHANTILLY, VIRGINIA – USA - aloft Chantilly, a 131-room property featuring aloft's loft-inspired design, accessible technology and stylish, urban attitude is scheduled to open in Virginia in 2008.

ALOFT CHARLESTON AIRPORT, SOUTH CAROLINA – USA - Located in the historic coastal city of Charleston, South Carolina, aloft Charleston is just minutes from Charleston International Airport, and is scheduled to open in 2008.

ALOFT DORVAL, MONTREAL AIRPORT, QUEBEC – CANADA - The 136-room aloft Dorval will offer travellers a refreshing new place to stay in Montreal, right at the entrance to the Pierre Elliot Trudeau International Airport. Construction is scheduled to start in 2007, with a projected opening in 2008.

ALOFT RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CALIFORNIA – USA - The world's first franchised aloft hotel, aloft Rancho Cucamonga broke ground in Southern California in January 2007 and will open in early 2008. The 136-room aloft is the hotel component of HavenPark, a $60 million master-planned, mixed-use development.

ALOFT TORONTO, ONTARIO – CANADA - Featuring 250 rooms, the aloft Toronto is slated to open in 2008. The hotel is located adjacent to Victoria Memorial Square Park, an area known for its lifestyle offerings, including some of the city's best restaurants and residential projects.

2007 US Business Travel Awards

The 2007 Business Travel Awards aren't based on a reader poll or an empirical ranking a la Consumer Reports. Instead, it's chooses companies that do a great job of serving the "road warrior" --and the CFO. Take a look at these award winners and the stories behind them:

• Best Airline Value: JetBlue Airways
• Best Budget Hotel Value: Microtel
• Best Midprice Hotel Value: Hilton Garden Inn
• Best Upscale Hotel Value: W Hotels
• Best New Hotel Brand: Hotel Indigo
• Best Car Rental Value: Enterprise Rent-a-Car
• Best Site: Booking Buddy
• Best Blog: Ellipses
• Best Rewards: Rapid Rewards

Sun International to buy stake in Chilean firm

Sun International has agreed to buy a 40% stake in a Chilean firm that holds a 15-year casino licence covering the capital Santiago, it said today.

You can read the article on Business Day