Sheraton Hotels and Resorts
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Sheraton Hotels and Resorts | |
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| Slogan | Belong |
|---|---|
| Type | Hotel |
| Founded | 1937 |
| Headquarters | White Plains, NY |
| Key people | Steve Heyer, CEO Starwood, Joseph Gelchion, SVP Sheraton Brand Operations |
| Industry | Hotel chain, tourism |
| Products | Hotels & Resorts |
| Website | Sheraton Hotels |
Sheraton Hotels and Resorts is Starwood Hotels & Resorts' largest and second oldest brand (Westin is the oldest). Sheraton serves the needs of both business and leisure travelers in locations from Argentina to Zimbabwe. Starwood's headquarters are in White Plains, New York.
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[edit] Sheraton History
The brand, now known as Sheraton, began in 1937 when two entrepreneurs, Ernest Henderson and Robert Moore acquired the Stonehaven Hotel in Springfield, Massachusetts.
They soon expanded their holdings to include properties from Maine to Florida. In 1945 it was the first hotel chain to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange (this claim is also made by competitor Hilton Hotels).
Sheraton expanded internationally in 1949 with the purchase of two Canadian hotel chains and grew rapidly around the world. The 1960s saw the first Sheraton hotels in Latin America and the Middle East and, by 1965, the 100th Sheraton opened its doors. The multinational conglomerate ITT purchased the chain in 1968, after which it was known as ITT Sheraton.
In 1995, ITT Sheraton introduced the Four Points mid-priced brand. At this time, many Sheraton Inns were rebranded to Four Points.
In 1998 Sheraton and its sister brands Four Points by Sheraton, St. Regis, and The Luxury Collection were acquired by Starwood.
[edit] Sheraton Today
Seeking to go beyond the traditional hotel experience, the Sheraton brand recently began its transformation of the guest experience, culminating in the April 2006 “You Belong” campaign and the “Share Your Story” web effort that featured the creation of a virtual album of guest stories, photos, and video.
On April 10th, 2006, Sheraton announced the launch of its new emotionally driven “You Belong” campaign. Sheraton’s ad campaign, titled “Greetings,” was the result of a yearlong revamp of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc’s. marketing and brand strategy.
The TV commercial element of the “You Belong” campaign, was created by Deutsch and directed by Jan Vogel and Rene Villar-Rios (who are credited with campaigns for brands like Nike and Coca-Cola), and was a departure from traditional amenities-based hotel advertising. The commercial intercuts many different people, in different parts of the world, engaged in a variety of greetings. The action is set to a new rendition of the Pat Benatar song "We Belong.” Underscoring the Sheraton brand’s position as the world’s most global hotel brand, “Greetings” tag asserts: "The greetings are different, the need to feel welcome is the same. You don't just stay here - You Belong."
One of the most visible elements of the transformation, the “You Belong” project was developed to introduce the brand’s new positioning around warm, comforting, connections. Extending these core values to its web presence, Sheraton reached out to guests, turning its website into a forum for travelers, inviting guests to share travel tips, adventures, favorite photos, and videos. The result is an ongoing collage of global experiences, the goal being not just building a relationship with Sheraton, but among guests, creating what Sheraton calls its “Global Neighborhood,” a nod to its now-global footprint as well as the existence of communities within communities.
Sheraton has extended the warm, comforting, connections concept to both families and corporate travelers. Sheraton reached out to corporate travelers with the Yahoo! Link @ Sheraton, a communal lounge area in the lobby with a plasma screen television, multiple internet-enabled workstations, free wired and wireless Internet connectivity, and the ability to email, surf the internet, and print.
Since the Sheraton’s brands launch of Yahoo! Link @ Sheraton in San Diego, similar initiatives have expanded to Bangkok (Thailand), Boston (USA), Brussels (Belgium), Buenos Aires (Argentina) and Iguazu Falls (Argentina).
