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Westin Hotels Revolutionizes the Way Business Travelers Work with New Project Hive Concept

By: Westin Hotels & Resorts |  0 Shares     78 Reads

Highly Functional, Technology Driven, Flexible Space Designed to Support Today’s Mobile Worker

Book a Small Meeting at a Moment’s Notice - On-line and By the Hour

STAMFORD, Conn. - (BUSINESS WIRE) - Today, Westin Hotels & Resorts announces a revolutionary new workspace concept that re-invents the antiquated business center model to meet the changing needs of today’s business traveler. After conducting in-depth guest research and monitoring business traveler trends, Westin is transforming business centers and specially dedicated spaces at its hotels around the world into highly-functional, fully-equipped workspaces. Modeled to support today’s mobile traveler, the interconnected workspace dubbed Project Hive features media:scape by Steelcase technology, video conferencing, seamless connectivity and collaboration areas. The Workspace is perfect for small impromptu meetings and can be booked by the hour, at a moment’s notice. Designed to offer guests a place to work well, efficiently, and comfortably on the road, the new workspace is currently available at The Westin Boston Waterfront and The Westin Arlington Gateway Hotel and soon at the Westin Grand Munich with plans to roll-out globally through 2013.

75% of U.S. Workforce is Mobile – Westin Introduces a Space for the Way People Work Today

In the U.S. 75% of the workforce is mobile and by 2013 one-third of the global workforce will follow suit. Today’s business travelers are more mobile and global than ever and are in need of a turn-key business and meeting solution designed for collaboration and connectivity. While the majority of today’s companies have moved towards office space that is more open, functional and technology driven, hotel business centers and small meeting facilities have remained low-tech, hidden, and often unused. Westin’s concept turns the traditional offerings on its head and offers guests a modern, fully-equipped and technology savvy space designed to promote productivity.

The brand’s signature new workspace features:

• media:scape by Steelcase technology that offers an interactive space for participants to access and share digital information quickly and seamlessly. Video conferencing is also available at a four person seated workspace.
• Samsung televisions, printers, sound systems, Xbox 360® for games or DVDs.
• Floor-to-ceiling white boards and fully stocked office supplies offer convenience and promote collaboration.
• Wired and wireless internet for no additional fee. Flexible outlets are also located throughout the space allowing devices to power up regardless of location.
• Privacy for groups of up to four to conduct small group meetings or hold calls and teleconferences.
• Quick, impromptu online bookings from anywhere with LiquidSpace.com.

“The one-size-fit-all small meeting spaces and traditional business centers no longer support the way today’s mobile traveler works,” said Brian Povinelli, Global Brand Leader for Westin Hotels. “More than 70% of business travelers told us that an environment that better supports their work objectives would significantly improve their business travel experience and 48% said having facilities available whenever they wanted to use them would positively impact the quality of their hotel stay. While a hotel room or lobby is a place where you can do work, this workspace was specifically designed as a smart room that promotes productivity and reflects today’s social and work trends.”

High Design Meets High Performance

Westin’s Vice President of Design Erin Hoover worked with her team to create a space that also embraced the trend of “co-working” where flexible, temporary, collaborative workspaces are becoming imperative for high-performance work. Within a small footprint of 260 square feet or less, the workspace consists of communal, interactive and individual work zones.

• The whiteboard area and the media:scape by Steelcase is a collaborative zone used for presentation preparation and brainstorming sessions.
• Closets behind the whiteboards store everything a guest needs, from pens to light refreshments.
• Individuals find comfort in the lounge area and can utilize wired or wireless technology regardless of location in the room.

The design team used Westin’s inspiration from nature to create the color palate for the space and a large-scale wall mural. The inspiration for the mural was derived from Fibonacci sequences, which is a sequence of numbers that generate patterns found in nature, like the spiral of a shell. The color palette was also inspired by colors found in minerals and crystals to create a neutral base of grey, with accents of amber, emerald and sapphire blue.

Westin Continues to Innovate

The brand’s innovative new workspace concept joins a host of initiatives recently introduced by Westin Hotels & Resorts that have been designed with the guests’ well-being in mind. Most recently, Westin announced a complete refresh of the WestinWORKOUT® program to match the evolving fitness trends among guests and further enhance the brand’s goal of promoting well-being in travel. In September 2011, Westin launched a brand-wide Associate Enrichment program, introducing the brand’s “Elements of Well-Being Platform” to more than 25,000 associates around the world through key touch points. In May 2011, the brand unveiled its groundbreaking “For a Better You” ad campaign that uses artistic imagery to depict the “Elements of Well-Being” that help Westin guests leave feeling better than when they arrived. In December 2010, Westin announced an exclusive partnership with New Balance, helping hotel guests overcome the hurdles of exercising on the road by providing New Balance footwear, apparel and fitness program content to its guests to borrow. To learn about Westin’s latest innovations, follow us on Facebook.com/westin.

About Westin Hotels & Resorts

Westin Hotels & Resorts makes the healthiest choices irresistibly appealing, so guests leave feeling better than when they arrived. With more than 186 hotels and resorts in over 36 countries and territories, Westin is owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT). Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with 1,103 properties in nearly 100 countries and 154,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels, resorts and residences with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis^®, The Luxury Collection^®, W^®, Westin^®, Le Méridien^®, Sheraton^®, Four Points^® by Sheraton, Aloft^®, and Element^SM. The Company boasts one of the industry’s leading loyalty programs, Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG), allowing members to earn and redeem points for room stays, room upgrades and flights, with no blackout dates. Starwood also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., a premier provider of world-class vacation experiences through villa-style resorts and privileged access to Starwood brands. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com.

(Note: This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal securities regulations. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or events and involve risks and uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated at the time the forward-looking statements are made. These risks and uncertainties are presented in detail in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Although we believe the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, we can give no assurance that our expectations will be attained or that results and events will not materially differ. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.)

Contacts:

Media

Westin Hotels & Resorts
Nadeen Ayala, 203-351-2542
Nadeen.ayala@starwoodhotels.com

Nancy J. Friedman PR
Jenna Newmark / Courtney Long
212-228-1500
Jenna@NJFPR.com / Courtney@NJFPR.com

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