The Strategy Elements of Westin Hotel & Resorts---Wang Di

Westin Hotels & Resorts is owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. 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 ElementSM. 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. https://www.facebook.com/SPG?group_id=0

Westin Hotel & Resorts, with more than 186 hotels and resorts in over 36 countries and territories, with no blackout dates.  Indulges guests in elements of well-being, refreshing ambience, innovative programs and thoughtful amenities help provide a stay that leaves guests feeling better than when you arrived. Makes the healthiest choices irresistibly appealing, so guests leave feeling better than when they arrived.

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/westin/index.html

 In addition, Westin Hotel & Resort has objects of ICT strategies which can be divided into four elements in        order to achieve competitive advantages. These strategies are as follow:

¨        Westin Hotel uses ICT to develop unique products and add value, and differentiate product or services of company. For example: hotel provides different superior rooms and the building provides so many different outlooks. the rooms are clearly categorized to ensure transparency and consistency – a return guest should know precisely what to expect from any room type. An unusual feature is the choice of minibar stock. Each room offers wine produced by world-class chefs.

¨        Hotel use information as a product itself because the project called SPG (Starwood Preferred Guest) can provide regular customers with convenience, they can get discount or privilege to get their preferred room, food, even bed.

¨        Westin Hotel really uses ICT strategies to focuses on the specific market. For example the Westin Lighter Quay market base will be a mixture of corporates, leisure packages, some conference and incentive guests and high end tourists (typically European and American). Also enhance the ability to create proper market.

¨        Westin Hotel uses ICT to solve time-related problems, for example, ICT provides timely solution to consumer and trade problem, maximize interaction and reduce response time. Rather than an impersonal desk area, the hotel uses more intimate pods for check in and check out - thus creating less of a barrier between the guest and hotel staff.

¨        As one of the Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. Westin has many sister hotels, those other hotels which belong to Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. are all alliances, they use ICT to share information in intranet and concentrate on core business integrate value chain, also they outsourcing non-core business to partner, such as they sigh to airline companies or tourism agencies by means of extranet in order to make convenience to customers.

¨        Westin Hotel also uses ICT　to identify and develop new niche markets and products, creating new products and add value to existing products. For example, the Heavenly Bed is of course a strong feature of hotel because hotel advocates “sleep well”. So, there is also a variety kinds of meters lap pool and pillows in the bed. Also, recently, Westin Hotel announces a revolutionary new highly-functional, fully-equipped workspace concept that re-invents the antiquated business center model to meet the changing needs of today’s business traveler. 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.

All in all, Westin Hotel senses are celebrated at the Westin – so it is just as well the facility will be 100 per cent smoke free. The brand adopted a smoke free policy in 2005. And it's quite different to other brands; Westin focus on the person themselves.

Reference: Business Wire (English), 05/09/2012

                 Hospitality July 2007