NEW FAMILY PROGRAMS ROLLOUT GLOBALLY AT MORE THAN 300 HOTELS & RESORTS
STAMFORD, CONN. --
Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) has announced the
launch of new family programs rolling out at more than 300 Le Méridien
and Westin Hotels & Resorts
around the world. In response to the growing global demand of family
travel and their evolving needs, both programs reinvent the kids club
concept, reimagine family experiences within the hotel and introduce
more meaningful branded amenities for young travellers.
With multigenerational family travel on the rise, the programs
specifically cater to the new way modern families travel, with any
combination of parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents traveling with
children of all ages.
“Today’s family
travellers are more active, more global and more socially-connected than
ever before, and the way they travel together has changed
dramatically,” said Brian Povinelli, Global Brand Leader, Le Méridien
and Westin Hotels & Resorts. “In speaking with our most loyal
guests, we know that the new dream vacation - for many - looks like an
active adventure, exploring new destinations and experiencing a new
culture. To help us develop these new family programs,
we also zeroed in on insights from our littlest travellers, who will
define expectations and inspire the future of family travel.”
From interactive
programming and signature amenities offered at all hotels to physical
play spaces at many resorts, both programs celebrate “the Universal
Language of Play” – a concept that connotes that playing
knows no borders or language barriers but is a vehicle to explore,
learn, develop new skills, express ideas and build relationships with
others. The Westin Family program draws inspiration from nature to
promote a sense of well-being; while Le Méridien Family
channels the inherent creativity and curiosity of children to unlock
destinations through the brand’s Filters of Discovery—Coordinates,
Culture and Cuisine.
Design-Savvy, Eco-Conscious & Culturally-Connected:
Today’s Small Travellers Set a High Bar for Next Gen Kids Clubs
The Westin Family Kids
Club is informed by the brand’s Six Pillars of Well-being, featuring
dedicated space for children to eat well, play well, feel well, work
well, move well and sleep (or nap) well. The thoughtful
design of the kids clubs was created with a focus on biophilia, which
suggests that a connection to nature enhances well-being. The colors
found in nature inspired the playful but sophisticated palette, creating
a space that feels youthful and energetic. Meandering
pathways guide kids to explore and learn, building on the idea that
there are no straight lines in nature. The design also includes an
extension of the brand’s Vertical Garden, which allows kids to
experience nature and gardening hands-on. Like Haven, Westin’s
design-driven lobby concept, the approach to The Westin Family Kids
Club includes thoughtful zoning and elements designed to promote
well-being as well as playing, relaxing and achieving.
“Gone are the days where
children want to spend time surrounded by over-stuffed book shelves,
plastic chairs and cartoon characters plastered on the wall,” said Erin
Hoover, Vice President, Global Brand Design,
Westin Hotels & Resorts. “Westin has taken special care to create
spaces that are both good for the environment and healthy for younger
guests. We consciously used responsibly sourced, recycled and low-impact
materials with the goal to improve indoor air quality,
encourage exposure to natural light and promote outdoor activity.”
Similarly,
the narrative of Le Méridien Family Kids Club stays true to the design
principles of the brand and as such, is the
first hotel kids clubs inspired by mid-century modernism. The dedicated
children’s spaces feature impactful arrival art work, flexible seating
and styling elements that playfully mirror the Le Méridien Hub – the
brand’s innovative lobby concept, reflecting
its creative spirit, inspired by coffeehouses, travel and culture.
“From
big to small, our guests are creative and curious-minded travellers,
and the design and programming at Le Méridien Family
Kids Clubs allows for children to express their creativity in
unexpected ways and learn about the destination they are visiting,” said
Julie Frank, Global Director of Design, Le Meridien Hotels &
Resorts.
Le
Méridien Family Kids Clubs draws inspiration from each hotel’s
destination, bringing a layer of local culture and allusions
to iconic landmarks into the design, while the programming continues to
“unlock the destination” with local musical instruments and artful yet
playful games and toys. For instance, stylized life-size maps harken to
coordinates and encourage kids to note where
they are from in the world, creating icebreakers and conversation
starters. Even the snacks served at the Kids Club have a level of
interaction and embrace exposure to local cuisines and ingredients as an
enriching experience.
Families Disconnect to Reconnect:
More Mobile with Less Free Time, Families Value Shared Experiences
Designed through the
lens of accomplishment and wonder, The Westin Family program offers a
variety of interactive activities that help children of all age groups
connect with their environment. Both urban and
resort hotels encourage exploration, from crab-hunting at The Westin
Blue Bay Resort & Spa in Hainan, China to cooking activities
fostered by the brand’s partnership with SuperChefs at The Westin Hilton
Head Resort & Spa in South Carolina.
The family program
echoes the Westin mantra that all guests should leave feeling better
than when they arrived, not only the adults; though the wellness
experiences have proven popular with parents and grandparents
as well. “Generation X now loves health and wellness travel,
too—especially coming out of the 2008 recession and as they age,” Julia
Cosgrove, VP and Editor in Chief, AFAR Media, which has partnered with
Westin on local city guides. “As one travel advisor
put it, it’s all about ‘kale, quinoa, and cardio.’ These travellers
want to get away, quickly disconnect, get in shape and bond with
family.”
Le Méridien Family aims
to ignite the imagination, so that young and old travellers can discover
together. For instance, Le Méridien Ra Beach Hotel & Resort in
Barcelona offers families of all ages the opportunity
to unlock the destination with bicycle tours and photography lessons
with access to the brand’s exclusive UNLOCKArt art partners in the area.
Many hotels, like Le Méridien Phuket and Le Méridien Monte Carlo, offer
experiences like
Pétanque and a coffee and cocoa workshop that playfully harken back to the roots of the Parisian-born brand.
Part Playful, Part Educational:
Partners like the LEGO® Group and Imagination Playground Drive Booking Decisions
Earlier in the year, Le
Méridien announced a global partnership with the LEGO® Group to offer a
welcome amenity to children checking-in to any of its more than 100
hotels and resorts worldwide. Children up to
age 12 will be greeted with a LEGO® toy to enjoy during their stay and
take home as a keepsake from their travels.
Le Méridien has also
engaged Imagination Playground, created by David Rockwell in cooperation
with KaBOOM!, whose goal is to create play spaces that allow children
to create, inspire, and imagine. A perfect fit
for family-focused hotels like Le Méridien Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Golf
Resort & Spa, Imagination Playground encourages kids to be
designers, using the multiple pieces to create their own play space and
tell their own story.
“More
than two-thirds of our guests look at family programming when making
hotel booking decisions, and increasingly, they value
educational and cultural activities that promote outdoor play,”
continued Povinelli. “The goal of our partnerships is to foster
togetherness and broaden a child’s perspective of the world. Whether
unlocking a destination with Le Méridien or connecting with
nature at Westin, we hope to strengthen bonds and create memories among
families and our youngest guests that are sure to last.”
Family Focus Groups & SPG Members Survey Inform New Global Family Offer
In partnership with C
Space, a customer collaboration agency, Starwood surveyed SPG Members
around the world as the Westin and Le Méridien brands were developing
new family programs. Roughly half of guests surveyed
with children are traveling differently now than they were five years
ago. They tend to travel farther and stay longer, and increasingly, the
cost and amount of guestroom space have become factors in their hotel
booking decisions.
With these trends in
mind, Westin and Le Méridien have introduced a global family package,
where children eat free and have complimentary access to kids clubs, and
families can receive a discount when booking
a second room or have the option to book connecting rooms, based on
availability.
Looking Ahead:
The Future of Family Travel for Westin & Le Méridien
In conjunction with the
global rollout of Westin and Le Méridien family programs, celebrations
will take place globally, including family activities such as language
lessons, shell-painting, star-gazing and local
exploration tours in some of the world’s most exciting destinations
from New York to Dubai, Panama to Phuket.
Additionally, both
brands plan to introduce new kids clubs in new markets, including the
United States, the United Arab Emirates, Spain, Mauritius, and Thailand
with more in the pipeline for 2016. Early next year,
The Westin Tashee Resort in Taiwan will fete families with the grand
opening of the hotel, which will feature the largest Westin Family Kids
Club in the world.
For more information about Westin Family or Le Méridien Family, please visit:
www.westin.com/family or follow
#WonderAwaits and www.lemeridien.com/family or follow
#DiscoverTogether.
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About Westin Hotels & Resorts
Westin Hotels & Resorts,
a leader in wellness and
hospitality for more than a decade, lives its philosophy “For a Better
You™” through the brand’s six pillars of well-being: Feel Well, Work
Well, Move Well, Eat Well, Sleep Well and Play Well. At more than 200
hotels and resorts in nearly 40 countries and
territories, guests can experience offerings that include the iconic
Heavenly® Bed, RunWESTIN™ and Westin Gear Lending with New Balance®,
delicious and nutritious SuperFoodsRx™, the innovative workspace
Tangent, Westin Weekend signature experiences, and Heavenly
Bath and Heavenly Spa. Westin is proud to offer Starwood Preferred
Guest®, the industry’s leading loyalty program. To learn more, visit
www.starwoodhotels.com/westin. Stay connected to Westin: @westin on
Twitter and
Instagram and
facebook.com/Westin.
About Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts
With
more than 100 Hotels & Resorts worldwide and the strongest, most
globally diverse portfolio in its history, the Paris-born
Le Méridien
brand connects the curious and creative-minded traveller to unexpected
and engaging experiences within their destination. With its
brand promise of “Destination Unlocked”, Le Méridien has transformed
numerous guest touch points through global partnerships with creative
minds such as illy, the LEGO® Group,
Johnny
Iuzzini,
Gray
Malin, and
Nouvelle
Vague. Plans call for dynamic
portfolio
expansion within the next five
years in some of the world’s most exciting destinations, concentrating
on markets in Asia-Pacific and the Americas. For more information,
please visit
LeMéridien.com
or follow us on social media –Facebook,
Instagram, and
Twitter.
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