Starwood Promotes Brand Experience and Innovation

When 12-year-old Claudia Kincaid and her 9-year-old brother Jamie decide to run away in 1967’s The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, they head off to New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, where they sleep in a big, antique bed and they make money from the coins tourists throw into the fountains. 

If the fictional pair were to hit the road today, they might want to head to the headquarters of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide in Stamford, Connecticut. That is where the company has opened its new two-level Starwood Experience, an open idea lab that might also appeal to another young hotel lover (Eloise). The showcase invites visitors to check out what’s coming next in a few “next generation model guest rooms,” according to a press release. (Certainly this would feel better than the old lumpy antique bed at the Met.) 

The idea is to test out new innovations in two- and three-dimensional design, guest-facing technology, brand programming, event activation in public spaces, and food and beverage initiatives for such Starwood hotel brands as Sheraton, Westin, Le Meridien, Aloft, Element and Four Points by Sheraton.


"We developed The Starwood Experience as a way to tell the Starwood story and give our partners a real immersion into how we drive design and creativity and create unique experiences for our guests," stated Phil McAveety, Starwood’s Chief Brand Officer. "As importantly, this is a working lab for us to experiment with what's new and next in a world where brand building is ever more dynamic and fast-paced."

And if things get too fast-paced, it’s a nice place for employees to take a nap.