Starwood Preferred Guest Launches New Twitter, Facebook and iPhone
Applications
SPG Connects Members to Starwood and Each Other Through Industry
Leading Social Media Initiatives
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Starwood Preferred Guest® (SPG) today announces the launch of a new
suite of Twitter, Facebook and iPhone? applications, which can be
accessed at www.spg.com/stayconnected.
The move comes as part of the SPG program?s overall commitment to
providing insider access for its loyal guests by tapping into the power
of social media.
SPG is the first hotel loyalty program to establish a presence in these
leading social media and mobile networks. And the SPG program sees
social media as a key platform for further engaging an influential and
rapidly growing segment of its members.
According to research, SPG members are highly active social media
participants with 50 percent indicating frequent involvement ? and those
particular members book and stay more frequently. In fact, SPG members
engaged in social networks are nearly 20 percent more likely to book a
Starwood hotel than other SPG members. And SPG members who create blogs
are nearly 80 percent more likely to book.
?We want to be everywhere our guests are, and our savvy members are
spending more and more of their time engaged in sites like Twitter and
Facebook and on mobile devices like the iPhone,? said Chris Holdren,
Senior Vice President of Web Services and Starwood Preferred Guest. ?By
launching these new applications, we are able to foster positive
relationships with our most valued customers and add meaningful benefits
to their travel experiences, both online and offline.?
SPG Develops Industry?s First Travel Tips Mash-Up, Powered by
Twitter and Google Maps
In June, SPG became the first hotel loyalty program to engage guests
though its Twitter account @spginsider. Now, SPG is breaking new ground
with SPG Insider, the industry?s first travel tips mash-up. By ?mashing
up? the functionalities of Twitter and Google Maps, SPG Insider enables
travelers to post insider tips ? or ?tweets? ? on restaurants, bars and
entertainment options around the world from their mobile Twitter
application of choice. SPG Insider then instantly uploads
the tip and places it on the map using the longitude and latitude
coordinates of the device from which it was sent. Other travelers can
then search the map on www.spg.com/insider
for ideas on places to go near their destination.
While the growth of SPG Insider will be largely dependent upon consumer
submissions, concierges at Starwood?s hotels around the world will play
a pivotal role in the evolution of the application. They have already
loaded reviews of some of their favorite local hot spots contributing to
nearly 2000 points of interest to date, and will continually update the
site with their insider recommendations.
With New SPG TripShare, Facebook Friends Can Post, Search and View
Trip Photos
SPG is building on its existing presence on Facebook with the new photo
application ? SPG TripShare which was developed in conjunction with
Buddy Media. Created to give travelers the ability to post, search and
view photos of their recent trips, SPG TripShare enhances Facebook?s
standard photo albums by providing additional customization and search
features.
To use SPG TripShare, Facebook members simply choose their five favorite
vacation photos, tag them with descriptions of their choice and submit
them to be posted at www.spg.com/tripshare.
Friends, family and other travel fans can then search the photo albums
by member name or by using descriptive terms like ?resort? or ?skiing.?
?We know that travel is all about creating memories, and photos are a
key way we capture and share them,? said Holdren. ?With SPG TripShare,
we will provide a forum for our loyal SPG members, as well as those who
are not, to share their memories and search for new trip ideas and
inspiration.?
?SPG TripShare is an outstanding example of how premier consumer brands
are tapping the social web to deepen their engagement with existing
customers and reaching new customers in a viral, word-of-mouth fashion,
which is one of the most effective forms of marketing? said Mike
Lazerow, CEO of Buddy Media. ?We look forward to helping SPG track and
analyze SPG TripShare?s impact on customer growth, brand awareness and
brand affinity.?
With a Touch of the Finger, SPG Members can Tap into the Power of
the Starwood Network
To provide members on the go with one touch access to their accounts,
SPG has rolled out a mobile application for Apple?s popular iPhone. The
new app allows SPG members to easily access travel information on the
road, right from their iPhone or iPod touch®. Using the app, members can
jump onto their SPG account to view their Starpoints® balance, find
details about their upcoming hotel stays and get door-to-door directions
to their hotel ? all free of charge. The SPG iPhone app can be accessed
on iTunes® at www.spg.com/iPhoneApp.
About Starwood Preferred Guest
The SPG program?s breakthrough policy of No Blackout Dates at the
world?s most sought after collection of hotels, reinvented the
hospitality loyalty program when it launched in 1999. By creating a
program centered on its members, SPG has developed the most passionate
and knowledgeable membership base in the hotel loyalty space. Through
its use of new technologies and innovative channels such as SPG.com,
SPG.com/flights, thelobby.com and others, SPG continues to innovate and
lead the industry. By offering No Blackouts on standard rooms at 940
properties, No Blackouts on hundreds of airlines, and once in a lifetime
experiences available through SPG Moments, the program has proven to be
a big draw for the world?s most frequent travelers, and a significant
competitive advantage for Starwood. For more information about Starwood
Preferred Guest please visit SPG.com or call (877) ? STARWOOD.
About Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel
and leisure companies in the world with 960 properties in 97 countries
and 145,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood
Hotels 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, and the recently launched Aloft®,
and ElementSM. Starwood Hotels also owns Starwood Vacation
Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high
quality vacation interval ownership resorts. For more information,
please visit www.starwoodhotels.com.
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Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc
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Headquarters:
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White Plains, New York
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Website: |
http://www.starwood.com
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CEO:
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Frits van Paasschen
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Employees:
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155,000
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Ticker:
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HOT
(NYSE)
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Revenues:
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n/a (2006)
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Net Income:
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n/a (2006)
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Source: via Business Wire
Updated
06/05/2008
by company
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