Sheraton Grand Hotels - new designation
#16
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I don't think elevating certain hotels with the Grand moniker will do anything to cause detriment to non-Grand properties. If I'm not mistaken, Starwood's portfolio by category is something along these lines:
Luxury: St Regis, Luxury Collection
Lifestyle: W
Upper-upscale: Le Méridien, Westin, Tribute
Upscale: Sheraton
Mid-range: Four Points, Aloft
Extended stay: Element
I think Sheraton Grand hotels would edge them closer to the upper-upscale category; they're still Sheratons but with more enhanced and dynamic offerings and designs, so just an improvement on an already good product. The Sheraton brand is being spruced up anyway, so I wouldn't worry about brand standards dropping anytime soon.
Tangent: call me picky, but is it a bit sloppy that within the Grand subsection of the Sheraton brand you've got Grand and Grande? I know it's one letter that doesn't take away from the overall meaning, but if you're going for brand unity then shouldn't they all stick to the same name?
khabah
Luxury: St Regis, Luxury Collection
Lifestyle: W
Upper-upscale: Le Méridien, Westin, Tribute
Upscale: Sheraton
Mid-range: Four Points, Aloft
Extended stay: Element
I think Sheraton Grand hotels would edge them closer to the upper-upscale category; they're still Sheratons but with more enhanced and dynamic offerings and designs, so just an improvement on an already good product. The Sheraton brand is being spruced up anyway, so I wouldn't worry about brand standards dropping anytime soon.
Tangent: call me picky, but is it a bit sloppy that within the Grand subsection of the Sheraton brand you've got Grand and Grande? I know it's one letter that doesn't take away from the overall meaning, but if you're going for brand unity then shouldn't they all stick to the same name?
khabah
#17
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Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 932
Tangent: call me picky, but is it a bit sloppy that within the Grand subsection of the Sheraton brand you've got Grand and Grande? I know it's one letter that doesn't take away from the overall meaning, but if you're going for brand unity then shouldn't they all stick to the same name?
khabah
khabah
It's really not that different from Hyatt, I think. They had the lone Grand Hyatt New York for a while in the early 80s before they started building other hotels and calling them "Grand Hyatt" and eventually started marketing them as an individual sub-brand.
Last edited by James Luckard; Aug 19, 2015 at 4:22 pm
#18
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#19
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This could be exciting stuff. I'm a big fan of non-US based Sheratons and look forward to this new designation.
With the risk of me being overly pedantic though, I just wanted to vent and say that it really gets to me when press releases like this are signed off with spelling mistakes as well as nonsensical wording. "The launch of the brand’s new visual identify"? "New imaginative Paired lobby menu"? If the announcement didn't mention the "$100m Sheraton-focused marketing campaign" I would have probably thought that there was no money set aside for promotion... If you're looking for a wordsmith, I'm available!
Best of luck for the redesign. 2020 is awfully close!
With the risk of me being overly pedantic though, I just wanted to vent and say that it really gets to me when press releases like this are signed off with spelling mistakes as well as nonsensical wording. "The launch of the brand’s new visual identify"? "New imaginative Paired lobby menu"? If the announcement didn't mention the "$100m Sheraton-focused marketing campaign" I would have probably thought that there was no money set aside for promotion... If you're looking for a wordsmith, I'm available!
Best of luck for the redesign. 2020 is awfully close!
#20
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#21
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If the criterion was to look for Sheratons that already have the word Grand in their names, perhaps we should check whether places like Grand Rapids or Grand Forks have Sheratons. There must be some Sheratons already located in Grand cities and towns. In fact, is there a Grand Sheraton in NYC named after Grand Central station?
#22
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 6,978
Sheraton is supposed to be an up-scale hotel. In the past the name Sheraton meant something: upscale, full-service, one of a kind. It is ashamed most Sheratons now seems to be dated, ordinary, and subpar services. Adding another tier "Sheraton Grand" doesn't help that. It seems to be Starwoods way of accepting what has happened to their main Sheraton brand (becoming ordinary) and creates another tier "Sheraton Grand" to be what Sheraton was supposed to be: upscale, full-service, one of a kind.
#23
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 6,978
Looks like a new site has gone live: www.sheratongrand.com
#24
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Location: Sydney, Australia
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Posts: 3,598
Correct me if I am wrong. Le Meridien has already had such moniker for a long time in that some properties are Le Royal Meridien rather than Le Meridien.
#26
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Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 932
That was a classification Le Meridien used far more commonly till about five years ago. They've almost completely done away with it though, much like "Sheraton Gateway". I think there are only two "Le Royal Meridien" properties left, in Shanghai and Dubai. I'm sure this is again a legacy of long-term contracts.
Last edited by James Luckard; Aug 19, 2015 at 6:34 pm
#27
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Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 932
Sheraton is supposed to be an up-scale hotel. In the past the name Sheraton meant something: upscale, full-service, one of a kind. It is ashamed most Sheratons now seems to be dated, ordinary, and subpar services. Adding another tier "Sheraton Grand" doesn't help that. It seems to be Starwoods way of accepting what has happened to their main Sheraton brand (becoming ordinary) and creates another tier "Sheraton Grand" to be what Sheraton was supposed to be: upscale, full-service, one of a kind.
Last edited by James Luckard; Aug 19, 2015 at 6:36 pm
#28
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That was a classification Le Meridien used far more commonly till about five years ago. They've almost completely done away with it though, much like "Sheraton Gateway". I think there are only two "Le Royal Meridien" properties left, in Shanghai and Dubai. I'm sure this is again a legacy of long-term contracts.
#29
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I'm fairly sure that was a classification added to Meridien before Starwood bought them, it was phased out under Starwood.
Last edited by James Luckard; Aug 19, 2015 at 7:09 pm
#30
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According to the link dw posted, SGS will still be an LC property. AND be part of this new grouping. To me that doesn't suggest a new brand so much as it does some other sort of grouping. But I have absolutely no idea what it means or what the strategy is.