http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/30/bu...3&ref=business
"The new hotel king [former Starwood CEO Barry Sternlicht] became known for his obsession with details. He says that the “one time” he totally lost it was when he arrived at the W Hotel on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago and discovered that the foliage at the front door was dead. “I actually went over to the Smith & Hawken store and bought furniture and plants for them,” he says. “I didn’t want to wait 18 months.”