MSPeconomist

I think you're onto something, although I'm sure it will take Starwood many months/years and much consulting time to get there.

Starwood Lurker

I don't think there are any plans to change the logo.

"Create a new visual identity for Sheraton that incorporates our current, iconic logo"

Your (and others') opinion may vary, however.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]

jb3t

The question is what is the difference between a "visual identity" and a "logo"?

I think the logo needs a refresh. Need to change with the times.

MSPeconomist

I can't remember any changes ever in the Sheraton logo, going back to the Sheraton International days. Whether this is an argument for or against change, who knows? Betty Crocker has had a number of makeovers.

username

I have visited 4 Sheratons regularly in the US the last year. I hate to say but only one of them feels like a good hotel. The other 3 are not so great - two of them are in seasonal vacation destinations (SC & FL) so they fall into the "look decent on the surface but lots of little problems category" and another one, Sheraton Annapolis, is down right horrible like a hotel from the 80s.

Didn't Sheraton go through a re-make a few years ago? How come they can't keep things up and have to go through these things every few years?

AlexB

Grande is an OK name for their mid-sized premier properties, but the largest hotels should be Sheraton Venti.

bhrubin

I think this Sheraton 2020 plan is by far the biggest and most exhaustive upgrade plan for Sheraton as a whole. Previous "improvements" were not chain-wide and not so comprehensive. I have a feeling that this time there will be much more potential to drop certain properties from the Sheraton brand if they do not meet certain benchmarks--depending increasingly on whether or not Starwood merges with another major chain or simply acquires smaller chains in the coming years as it explores its options with its new investment strategy.

Sheratons are some of the oldest properties in the Starwood line-up, especially in the USA. That is partly why domestic Sheratons are also some of the worst properties in their segments.

That being said, there have been major improvements at some of the older Sheraton properties at which I stay in the USA, most notably the Sheraton University City Philadelphia (which is far better now than just a few years ago) and the Sheraton Boston (which is a little better now). But others, like the Sheraton Downtown Philadelphia, are just downright atrocious. (FWIW, that property is beginning a refurb even now.)

Improvements take time and cost a lot of money, and coming out from the Great Recession put a real crimp in the Starwood plans to both improve Sheraton years earlier and to expand the Four Points/Element brands. Hopefully, Starwood will be more aggressive in the coming years. The exploration of merger/acquisition options for Starwood is largely a result of Starwood's lagging in the hotel segments in which Four Points/Element/Aloft compete.

cfabar1

We shall see how this language translates to actual initiatives. Notice how the plan is incredibly light on specifics. I think everyone knows the difficulty with Sheraton much like any chain that is getting older. Are they willing to turn Sheraton Springfield into a four points for example? How do those changes work in regards to franchise agreements?

Regarding the logo hopefully they will incorporate the logo but slightly refresh it similar to how Cadillac has done over the years (though I personally don't like the newest update). I know the last overhaul brought a lot of positive changes to the sheraton experience and I hope this does as well.

2020 is actually pretty soon. I hope that these changes breathe some new life into the Sheraton brand.

bhrubin

That's normal--for hotels, airlines, and any corporate business plan for improvement. Putting more specifics in a goal doesn't always make the goal easier to achieve--and discounts the specific differences and priorities for different properties across the brand. Let's give Starwood a chance to make positive changes to Sheraton. We can give them feedback as appropriate. But ultimately, Starwood has to balance the fact that property owners have to deal with the cost and difficulties in improving often older hotels with the fact that Starwood doesn't want to lose those properties altogether to IHG, Marriott, Hilton, or other chain portfolios.

For Sheraton properties that are not large conference hotels, I suspect there will be pressure to improve or be shifted into Four Points--though Starwood still has to be careful not to lose properties altogether from the SPG family since owners can be fickle depending on the duration and terms of their management contracts with SPG.

Personally, I care more about the quality of hotel properties in terms of better and more consistent good service, better room quality, better lobby appearance/amenities, better restaurant/F&B options, better Clubs, etc. The logo is lovely and a symbol for the improvement, but the actual improvement is what we all want most.

Indeed. But the last "overhaul" wasn't systemic and didn't rule out the chance to shift properties into different brands. This one does--though how much and how often remains to be seen. Let's cross our fingers that they are able to achieve significant improvements across the Sheraton brand (especially in the USA)...while also that Starwood survives in its current iteration.

iflyjetz

THIS It is a fine balance that hotel chains now must walk, as they are simply hotel management companies rather than property owners.

I left SPG back in '03 after experiencing the Newark (NJ) Airport 4 Points. I had been aware of the lack of consistent quality across the SPG brand, but that hotel (no longer in SPG) made Motel 6 look like a luxury property. That hotel is now a Crowne Plaza.

In today's environment, hotel owners have a lot of different options to sell their rooms - hotel chains have to be careful to not lose a bunch of properties, but they are also walking a fine line in retaining loyal customers.

When we look at various crappy Sheratons (and unfortunately there are a lot of them), how hard would it be for that property to change overnight to a Crowne Plaza? My guess is that they could very easily make the transition.

username

Actually, I seem to remember staying at that hotel when it was a Sheraton in the early 90s then I guess it became a Four Points (and I seem to remembered I STPCed once on EVA there). I did stay there last year when it was a CP. The hardware was actually not that bad - probably because it was renovated. Even had a security guard sitting in the hallway on my floor to keep things quiet.

Of course, staying at those really bad Sheratons really do make me think about IHG inconsistencies. IHG has really gotten better the last few years and I think Sheraton is going the other way.

iflyjetz

There was also a Sheraton Newark Airport. I stayed there also; MUCH nicer property. It's now a DoubleTree. Off the beaten path; you've got to follow driving directions closely.

The 4 Pts/now Crowne Plaza is very close to the airport; essentially across the street. I haven't stayed there since it converted to a Crowne Plaza.

I've been off/on with SPG since 2000 and I think the current consistency with SPGs is much better than it used to be. Others may have a different opinion.

paytonc

IIRC, Aloft was intended to be the perfect brand for college towns -- easy-to-build, limited-service, Millennial-targeted -- and did pop up in places like Chapel Hill, College Station, Raleigh (by NCSU), Tempe, and Tucson.

Now that construction financing is back, maybe we'll see more.

bhrubin

Absolutely. I also hope we'll see more. I'm not thrilled with the locations for most of these, as they're just a bit too distant to always be easy walking distance to the campuses, but hopefully the newer locations will be closer/better located in that regard.

I am a UNC grad, and so I'm back in Chapel Hill often. But the Aloft Chapel Hill is too far for me to bother (almost 2 miles), so I usually stay at the Carolina Inn or even the Franklin (a Curio by Hilton property) since they are so close to campus/town. There even is a Hampton Inn just 1 mile from campus. It kills me that the Aloft is too far.

bhrubin

I've been with SPG, along with other chains as needed, for about as long. I also agree that SPG is better than it used to be overall. There still are weak properties, especially among Sheratons, but that's just as true for Hilton/Marriott/IHG.

For my group travel for work, I absolutely prefer the Four Points to Courtyard/Hampton Inn and the like, but there just aren't as many Four Points. I look forward to more of those.

For my group travel for work, I also like some Sheratons for price point and location--the Sheraton Univ City Philly and Sheraton Boston most come to mind (I do the bulk of my group travel in the Northeast USA). It would be nice to see the Sheraton Downtown Philly improve--it's a pit but improving from my most recent look a year ago--and more Sheraton/Four Points in places like Manhattan, Washington, Providence, etc.

For my group travel for work, I surprisingly also love the array of Le Meridien properties when Sheratons are lacking. Some are located off-center but still in decent locations so the price points are nice. Arlington, Philly, and Cambridge are often properties I use.

For my personal travel, solo for work or with my hubby for pleasure, I tend to stay at more W, Le Meridien, LC, and StR depending on the length of stay and price point and/or likelihood to upgrade--both in the USA and abroad.