Starwood Hotels and Resorts has redesigned its loyalty scheme website, spg.com. The company says its new site will provide members with "personalised access and a rich, customised online experience".
Among the new features is "My SPG", a section which allows members to search for properties based on their interests and favourite travel destinations, as well the "Starpoint Tracker" which helps users keep track of their current balances and reward wish lists.
Members can also customise their homepage with tools such as Special Offers, My Favourites, Award Quickfind, and thelobby.com (a blog site with travel tips, news and comments from members). In addition there is a new downloadable desktop application called "SPG Check-In" that sends personalised, daily alerts to members, and can be viewed on laptops or PDAs. Says Robin Korman, Vice President of loyalty marketing for Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide:
"The new spg.com offers our members an easy way to book a stay, manage their account and access insights and recommendations on great new destinations that cater to their interests and travel persona."
In other news Starwood Hotels has unveiled plans to open a new W Hotel in Macau, the fourth W property in China.
W Macau Studio City will open its doors in 2009, offering 563 rooms and suites, all with the W signature bed, plasma TV and wireless internet access. Other facilities include a sweat workout facility, signature restaurant, 11,000 square feet of meeting space and the 24-hour W Whatever/Whenever concierge service.
Following on from the W hotels in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Guangzhou, Miguel Ko, President of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Asia Pacific, describes W Macau Studio City as a logical extension of W's rapid growth in China.
He says: "Macau provides guests with a wealth of entertainment options, including world-class shopping and proximity to Macau and China's most popular attractions, making it a perfect fit for the W brand".
Starwood has also recently announced plans to open a 4,000-room Sheraton Macau Hotel, a 460-room St.Regis Hotel and over 400 St. Regis Residences on the Macau strip in 2008 and 2009 respectively.
For more information visitstarwoodhotels.com,spg.com.
Report by Karen Eeuwens and Mark Caswell
