Sheraton Social Hour now featured at more than 400 hotels around the world

SHERATON RAISES A GLASS TO CELEBRATE GLOBAL ROLL-OUT OF PREMIUM WINE PROGRAM WITH 24 HOUR

“TOAST AROUND THE WORLD” 

LE CENTRE SHERATON MONTREAL AND SHERATON CENTRE TORONTO HOTELS HOLD SIGNATURE EVENTS TO CELEBRATE

MONTREAL, TORONTO - May 15, 2013 – From Asia to Europe to the Americas, Sheraton Hotels & Resorts is raising a glass and betting big on its premium wine program, Sheraton Social Hour. Sheraton Hotels, in cooperation with Wine Spectator magazine today, announces the global roll-out of its signature wine program to 430 hotels around the world.

In celebration of the program’s success Sheraton, Wine Spectator and its valued wine partner Ste. Michelle Wine Estates hosted a 24-hour “Toast Around the World” at Sheraton hotels and resorts across the globe including Edinburgh, Mexico City, Bali, Bangalore, Toronto, Montreal, New York and more.

Le Centre Sheraton Montreal and Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel celebrated with exclusive Toast Around the World client and media events on May 15th.  The Sheraton Toast Around the World celebration took place in the rooftop Sheraton Club Lounge at Le Centre Sheraton Montreal and in BnB Restaurant and Bar on the Lobby Level at the Sheraton Centre Toronto.  Guest host for the event is Ben Mulroney, Anchor, CTV’s ETALK.  He’ll be sending out toast greetings in both English and French.

The festivities kick off in Asia with celebrations at the Sheraton Hong Kong and Sheraton Shanghai. A celebratory toast will be passed virtually.  Le Centre Sheraton Montreal and Sheraton Centre Toronto will toast each other at 6:45 p.m., followed by a 7:00 p.m. toast to Sheraton Buenos Aires Hotel and Convention Center.  The toast will continue around the world, from hotel to hotel until it reaches The Sheraton New York Times Square and The Sheraton Waikiki for the conclusion of the day-long global celebration. Hotel guests and brand followers will be invited to join in on the virtual celebration with the brand’s new dedicated Social Hour mobile platform, Sheraton.com/socialhour, where they can browse through hundreds of toasts shared around the world for the special occasion or create their own using #SheratonToast.  Want to raise a glass?  Consumers and guests are invited to join the conversation and celebration at #SheratonToast.

“Following tremendous early success, we’re proud to offer our guests at all Sheraton Hotels around the world the opportunity to experience this award-winning premium wine program,” said Michel G. Giguere, General Manager, Le Centre Sheraton Montreal. “As the World’s Gathering Place we are continuously looking for ways to elevate our guest experiences with new social interactions and believe Social Hour to be a great program for both business and leisure guests,” said Tony Dunn, General Manager, Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel.  

The program, developed by today’s premier wine experts and the brand’s global food and beverage team, offers guests a specially curated menu of premium wines and weekly tasting events.

Social Hour Success

Nearly one year following the award-winning program’s limited debut, hotels that participated in Sheraton Social Hour have higher bar RevPOR (revenue per occupied room) than non-participating hotels, have better year-over-year performance in bar and food and beverage RevPOR and saw an average 20% increase in YOY beverage revenue at the lobby bar.

Cheers!  SPG Members can now redeem Starpoints® for Chateau St. Michelle Premium Wines

Sheraton Hotels and Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG), in partnership with Chateau Ste. Michelle, is proud to introduce the Chateau Ste. Michelle Premium Rewards Wine Club for U.S. customers. SPG members may now redeem Starpoints for membership in this Wine Club which features specially chosen red and white wines with a history of high acclaim.

A 6-month membership is offered for 12,000 Starpoints and includes two quarterly shipments of two bottles each – one red and one white. A 12 month membership is available for 24,000 Starpoints and includes four quarterly shipments of two bottles each – one red and one white. Wine club members also receive an exclusive 20% discount on all purchases made at www.ste-michelle.com (some exclusions may apply). Visit www.sheraton.com/wineclub for more information.

For more information on Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, please visit www.sheraton.com or Facebook.  Follow Sheraton on Twitter.

About Sheraton Hotels & Resorts

Sheraton helps guests make connections at more than 400 hotels in nearly 70 countries around the world and recently completed a $6 billion global revitalization and is now in the midst of a $8 billion global expansion over the next three years. Sheraton is owned by and is the largest and most global brand of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with 1,146 properties in nearly 100 countries and 171,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood 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, Aloft®, and ElementSM. The Company boasts one of the industry’s leading loyalty programs, Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG), allowing members to earn and redeem points for room stays, room upgrades and flights, with no blackout dates. Starwood also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., a premier provider of world-class vacation experiences through villa-style resorts and privileged access to Starwood brands. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com.

# # #