Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel Celebrates Global Roll-out of “Toast Around the World”
Sheraton Social Premium Wine Hour Now Featured at More Than 400 Hotels Around the World
PHOENIX - May 16, 2013 - From Asia to Europe to the Americas, Sheraton Hotels and 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 is hosting a 24-hour “Toast Around the World” at Sheraton hotels and resorts across the globe including Edinburgh, Mexico City, Bali, Phoenix, Bangalore and New York.
In honor of the celebration, Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel will host an event in its Park Lounge lobby bar from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 15. The event will feature an honorary toast at 6 p.m. with a selection of highly rated wines from Chateau Ste. Michelle Wine Estate and complementing hors 'd oeuvres. Wine experts will be available to guide attendees through a tour of wine pairings.
The global festivities kick off in Asia with celebrations at the Sheraton Hong Kong and Sheraton Shanghai. A celebratory toast will be passed virtually, including Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel, around the world 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 guests at Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel and at all Sheraton Hotels around the world the opportunity to experience this award-winning premium wine program,” said General Manager Mike Ehmann. “As the World's Gathering Place we are continuously looking for ways to elevate our guest experiences with new social interactions and believe Sheraton Social Hour to be a great program for both business and leisure guests.”
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. At Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel, guests can participate in Social Hour tasting events that feature two highly rated wines from the Sheraton Selects menu, many of which are rated 90 and above, from 5 to 6 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays in the hotel's Park Lounge. Each tasting is $5 and includes a pairing of two 2-ounce pours - perfectly poured in Riedel stemware, which is used exclusively in the Park Lounge for the Sheraton Social Hour wine program.
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 (YOY) performance in bar and food and beverage RevPOR and saw an average 20% increase in YOY beverage revenue at the Park Lounge 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 six-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 Phoenix Downtown Hotel
Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel opened on September 30, 2008, as the largest hotel in Arizona with 1,000 guestrooms. The hotel features signature services and amenities such as Sheraton Fitness® powered by Core Performance, the Sheraton Sweet Sleeper™ Bed and the Link@Sheraton experienced by Microsoft®. Set in an urban oasis, the hotel offers guests a 4,500-square-foot outdoor pool and sundeck with an adjacent rooftop herb garden. The hotel provides more than 80,000 square feet of flexible, state-of-the-art meeting space and a restaurant, District American Kitchen & Wine Bar, with bar and lounge. It is located in the heart of Downtown Phoenix and adjacent the Phoenix Convention Center. For additional information or for reservations, please visit www.sheratonphoenixdowntown.com.
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 Meridien®, 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.
Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is a global leading lodging company based in Bethesda,Maryland, USA, with more than 4,200 properties in 80 countries and territories. Marriott International reported revenues of nearly $14 billion in fiscal year 2014. The company operates and franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts under 19 brands, including: The Ritz-Carlton®, BVlgari®, EDITION®, JW Marriott®, Autograph Collection® Hotels, Renaissance® Hotels, Marriott Hotels®, Delta Hotels and Resorts®, Marriott Executive Apartments®, Marriott Vacation Club®, Gaylord Hotels®, AC Hotels by Marriott®, Courtyard®, Residence Inn®, SpringHill Suites®, Fairfield Inn & Suites®, TownePlace Suites®, Protea Hotels® and MoxyHotels®. Marriott has been consistently recognized as a top employer and for its superior business ethics. The company also manages the award-winning guest loyalty program, Marriott Rewards® and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards® program, which together surpass 50 million members. For more information or reservations, please visit our website at 
