W, Westin Offer Room Service Twist; Catalogs Put Furniture Up for Sale - Westin Hotel Co., Starwood Hotels and Resorts Inc.'s W Hotels brand offer signature furniture - Brief Article

Brandweek, Jan 22, 2001 by Mike Beirne

Hotel furniture typically is not the first choice for home decor, but Starwood brands W Hotels and Westin Hotels & Resorts are offering the option, with catalogs that let guests take a piece of their hotel rooms home.

The W Catalog, to be stocked in rooms during the first quarter, extends the sleek trend-setting style for which the boutique brand is known. Consumers hankering to fill the study with W's signature X Desk can order a 60-foot long oak one with a coffee bean finish for $1,200. Furniture accents, like chrome-based lamp with French, hand-blown glass shades and framed black-and-white photos of American cities, are also available.

Twelve pages offer the W bed, the W CD with eclectic music tracks, robes, aluminum chess pieces and velvet bears stuffed with aromatic buckwheat and lavender, all available through mail-in form, toll-free number or online.

Theresa Fatino, vp-brand design and development for W, said the extension made sense for the hotel: Launching the new book gives us the chance to further expand the spirit of W."

The idea is not unprecedented. Westin has been selling pillows for years. And since the hotel rolled out its Heavenly Bed with a custom designed mattress in 1999, guests, many acting off information from in-room fliers, wound up purchasing 700 complete beds--which sell at $2,500 for a queen and $2,700 for a king size--in addition to sheets, pillows and down blankets.

"If we had this much success with a flier, we thought how about a catalog," said Sue Brush, vp-marketing for Westin. "We're not in this for retail. It's really a service to our guests."

The first Westin catalog, currently being phased in, also features the Heavenly bed tray and bathrobe. Consumer response will determine whether those items and more will be in the second printing later this year. Brush's marketing team is analyzing databases and is leaning toward marketing to female guests since they tend to buy by catalog.

A Sheraton catalog may also be a possibility since that brand is vying for a signature look with sleigh beds as its centerpiece.