Ten Years Later Westin Hotels is Still the Best in Bed

WHITE PLAINS, NY – May 19, 2009 – Ten years later, consumers and critics agree – Westin Hotels & Resorts is still the best in bed. Westin Hotels turned the travel industry on its head and sparked a hotel bedding revolution with the 1999 launch of the Heavenly Bed®: an icon that inspired countless imitators ignited the hotel-bed wars and jump-started the hotel retail phenomenon. In the decade since, more than 75 million guests have tucked themselves into Heavenly Beds at Westin hotels around the world including U.S. Presidents, Hollywood royalty and professional athletes and more than 30,000 beds and 100,000 pillows have been sold. The sumptuous, 10-layer Heavenly Bed has grown from cult favorite to well-loved classic, and Westin has expanded Heavenly into a full-lifestyle brand, with similarly luxurious offerings for the bath, the baby, and even the dog. Today, Westin announces a five-month global celebration of this momentous anniversary, and unveils plans for new additions to the growing Westin “Heavenly” family.

2009: THE YEAR OF HEAVENLY
Westin’s commitment to wellness and a good night’s sleep is as strong today as it was 10 years ago and the brand’s five-month Heavenly Celebration will bring a little bit of “heaven” to guests and consumers around the world. Throughout 2009, Westin will introduce several new additions to the Heavenly product line and host Heavenly White Sales and experiential events in high-profile locations worldwide. From Beijing to Boston, every one of Westin’s 169 properties and more than 29,000 employees will participate in the celebration with special events, Heavenly promotions and giveaways.

The brand will also recognize the hard-working room attendants who’ve kept the luxurious 10-layer beds beautiful over the years, and will also offer meeting-planner incentives around the Heavenly theme.

THE BEGINNING
Ten years ago, Westin received a wake-up call from travelers, who said in a survey that the most important service a hotel can offer is a good night’s sleep. Westin spent more than $30 million to create the perfect night’s sleep and introduce 52,000 new Heavenly beds in its 39,500 guest rooms, becoming the first hotel brand to take sleep seriously. In fact:

• There are now more than 97,000 Heavenly Beds in over 65,000 Westin guestrooms worldwide.
• Westin jump-started the hotel-retail phenomenon after receiving hundreds of inquiries from guests who wanted to know where they could purchase their own Heavenly Bed.
• The company has sold more than 30,000 Heavenly Beds, 100,000 pillows, 32,000 sheets, and 13,000 shower heads to consumers hoping to bring home the Heavenly experience. Items are sold through a partnership with Nordstrom and online at www.westin.com/store.
• The Heavenly Bed was such a success that every major hotel brand followed suit with the development of signature beds—affecting more than 5 million hotel beds across the globe.

“Westin’s custom Heavenly Bed forever changed the hotel industry’s bed offerings 10 years ago; and we are extremely proud that today the bed and the Heavenly lifestyle brand continue to grow,” commented Nancy London, Vice President, Global Brand Management, for Westin Hotels & Resorts. “Since we launched the bed in 1999, we’ve strengthened our commitment to bringing a little bit of Heaven to our guests through new retail items and innovative programming—a rewarding mission that has earned Westin tremendous trust and loyalty.”