Hired as the first in-house team responsible for taking full ownership in the overall development of Starwood's brands on a global scale, and then implementing them on the property level. I was responsible for the majority in the portfolio with Aloft Hotels, Element Hotels, and Four Points by Sheraton.

• Successfully launched all global social media channels for the brands and grew them by introducing new content buckets that hit on audiences' interests, developing unique social media strategies, playing on trending topics and popular social themes, and a strong community management and customer service push.

• Built out a strong asset library for each brand that could also be accessed by properties who may need fresh social and marketing content.

• Implemented permanent programming across all brands that aligned with the larger goals and enhanced the guest experience.

  • Aloft: Permanent music programming featuring live bands, partnerships with SONY Music and Nylon Magazine, national talent searches, a craft cocktail program, and the industry's first robot butler (RIP). ​

  • Element: A clean, healthy extended stay experience (or short-term) that mirrors the comfort and offerings of the Westin, a "Salon Hour" experience offering guests local beer and wine options, and a bike rental program in partnership with local Parks & Recreation departments to allow guests to experience local nature trails.​

  • Four Points: The #BestBrews program that partners all U.S. properties with local craft beer distilleries.

GLOBAL SOCIAL MEDIA + BRAND ACTIVATIONS, SSB, COORDINATOR

BRAND

• Developing and defining who each brand was, and how this would be portrayed throughout the entire guest experience.

• Creating unique brand personas with distinct tones, voices, messaging and brand-owned verbiage that would resonate on a global scale.

• Developing, pitching and implementing national and global brand initiatives, events, and activations that would enhance the guest experience, raise awareness of the brand and/or a unique aspect of the hotel(s), and set it apart from competitors.

SOCIAL MEDIA

• Managing all global social media pages for the three (3) brands. This included creating and populating the social media content calendars, posting to all channels, community management, finding Surprise & Delight opportunities, engaging with trends or creating new ones, listening for backlash and potential crises, and more.

• Monitoring the social channels of ~100 individual properties to ensure consistency, proper messaging and asset usage, and that best-practices were being followed.

Aloft, Element, and Four Points were the newest additions to Starwood's portfolio, which meant there was freedom to get creative and pitch fresh ideas. But first, I had to do some due diligence:

• Competitive Research:

  • At the time, there was no major global or national competitor to Aloft or Element, believe it or not. So instead of hospitality brands, I researched consumer brands that shared similar themes and audiences.

• Internal Research:

  • Snagged a few meetings with some seasoned senior employees to pick their brains.

  • Referenced all previously-created materials across brands to better understand their programs in order to develop new ones for my brands.

• Embody the Brands

  • You can't speak as something that you don't know, so every day I had to wear three (3) completely different hats and get my mind in the right "Element" (see what I did there?!).

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Additional details and visuals on the "Examples" tab.

To break it down, my responsibilities included...

LIVE! at Aloft Hotels

Project: Aloft Star

Better Than Ezra: Aloft Brooklyn

Signature Cocktail Program

• Aloft's trendy lobby bar designed to be a destination for both tourists and locals alike.

• Lures patrons with its signature neon lights, bright back-lit spirits wall, branded messaging (developed with the help of yours truly), lively bartenders, and the eye-catching signature cocktails.

• Every property has brand-created permanent cocktail offerings for the sake of consistency and familiarity, but each property also has the option to expand on this. With support from the Global team (like mine), properties brought in celebrity guest bartenders, created seasonal cocktails, implemented specials, and more. All promotional messaging for this came through my team to ensure consistency.

• The Bar is also strategically designed to welcome large groups while maintaining and intimate vibe. With multiple flat-screen televisions, a sound system that can flood every inch of the first floor, and an area that can easily be transformed into a stage, the Bar was begging for a program like "Live! at..."

Signature Cocktail Program Overview

WXYZ Bar

CHRISTORY TIME: When Aloft launched, it had already been positioned as a "Concept" of-sorts by W. Oh, and it's only "W," not "W Hotel(s)" - something that team would quickly remind you on. Anyways, I don't know if you've ever been to a W, but it's very...it's own entity. When we were developing Aloft's programs, we took the best that W offered (cocktails and music) and made it more welcoming to guests who favor casual and cool over pomp & circumstance.

• "Live at..." is a permanent program unique to the Aloft brand that connects local bands with properties across the globe. The program was strategically developed and designed to accomplish the following goals:

  1. Position WXYZ Bar as a destination for guests, but predominantly for locals who are seeking a good time out with great cocktails, great music, and great atmosphere, but with no frills, cover charges, or the pain-points that come with other venues or entertainment options.

  2. Raise awareness of the property and Bar in the local community by offering a space for artists to perform, who would then bring their friends/fans, who would then tell others.

     • Larger markets hosted a mix of celebrity artists and local up-and-comers, but had the resources to do so.

• The program kicked-off in tandem with the opening of the 100th property and labeled as 100 Days of Music - which was exactly what it sounds like [100 Days of No Sleep - but I wasn't complaining].

LIVE! at Aloft Hotels

"LIVE! at..." A City Near You

CHRISTORY TIME: When Marriott acquired Starwood I was certain that everything we worked so hard to build would be gone overnight. There were definitely rumors floating around (as expected when tens of thousands of jobs and hundreds of properties are affected), but as of today the program is still going strong!

• Project: Aloft Star was launched to raise awareness for the 100 Days... and LIVE! at... music programs. Unlike the other two (2) though, this program put the fans in the spotlight.

• With support from SONY Music and NYLON Magazine, Aloft hosted a nationwide talent search for the next best musical artist.

• Judges from Aloft's Brand Team, SONY and NYLON narrowed down the top contestants from around the country before opening the vote up to the fans.

• The winner received a cash prize, a full spread in NYLON, and a record deal with SONY Music. Not bad!

PROJECT: Aloft Star

PROJECT: Oh, You Thought We Were Done?!

CHRISTORY TIME: The winner was a dope girl named Jackie Stabb, who is very Taylor-Swift-circa-the-pandemic-albums. Her single that came from this, Love Letters, is still in my playlist rotation.

PARTNERS: SONY Music & NYLON Magazine

• Messaging & Language: Drafted all messaging for social media, digital banners and promotions, on-property brand signage, and key talking points for the various activations.

• Social Media Strategy: Developed the social media strategies for the programs.

  • This included the overall rollout plan, content calendars, and working closely with SONY and NYLON on approved messaging.

  • Created multiple content calendars for the global channels, individual property channels, and NYLON and SONY that included all approved messaging, sample post copy, proposed assets, timing, dates, and all other information necessary to keep all parties aligned.

  • Posted to global channels, engaged with fans to build awareness, shared and engaged with NYLON and SONY's content, promoted the finalists, held social-only contests and giveaways to keep fans engaged, and more.

• On-Site Support: Attended the shows in the larger markets, as well as the home base (TX) to support the partners and represent the brand.

  • Also used this opportunity to post live during the events to raise awareness and engagement around the initiatives. PROJECT... and 100 Days... kicked off at Aloft Brooklyn with Better Than Ezra.

MY ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Salon Hour

WHAT

WHY

RESULTS

• A "happy hour" on the property that offered guests local fresh wine and craft beers.

• A rolling Salon cart also brought the experience to common areas, patios and deck spaces, and to guest rooms for added comfort and convenience.

• All wine and beer was sourced from local wineries and breweries, ensuring it would be fresh and a new experience for guests.

• Originally, a beverage program wasn't included in Element's programming.

  • This was because the brand emphasized clean, healthy, active lifestyles and family-friendly comfort.

• Despite having new and innovative amenities, kitchenettes in all guest rooms, and fresh bites available to guests, many were leaving the property during the evening hours and spending money and time at local venues.

• Guests who pay to stay at the brand expected certain offerings.

*Stats for Element Times Square (NYC).

• The property witnessed an increase in amenity usage during the "Salon Hour" - meaning that guests were enjoying their wine by the pool and in lounge areas.

• The program added to the overall guest experience and kept Element competitive with similar brands with F&B programs.

• The program created a relationship with small businesses, supported the local economy, and increase sentiment within communities since the brand was keeping money local.

• The program allowed guests to have a new experience with each stay as wineries rotated their selections.

...is a "Salon Hour?"

...was there a need to implement it?

...from the program.

#BestBrews

Honest. Uncomplicated. Comfort.

Like Four Points' mission statement, the #BestBrews program is honest and uncomplicated.

Program Overview (in Four Points):

1. Research into the brand's primary demographic revealed it's middle-aged businessmen who are traveling for work, so an "Honest. Uncomplicated. Comforting" program was revamped to match.

2. The #BestBrews program was reinvigorated with new messaging, social media pushes, fresh assets, and more focus on the craft selections.

3. Properties were given freedom to expand on the program. Many implemented a local food truck or BBQ nights, live music, networking mixers, and more.

4. All beers on tap were sourced from local breweries in the region - allowing guests to experience new brews with each stay.

Summary of My Role In All Programs (in Four Points):

1. Helped brainstorm ideas and develop the approved programs.

2. Draft all messaging around the programs, memorialize them in "Brand Books," and share with properties to ensure consistency across all channels and brands.

3. Attended rollouts/launches of the programs in the major markets.

4. Lead the social media marketing around all initiatives including creating all content calendars, including property and partner-specific calendars with sample copy and assets for reference, posted to the global channels, community management to build awareness, and live postings at events to increase engagement.

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