The changes go into effect on March 1 and include new benefits depending on how many nights per year a guest stays at any Starwood property, including the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel. There’s a new lifetime status level, the industry’s first 24-hour check-in (Your24), and personal travel assistants (we like to call them ambassadors). And, if you aren’t on the road that much but still travel “only” 25 – 50 nights per year, we’ve enhanced your benefits as well – because you deserve some TLC away from home, too!

Here’s the full list:

• SPG 100 Nights Benefit: After crossing the 100-night threshold, SPG members are paired with their personal ambassador.
• SPG 75 Nights Benefit: After spending 75 nights with Starwood, members earn four Starpoints for every eligible U.S. dollar spent. Members also get access to Your24 to control their check-in and checkout time.
• SPG 50 Nights Benefit: At 50 nights, members will receive 10 Suite Night Awards to use for room upgrades. Suite Night Awards can be confirmed five days prior to arrival.
• Platinum Members (25 stays or 50 nights annually): You now have the option of complimentary breakfast as part of the welcome gift at check-in. Platinum Members can also choose from bonus Starpoints or a local gift.
• Gold Members (10 Stays or 25 nights annually): You now receive a welcome gift at check-in and can choose from bonus Starpoints, complimentary in-room Internet access or a complimentary beverage.

Now about those ambassadors: they work one-on-one with guests to understand their preferences and what matters to them on each trip to deliver a customized experience on property. They also provide services beyond the hotel and are even empowered to assist guests when they’re not traveling. Need a rental car at the last minute, a dinner reservation at “the” hottest restaurant to impress a client, or a birthday or anniversary gift? They’ll make sure the car rental keys are waiting for you in your room, secure that last-minute reservation, and pick up the perfect present. But they’re not miracle workers: don’t expect them to get you out of the doghouse with your spouse if you forget that anniversary or birthday – you’re on your own with that one!

Check out the press release about these new benefits for global mega travelers here, and for more details about Your24, Starwood’s new 24-hour check-in, check-out times, click here.

According to an article by online news resource Hotel News Now, top industry executives said the momentum felt in the hotel industry during 2011 should carry forward into 2012, with falling unemployment, a pickup in hotel deals, and increased travel spend signs that bode well for the immediate future of the sector. Adding to this sentiment was a report released on Monday by PwC that noted hotels in the US ended 2011 on a strong note, as well as one released on Tuesday by Ernst & Young indicating hospitality market fundamentals appear set to continue the recovery started in 2011.

But while a new year means a new beginning, it also brings new challenges to overcome and new opportunities to leverage. Savvy hoteliers will build on momentum achieved in 2011 by reinvigorating their properties and making enhancements to take advantage of key consumer trends in the marketplace. One prime example is meeting the needs of the always-connected, technologically sophisticated traveler.

 Fast Internet trumps brand loyalty any day, and a guest who experiences spotty or unreliable Wi-Fi coverage will take his/her business elsewhere the next time around. Additionally, as more guests bring their entertainment with them (such as Netflix, Hulu and other sites that offer streaming video), smart properties will shift investments from supplying content to supplying the high-speed Internet access needed for guests to access their own content faster and more efficiently. In 2009, the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel installed Link@Sheraton in the lobby, a cyber café-style lounge and communications hub where guests can use hotel-supplied computer workstations to send email and access free, wireless high-speed Internet (which is free throughout the entire lobby). Wi-Fi is also available in all Sheraton guest rooms.

Technology is one area where hotels will focus their efforts in 2012, making customers feel good about where they’re staying and the lodging industry in general. Next week we’ll take a look at key trends shaping the business travel and corporate meetings sectors for 2012 and how the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel is poised to capitalize on these trends.

“We are delighted to welcome Chuck and Adam as we prepare to make 2012 the most successful year yet,” said Mike Ehmann, General Manager of the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel.  “Chuck’s extensive repertoire of achievements, dedication to customer service and sharp business skills, along with Adam’s outstanding leadership qualities and wealth of experiences in the United States Air Force, make them invaluable assets to our dedicated and enthusiastic team as we aim to attract more meetings, conventions and events to downtown Denver.”

As Hotel Manager, Mr. Schuringa is responsible for overseeing the daily operations and guest experiences for Colorado’s largest hotel. He began his career in the hotel industry nearly 20 years ago as an overnight bellman at The Westin Denver, and quickly assumed additional roles and responsibilities as a member of a Pre-Opening Team and as Front Office Manager. In 2000, he transferred to the Westin Westminster as Service Express Manager and went on to fill several positions during his tenure including Director of Six Sigma and Rooms Manager. He returned to The Westin Denver in 2003 as the Director of Six Sigma and in 2006 was promoted to Director of Operations, a position he held until joining the Sheraton. During his tenure, The Westin received recognition for sustainability initiatives by the Colorado Hotel & Lodging Association, the City of Denver and HOST Hotels. Mr. Schuringa has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Mr. Roberts will join the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel at the end of January as the Director of Engineering, having spent the past 13 years in various positions within the U.S. Air Force. Most recently, he served as the Commander and Director of Facility Management at Buckley AFB, managing 231 people as well as the largest base-level construction in the Air Force. Other roles at Buckley AFB over the years included Director of Operations, Chief of Engineering, Chief of Design and Construction and Chief of Construction Management. Mr. Roberts also taught graduate level engineering and construction management at the Air Force Institute of Technology, and spent nearly two years as the Chief of Construction Development in Iraq for both U.S. Central Command and Multinational Security Transition Command. He has a Master of Engineering degree in Construction Management from Oregon State University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Ohio Northern University.

Nationwide, there has been an increase over the past few years in the number of functions catered at non-kosher hotels, presenting both opportunity and great challenges to F&B teams. Whether properties invest in a separate, dedicated kosher kitchen or utilize a trusted outside caterer, the primary ingredient to producing a successful kosher event is a painstaking attention to detail. The F&B team at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel was recently presented with an opportunity to showcase their ability to accommodate full kosher, multi-day meetings, and they not only rose to occasion, but exceeded client expectations.

In November, The Jewish Federations of North America gathered at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel for their annual General Assembly, with more than 4,000 federation members in attendance. Under the direction of Executive Chef Scott Skomal with assistance from Jon Greenseid, President of JG Kosher Consulting Group in Coral Springs, Fla. and supervised by Rabbi Berel Simpser, the banquet kitchen was kashered in order to prepare and serve food during the conference. (The Sheraton Denver Downtown hotel is currently exploring the addition of a dedicated kosher kitchen.)

Skomal’s and Greenseid’s teams made it a priority to pay special attention to every detail, working tirelessly for months leading up to the event in order to ensure the caliber and integrity of the kosher food. “As the demand for full kosher meetings, conventions and special events continues to grow, so does the need to ensure the food being produced meets Jewish dietary regulations,” said Skomal. “Our goal is to become a known kosher go-to in the metro Denver area, and it’s important for us to remain vigilant in providing clients with a truly uncompromised quality kosher event each and every time that exceeds the needs of our Jewish guests,” he continued.

According to Greenseid, Skomal and his team are on track to achieving that goal in a relatively short period of time: “I worked with Chef Scott for over six months to prepare for this event, and he is without a doubt a true professional, always able to respond to my requests, answer my questions, and take care of whatever came up. Kosher catering was relatively new to him and he took this as a challenge and rose to the occasion. Never once did he question or debate any of the Rabbi’s requests. Scott and his team deserve every compliment we received about the food – and we received many.”

Adding to Greenseid’s recommendation is a happy client with her own glowing feedback.  “This is my third General Assembly and without a doubt, the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel is the best hotel I have worked with thus far,” said Susan Sherr-Seitz, Associate Vice President, The Jewish Federations of North America. “I would recommend them for any group, especially a Jewish group with kosher requirements. The team did an amazing job of making everything happen, responding to changes at the spur of the moment, and made it all look flawless and planned.  We received great feedback on the level of service at the hotel from our participants.”

With the recent opening of the Yard House, the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel has become Denver’s Best Beer Hotel. The Yard House is known for the world’s largest selection of draft beer, with over 130 tap handles. Guests can sip their favorite draft beer from the popular half yard, traditional pint or six pack samplers which can be paired with more than 100 menu items.  Katie Mullen’s Irish Restaurant and Pub is Denver’s largest Irish pub and pours more Guinness than any other pub in Colorado! Katie’s has just installed one of Ireland’s most unique imports yet, an automatic beer dispensing unit that is an all-in-one beer tapping system and circular table that allows customers to pour their own beer at their own table whenever they choose. 16Mix Cocktail Lounge, an ultra modern bar, features 12 tap handles offering a variety of Colorado’s finest brews. With Katie Mullen’s, 16Mix and the Yard House combined, there are more varieties of beer poured under the Sheraton roof than any other hotel in the state.

 “The Sheraton Denver Downtown has become a one-stop shop for meeting planners who want to plan a unique meeting or tourists who want a great location,” states Maria Maxwell, the Sheraton Denver Downtown’s director of sales & marketing. She continued that even the hotel’s executive chef is an amateur home brewer.

The Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel is located at 1550 Court Place. The hotel features over 135,000 square feet of meeting space, 1235 guestrooms and is located on Denver’s most popular tourist destination, the world famous 16^th Street Pedestrian Mall.

  www.sheratondenverdowntown.com; www.katiemullens.com or www.yardhouse.com.

Click below for the complete  Denver Business Journal Article

 http://bit.ly/sheratondenverchef 

Enjoy a getaway to Denver and experience the Real Pirates – The Untold Story of the Whydah from Slave Ship to Pirate Ship (An exhibition from National Geographic), presented by Denver Museum of Natural Science. Real Pirates tells the true story of the Whydah, a slave ship turned pirate ship that sank off the coast of Cape Cod nearly 300 years ago. Enjoy one of our packages below

LandLubber Package

• Rates from $139 per night.
• Hotel accommodations for two
• Two tickets to Real Pirates - Untold story of Whydah from Slave Ship to Pirate Ship
• Valid for stays March 14 – August 21, 2011

Old Salt Package

• Rates from $169 per night
• Hotel accommodations for two
• Complimentary breakfast for two at hotel restaurant
• Two tickets to Real Pirates – Untold story of Whydah from Slave Ship to Pirate Ship
• Valid for stays March 14 – August 21, 2011

Click Here to book online

Competitors in this week’s Denver Big Air competition may think they live on the cutting edge of cool, but the ultimate old-school ski sport was putting on urban exhibitions when big-band swing music was in vogue and dancers did the jitterbug.

Chicago’s Soldier Field hosted annual ski jump competitions in the 1930s on ramps supported by wooden scaffolding, much like the steel structure that has risen on the west end of Civic Center Park. Ski jumping also came to Wrigley Field, the old Madison Square Garden, the Boston Garden and the Los Angeles Coliseum.

The Metro Denver Sports Commission is using Big Air to promote Denver and Colorado skiing while impressing visitors from the ski industry trade gathering, the SIA’s “Snow Show” at the Colorado Convention Center. Denver Sports is building a track record of hosting national and international sports events to foster goodwill, should it choose to bid for an Olympics someday.

“We fancy Denver as the premier global sport host city,” said KieAnn Brownell, president of the commission. “We think that by hosting an event like this, we’re showing the world that not only are we a great host city but we’re innovators in sport production.

“The other piece is to bring fun and interesting events to Denver, to help grow the sport, to help accomplish our mission, which is to elevate people’s lives through sport. And to give people the opportunity to come downtown to one of the coolest sporting events they’re ever going to see.”

Big Air events in recent years have come to Rotterdam, Moscow, London, Stockholm, Seoul and Barcelona. The Denver event will be the first of its kind in the U.S., which is exciting to officials of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association. Traditional alpine ski racing is still seeing increasing numbers of participants, USSA officials say, but the USSA sees “action” sports as a growth opportunity.

“Much of what we’ve done over the last few years as a national governing body is to look at how we can change our landscape, how we can become more relevant to the younger generation,” said Bill Marolt, USSA president and chief executive. “This event in Denver really represents a commitment on our part, a commitment on the part of the International Ski Federation, to try to bring our sport to the city; to bring our sport into capitals and city centers around the globe to show what we are all about and what our athletes are all about.”

But the massive snow ramp that will send new-school “freeskiers” and snowboarders spinning, inverting and revolving in the air over Civic Center comes a century after the first ski jump was built in Denver. Norwegian immigrant Carl Howelsen (“The Flying Norseman”) moved to Denver in 1909 and built a ski jump near the Willis Case Golf Course on Inspiration Point. Two years earlier, Howelsen toured with the Barnum and Bailey circus, ski jumping over a pair of pachyderms under the big top.

Nor is Big Air the first time skiing in downtown Denver was used to promote the sport. In November 1964, May D&F built a carpeted “ski” ramp from the third floor of its downtown store at 16th and Tremont to an ice rink at ground level. The store was located where the Sheraton Denver Downtown stands today.

May D&F was a major department store that sold skis in its ski shop, along with ski apparel. In the store’s Wonderful World of Winter, each Colorado ski area got a day to put on shows and spread the word.

That show also was a production of Colorado Ski Country USA, which was formed the previous year.

“Sherry O’Keefe, Miss Colorado Ski Country, drew a cheer when she christened the ski ramp with a bottle of champagne,” according to a Denver Post story describing the “opening ceremonies.”

The first two skiers down the ramp were Marolt and Billy Kidd, who were described in the story as “students at the University of Colorado.” That was true, but Kidd also happened to win a silver medal in slalom at the Olympics nine months earlier.

The May D&F show, which lasted two weeks, was not without mishap. One day, George Engle, the ski school director at Winter Park, got attacked by the carpet.

“As he got just to the bottom where the transition was, the wind picked up the carpet, blew it up in front of him and he stuck both ski tips right through the carpet,” recalled Jerry Groswold, who managed Winter Park for 22 years. “Why he didn’t break himself in half is beyond me.”

John Meyer: 303-954-1616 or jmeyer@denverpost.com

Read more: Denver’s Big Air a revamp of old idea in ski PR – The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/extremes/ci_17171969#ixzz1CLIUVd8F
Read The Denver Post’s Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse ]]> http://blog.sheratondenverdowntown.com/index.php/2011/01/denvers-big-air-a-revamp-of-an-old-idea-in-ski-pr/feed/ 0 http://blog.sheratondenverdowntown.com/index.php/2011/01/denver-selected-as-no-1-destination-for-conventions-%e2%80%a6-in-the-world/ http://blog.sheratondenverdowntown.com/index.php/2011/01/denver-selected-as-no-1-destination-for-conventions-%e2%80%a6-in-the-world/#comments Fri, 07 Jan 2011 15:57:48 +0000 sheratondenver http://blog.sheratondenverdowntown.com/?p=144 DENVER (January 4, 2011) A panel of convention and meeting experts put together by the Toronto Globe & Mail selected Denver as the No. 1 destination in the world for conventions. 

The article picked New York as the best “overall” city for business meetings, and cited Istanbul for best sightseeing, London for best “buzz,” Nashville for best music scene, Sao Palo as best pro-business city, and Mumbai as most exotic. 

But for conventions?  The best city was Denver.  “The mile-high city is no longer a pit-stop en route to the slopes of Vail,’ said panelist Zane Kerby, who has booked the National Business Travel Association’s 40th annual convention in the Mile High City for 2011.  Denver won for “its central U.S. location and cheap flights into Denver International Airport, a hub for United Airlines and discounter Southwest Airlines. Most hotels, including a new Four Seasons, are within walking distance of the Colorado Convention Center.” 

Denver was also recently selected as one of the top 10 destinations for travelers to visit in 2011 by Lonely Planet. 

“These surveys show that Denver is ‘top of mind’ with key decision makers in the tourism and convention industry,” said Richard Scharf, president & CEO of VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau.  “We’re very proud that the largest newspaper in Canada has given us this designation.” 

In 2010, Denver was also selected as one of the top 10 convention destinations in the nation by two national studies of meeting planners, Metropoll and the Watkins study.

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and officials with the Metro Denver Sports Commission and the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association announced the “Denver Big Air presented by Sprint” event today at a press conference at Civic Center Park.

“Imagine in real space seeing athletes flying hundreds of feet into the air right outside Civic Center, and having the city and county building in the background,” Hickenlooper said. “We will have an opportunity to make history with a truly international spectacle.”

The LG FIS World Cup Snowboard Big Air will make its first stop in the United States. In the past, the event has been held in Moscow, Barcelona, Quebec, Seoul and London.

The ramp for the event will be 101 feet high, 300 feet long and 80 feet wide and will face toward the City and County Building.

The event will be held Jan. 25-26 and is scheduled to precede Snow Show, the SnowSports Industries America’s annual exhibition, as well as ESPN’s annual X Games in Aspen, both of which are scheduled Jan. 27-30.

The competition is expected to attract 20,000 spectators. A free viewing area will be set up in Civic Center Park, where liquor will also be sold. Paid viewing will occur along Bannock Street and in the plaza of the City and County Building.

“The tricks that are going to happen are going to be out of this world, mind blowing,” said Bobby Brown, an X Games gold champion, and native of Denver who plans to participate in the January competition.

Negotiations are underway to bring Shaun White, the Olympic gold medalist in snowboarding, to the event, organizers said.

Read Full Article at Denver Post.com

The Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel is located a block away from Civic Center Park and the “Big Air” competition. For great hotel rates for the “Big Air” competition, please visit us at www.sheratondenverdowntown.com.