Editorial Board   Guest Author

Ms. Lipton

Sarah Lipton

Senior Global Brand Director, Westin Hotels & Resorts

Sarah Lipton has been building hotel brands at Starwood Hotels and Marriott International for her entire career. In her role as the Senior Global Brand Director for Westin Hotels & Resorts, Ms. Lipton is responsible for developing the strategic global initiatives for Marriott's wellness-focused, Premium Distinctive lifestyle brand. Ms. Lipton manages the brand's positioning as well as developing strategic programs, offerings and partnerships, while continuing to direct the overall brand management, integrity and positioning of the Westin brand and its robust portfolio of more than 225 hotels and resorts all across the world. She drives the global marketing strategy, guest experience, standards and communications programs for Westin.

Ms. Lipton has been a pivotal contributor on six global brand teams, having managed initiatives for Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, Four Points by Sheraton, Element Hotels, Aloft Hotels, Le Meridien Hotels and Westin Hotels & Resorts. She has led numerous essential marketing initiatives, including the launch of Westin's Well-Being Movement in 2014, and more recently, Westin's new global brand campaign, Let's Rise, which takes on the disruptions of travel and empowers guests to be their best selves during their stay through wellness. She also helped cultivate many signature experiential innovations to drive meaningful and differentiated experiences for guests and associates including Westin's partnerships with top-tier fitness brands including Peloton and TRX, Westin's global portfolio of active Run Concierges, and the RunWestin program just to name a few.

Ms. Lipton is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis and resides in New York City with her family.


Please visit http://www.westin.com for more information.

Ms. Lipton can be contacted at 914-640-8100 or sarah.lipton@westin.com

Coming up in January 2019...

Mobile Technology: The Future is Now

Mobile Technology continues to advance at a relentless pace and the hotel industry continues to adapt. Hotel guests have shown a strong preference for mobile self-service - from checking-in/out at a hotel kiosk, to ordering room service, making dinner reservations, booking spa treatments, and managing laundry/dry cleaning services. And they also enjoy the convenience of paying for these services with smart phone mobile payments. In addition, some hotels have adopted a “concierge in your pocket” concept. Through a proprietary hotel app, guests can access useful information such as local entertainment venues, tourist attractions, event calendars, and medical facilities and services. In-room entertainment continues to be a key factor, as guests insist on the capacity to plug in their own mobile devices to customize their entertainment choices. Mobile technology also allows for greater marketing opportunities. For example, many hotels have adopted the use of “push notifications” - sending promotions, discounts and special event messages to guests based on their property location, purchase history, profiles, etc. Near field communication (NFC) technology is also being utilized to support applications such as opening room doors, earning loyalty points, renting a bike, accessing a rental car, and more. Finally, some hotels have adopted more futuristic technology. Robots are in use that have the ability to move between floors to deliver room service requests for all kinds of items - food, beverages, towels, toothbrushes, chargers and snacks. And infrared scanners are being used by housekeeping staff that can detect body heat within a room, alerting staff that the room is occupied and they should come back at a later time. The January Hotel Business Review will report on what some hotels are doing to maximize their opportunities in this exciting mobile technology space.

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