“Our goal is to provide our guests with unprecedented access to premium wine and showcase the latest wine industry trends,” said Hoyt Harper, Global Brand Leader for Sheraton Hotels & Resorts. “We designed Social Hour to foster social interactions among our guests and become a destination for a great wine experience.”
Riesling Grape Luxury Marketing Campaign
Sheraton Hotels & Resorts announced the launch of Sheraton Selects Spotlight on Riesling to celebrate the varietal across North America beginning this July through September 20, 2014. As part of the growing popularity and seasonality of the Riesling grape, participating Sheraton properties will create a slate of programming to feature carefully chosen Sheraton Selects Riesling wines, including wine flights, food pairings, guided tastings and more. The new program comes one year after the successful global rollout of Sheraton Social Hour to more than 400 Sheraton hotels in 2013, which offers guests a specially curated menu of premium wines and weekly tastings. Sheraton Selects Spotlight on Riesling kicks-off with an exclusive Riesling tasting and Sheraton Social Hour at Sheraton New York Times Square, with special guest Bob Bertheau, Chateau Ste. Michelle’s Head Winemaker. Guests and locals alike will taste a selection of Rieslings featured on the new Sheraton Selects menu while learning about the characteristics that have lead this varietal to become a summer staple. This spotlight on Riesling will be followed by an ongoing series of Sheraton Selects Spotlight promotions that continue to celebrate and feature growing trends in premium wine.
The program includes two Riesling offerings on all participating Sheraton Selects menus at properties in North America. Enhanced participation from hotels includes Riesling wine flights of at least three varieties, as well as food pairings to complement each Riesling wine. Sheraton Selects Spotlight features some of the world’s top winemakers such as Chateau Ste. Michelle, Eroica, Dr. Loosen, Pacific Rim, Hogue and Stonecap.
Sheraton Social Hour’s Continued Success
Nearly one year following the global rollout of the Sheraton Social Hour program, hotels around the world have reported higher bar RevPOR (revenue per occupied room) and have seen an average 20 percent increase in YOY beverage revenue in their lobby bars.
The Sheraton Social Hour program came as the natural progression of the Sheraton brand’s dedication to reinvent the hotel lobby as a social space. These lobby transformations began as part of a $6 billion revitalization project in 2009, when Sheraton developed the Link@Sheraton experience in over 400 hotels across 70 countries, creating a welcoming and energetic environment for guests and locals alike.
As a result of the success with the Link@Sheraton, the brand has aggressively rolled out programs and amenities like Sheraton Social Hour and the Link@Sheraton Café, a signature food and beverage offering designed to complement the Link@Sheraton experience, a space where the Sheraton Social Hour comes alive and thrives.
Sheraton Social Hour provides travelers with access to premium wines through weekly evening tasting events. Join the celebration on social media by following #SocialHour and @sheratonhotels on Instagram.
For more information on Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, please visit www.sheraton.com or Facebook. Follow Sheraton on Twitter and Instagram.