B'luru gets India's first Sheraton Grand

Joins nine others in category across the world

Sheraton, the largest and most well known brand of Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, on Wednesday recognised Sheraton Bangalore at Brigade Gateway as one of the ten exceptional Sheraton hotels across the globe to be crowned as ‘Sheraton Grand’.

The company simultaneously rebranded its flagship hotels in Beijing, Tokyo, Miyazaki, Bangkok, Taipei, Seoul, Dubai, Edinburgh, and Rio.

The Sheraton Grand is a new premium tier within the Sheraton brand which seeks to better match guest expectations. The Sheraton Grand boasts of superior design, service, guest experience, and performance among other such parameters.

“The Sheraton Grand acknowledges hotels within the Sheraton family that offer superior design and service for improved guest experience,” Dilip Puri, managing director, India and regional vice president, South Asia, Starwood, said in a telephone interaction.

$100-m branding push

While Starwood revealed its first ten Sheraton Grand hotels on Wednesday, 50 newly-designated Sheraton Grand hotels are expected to be launched round the world by the end of 2015, with plans for a hundred by early 2017.

“We plan to include 2-3 more hotels in the Sheraton Grand family in India by the end of next year,” said Puri. At present, there are three Sheraton hotels in India in Bengaluru, New Delhi, and Hyderabad.

The move is an initiative under the Sheraton 2020 programme, a clear five-year vision to revitalise the Sheraton brand which is  a $100-million Sheraton-focused marketing campaign.

As part of the plan, the company has relaunched its website after having revamped it with enhanced user journey, high-end design, artful photography and a modern colour palette.

It is also introducing the paired menu, wherein Sheraton will reinvigorate its lobby bar experience with imaginative menu additions through Paired, a new food and beverage programme comprising artisanal small plates and eclectic bar snacks served alongside suggested premium wines and local craft beers.