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Westin Associates Run The Span of The World In Celebration of Global Launch of New Balance Gear Lending Program
STAMFORD, Conn. (November 15, 2012)– Today, Westin Hotels &
Resorts announced that thousands of Westin and New Balance associates around
the world are participating in 5k runs to benefit Soles4Soles in celebration
the global roll-out of the brand’s popular gear lending program with New
Balance.Following a successful pilot program, the innovative, exclusive product
loan program is now available to guests at all 190 Westin hotels worldwide,
empowering more travelers to stay healthy and fit on the road.Thousands of
associates at close to 75 participating Westin properties are running over
6,000 miles (more than the land mass around the world), reinforcing Westin’s
ongoing commitment to making fitness convenient for travelers.
From Start to Finish, Westin Is Dedicated to Making Fitness Convenient
for Travelers
Today, Westin celebrates the culmination of launch runs around the world with a
5k in New York.The run will start and end at the new Westin New York Grand
Central, which made its debut last month as the newest property in the brand’s
portfolio, and will conclude a two week-long celebration of the New Balance
gear lending global launch with 5k walks and runs in dozens of cities around
the world including Boston, Munich, Toronto, San Francisco, Shanghai and
Tokyo.These runs commenced at Westin hotels in each area and followed each
property’s designated RunWESTIN™ 5k running map, taking associates on a scenic
tour of iconic landmarks in their cities.Participating hotels also featured
donation stations where associates, guests and locals dropped off gently used
or new footwear which Westin will collect and donate to Soles4Souls, an
organization that provides shoes to adults and children in need around the
world. Upon the completion of the global runs, Westin and New Balance
will donate more than 15,000 pairs of shoes to Soles4Souls on behalf of all
participating hotels, a portion of which will benefit those impacted by
Hurricane Sandy.
“We are excited to celebrate the global launch of the New Balance gear lending
program by encouraging our associates to put on their running shoes for a good
cause,” said Brian Povinelli, Global Brand Leader, Westin Hotels &
Resorts.“Westin’s mission is to enable our guests to pursue their well-being
when on the road, and our partnership with New Balance makes not only packing
much easier but provides a solution for those travelers who forgot their gear
or decide to work out last-minute.The program also helps us to continue to
deliver on personalized experiences for our guests around the world.”
“Today’s travelers are committed to staying healthy and fit while they’re away
from home and convenient access to the proper athletic equipment and
programming is vital to making this happen,” said Hilary Keates, director of
global marketing and brand management for New Balance. “New Balance is excited
to expand its partnership with Westin to provide their health and
fitness-minded guests, worldwide, with footwear, apparel, accessories and
programming for an overall enhanced experience.”
Westin Celebrates Most Successful Pilot Program in the Brand’s
History
The decision to expand the gear lending program with New Balance globally was
driven by the unprecedented positive feedback from users of the pilot program,
which launched in 10 target markets in 2010. Over two-thirds of surveyed
guests stated that they would be more likely to return to a Westin because of
the program.Guests also rated the gym in the top five amenities they look for
in a hotel and are more likely to choose to work out with the New Balance
program in place.This innovative program eliminates the hassle of packing gear,
which surveyed guests listed as a key barrier to working out while
traveling.
No Room for Sneakers in Your Luggage? No Worries, Pack Light and
Stay Fit with Westin
For just $5, guests can borrow running shoes with disposable insoles, as well
as a variety of men’s and women’s New Balance apparel including shorts, shirts
and socks for men and shorts, capri pants, shirts, sports bras and socks for
women.
Westin guests will also benefit from travel-specific fitness content provided
by New Balance.New Balance Fitness Ambassador and Exercise TV celebrity trainer
Holly Perkins developed exclusive in-room fitness and equipment-free content
that includes stretching and strengthening workouts, cardio and yoga.The
program includes “Wellness in Travel” tips from Perkins on nutrition and
creative ways to combat jet lag and healthy living. In addition, New
Balance will continue to work with individual Westin properties to enhance the
current three and five-mile local area running maps.As part of the partnership,
participating properties will provide guests traveling for a major athletic
event, such as a marathon, with wellness amenities, including turn-down gifts
with “performance/fuel” goodies for the race and “good luck” wake-up
calls.
For more information about Westin’s gear lending program with New Balance and
the global 5k runs, please visit http://westinnewbalance.com/5k/.
For more information on Westin Hotels & Resorts, please visit www.westin.com, Facebook or follow Westin on Twitter.
About Westin Hotels & Resorts
Westin Hotels & Resorts offers innovative programs that transform every
aspect of a stay into a revitalizing experience. All Westin signature services
– like the Heavenly Bed, delicious SuperFoods and WestinWORKOUT studio – have
been designed with the guests’ well-being in mind. Westin hotels,with more than
190 hotels and resorts in nearly 40 countries and territories, is owned by
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT). Starwood Hotels
& Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies
in the world with 1,128 properties in nearly 100 countries and 154,000
employees at its owned and managed properties.Starwood is a fully integrated
owner, operator and franchisor of hotels, resorts and residences with the
following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis®, The Luxury
Collection®, W®, Westin®, Le
Méridien®, Sheraton®, Four Points® by
Sheraton, Aloft®, and ElementSM. The Company boasts one
of the industry’s leading loyalty programs, Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG),
allowing members to earn and redeem points for room stays, room upgrades and
flights, with no blackout dates. Starwood also owns Starwood Vacation
Ownership, Inc., a premier provider of world-class vacation experiences through
villa-style resorts and privileged access to Starwood brands. For more
information, please visit www.westin.com
About New Balance
New Balance, headquartered in Boston, MA has the following mission:
Demonstrating responsible leadership, we build global brands that athletes are
proud to wear, associates are proud to create and communities are proud to
host.New Balance is currently the only athletic shoe company that manufactures
footwear in the U.S. with 25% of our U.S. footwear shipments produced at five
New England facilities.The company also operates a manufacturing facility in
Flimby, U.K.New Balance employs more than 4000 associates around the globe, and
in 2011 reported worldwide sales of $2.04 billion.To learn more about how New
Balance Makes Excellent Happen, please visit
http://www.newbalance.com.
About Soles4Souls®, Clothes4Souls®, and Hope4Souls™
Soles4Souls collects new shoes to give relief to the victims of abject
suffering and collects used shoes to support micro-enterprise efforts to
eradicate poverty. Soles4Souls’ other two divisions, Clothes4Souls and
Hope4Souls, provide the same relief and support through clothing and other
necessities. Donating parties are eligible for tax advantages. Visit www.giveshoes.org, www.clothes4souls.org or www.hope4souls.org for more
information.
(Note: This press release contains forward-looking statements within the
meaning of federal securities regulations. Forward-looking statements are not
guarantees of future performance or events and involve risks and uncertainties
and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially
from those anticipated at the time the forward-looking statements are made.
These risks and uncertainties are presented in detail in our filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. Although we believe the expectations
reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable
assumptions, we can give no assurance that our expectations will be attained or
that results and events will not materially differ. We undertake no obligation
to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result
of new information, future events or otherwise.)
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Article published on 10/15/2012
