NEW YORK — Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. wants to enrich its retail experience with new products and store formats and has hired former Saks Fifth Avenue fashion executive Ann Watson to accelerate the strategy.
Watson joined Starwood as senior director of retail, a new position in which she will develop programs tied to Starwood’s upscale portfolio of 850 properties, including Westin Hotels & Resorts, Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, Four Points by Sheraton, St. Regis and W Hotels.
“My goal is to look at the opportunities that enhance each brand’s promise, through either a new retail experience or product or brand alliance,” Watson said in an interview. She said Starwood was “transforming into a consumer lifestyle company with world-class hotel brands. We’re not just a real estate company that owns hotels.”
Among the company’s possibilities are forming alliances with designers, brands and retailers on exclusive products and amenities and distribution rights. Opening additional W boutiques is another alternative. There are four such boutiques at W hotels in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Diego. Watson also spoke of the potential to maximize the Starwood offering by determining what items are best suited to sell via stores, catalogues or the Internet. She said Starwood’s retail business represents “a huge distribution channel completely undertapped.”
She will be advancing a strategy that germinated last year, when W Hotels hooked up with Diane von Furstenberg to create an “emergency survival kit” with mini lip glosses, mascara and perfume packaged in the minibars of hotel rooms. There is also an “emergency fashion kit” with von Furstenberg’s classic black wrap dress sold at the W Hotel stores. W even offered an evening with the designer during which individuals could sip cocktails with her and hear von Furstenberg discuss how her design empire was built.
Last year, Starwood also struck a deal with Nordstrom in which the Westin’s signature line of luxury bedding, called Heavenly Bed, including linens, blankets, duvets and mattresses, would be sold at many Nordstrom locations. Previously, the bedding was only available through the hotel’s in-room catalogue and Web site.
Before joining Starwood, Watson was a consultant on strategic branding. She also had been vice president of fashion merchandising for women at Saks, where she helped integrate fashion merchandising and marketing efforts to develop consistent fashion direction for merchants, product developers, advertising and creative teams. She also oversaw trend forecasting and analysis. Earlier, she was senior fashion editor at Neiman Marcus and worked as a national sales manager for Escada Couture USA. She started her career at Macy’s East as a manager and assistant buyer.