Case Study: Starwood Hotels & Resorts achieves dramatic market-share growth and guest satisfaction with Social Tables

Starwood Hotels & Resorts - Customer Case Study

Starwood Hotels & Resorts faced a customer-experience problem: cheap, ill-considered bedding was undermining their core product—a good night’s sleep. In 1999 CEO Barry Sternlicht championed a customer-focused shift, arguing hotels should invest in beds because sleep is the primary guest need.

Starwood invested $75 million to replace 110,000 beds with consumer-tested Westin Heavenly Beds, turning the upgrade into a signature product. The move drove a rapid increase in market share, cemented Starwood as a market leader, and created new revenue by selling the Heavenly Bed through its online marketplace.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts

Barry Sternlicht

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer