By Melissa Yeager, Arizona Republic \u2502 az.newsmemory.com<\/p>\n
Warmth. Comfort. Community. Those are some of the words Marriott executives use to describe their vision for the revamped Sheraton brand once it emerges from renovations at hotels worldwide.<\/p>\n
And, of the 120 Sheraton hotels they plan to renovate in the coming months, they hope the Sheraton Grand Phoenix will be the company\u2019s \u201cjewel box\u201d to display the concepts they\u2019ve envisioned.<\/p>\n
Sheraton will launch a major remodel of the downtown Phoenix hotel in June, starting with updating its 1,000 guest rooms.<\/p>\n
In July, the hotel will begin transforming its lobby into a redesigned community\u00a0public space where it hopes guests and locals will feel at ease to \u201cwork, meet and relax.\u201d<\/p>\n
The hotel will stay open during the renovation, which is expected to be completed by early 2020.<\/p>\n
Creating an identity for Sheraton<\/strong><\/p>\n The company readily admits that the Sheraton brand has been searching for an identity, especially since Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide (Sheraton\u2019s parent company) and Marriott International merged in 2016.<\/p>\n \u201cThe normal person remembers all these memories about Sheraton but can\u2019t really articulate what the brand is today,\u201d said Indy Adenaw, Sheraton<\/p>\n Hotels\u2019 vice president of brand management.<\/p>\n In 2018, Marriott announced it would transform Sheraton, the thirdlargest brand in its portfolio with 450 hotels in 75 countries worldwide, to set it apart from the hotel giant\u2019s other properties.<\/p>\n The new Sheraton brand will provide relaxed spaces for locals and guests to work, meet and eat. The company hopes this new community focus will differentiate it from Marriott, which executives describe as a \u201cpolished, structured, formal\u201d brand that celebrates business travelers.<\/p>\n Phoenix as Sheraton\u2019s \u2018jewel box\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n Much like the brand itself, the Sheraton Grand Phoenix also has been listless.<\/p>\n Phoenix spent $350 million to build the 1,000-room hotel to attract conventions to the newly renovated convention center. It broke ground in 2006 and opened to guests just as the recession hit in 2008.<\/p>\n In June 2018, the city sold the hotel at a loss to Marriott for $255 million.<\/p>\n When Marriott purchased the property last year, it predicted the hotel would be \u201ca living and breathing showcase\u00a0of our new vision for the Sheraton\u00a0brand.\u201d<\/p>\n This week, Marriott executives invited travel reporters from across the country to tour the property before its renovation. During the tour, executives said the hotel\u2019s downtown location in the fifth largest and second fastest growing city in the U.S. provides great opportunity for Sheraton to put its new concepts into action.<\/p>\n \u201cWe really felt like it was set up in multiple ways to be a community hotel,\u201d Adenaw said.<\/p>\n Remodeled Sheraton\u2019s amenities<\/strong><\/p>\n Sheraton hopes these amenities will attract locals as well as out-of-towners:<\/p>\n \u275a\u00a0A coffee bar anchoring the public space.<\/p>\n \u275a\u00a0Community tables, complete with charging stations, where people can work.<\/p>\n \u275a\u00a0Small, soundproof booths where people can take calls privately.<\/p>\n \u275a\u00a0Five studios with digital technology that people can book from their smartphones to hold small meetings.<\/p>\n \u275a\u00a0A Sheraton Club on the ground floor.<\/p>\n \u275a\u00a0A market with grab-and-go options.<\/p>\n \u275a\u00a0A community manager who is equal parts concierge and host of the community space.<\/p>\n \u275a\u00a0A new tapas-style restaurant with a bar that takes advantage of outdoor<\/p>\n space.<\/p>\n \u275a\u00a0A quick-service restaurant with late-night food and a garage door that opens it to the outside.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re going to see something that is vibrant. They\u2019re going to see a product associates are proud of,\u201d said Mike Ehmann, the hotel\u2019s general manager.<\/p>\n Seeking input from locals<\/strong><\/p>\n Ehmann called the anticipated transformation a \u201cterrific collaborative effort\u201d between corporate and his team of 420 local employees.<\/p>\n To make sure Sheraton has designed a place that feels communal, the brand has had a research team in Phoenix, interviewing locals about prospective concepts and listening to their feedback.<\/p>\n The redesign will also focus on using elements that represent the heritage and warm textures of the Southwest, which the brand hopes will make locals feel the large hotel is at the heart of their community.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are building as much for them as we are for the out-of-town guests,\u201d Adenaw said.<\/p>\n TynanGroup is the Project Manager on the Sheraton Grand Phoenix Renovation Project.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Melissa Yeager, Arizona Republic \u2502 az.newsmemory.com Warmth. Comfort. Community. Those are some of the words Marriott executives use to describe their vision for the revamped Sheraton brand once it emerges from renovations at hotels worldwide. And, of the 120 Sheraton hotels they plan to renovate in the coming months, they hope the Sheraton Grand […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":6628,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_mo_disable_npp":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[161],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n