Four Points By Sheraton Gets Its Own Spotlight

WHITE PLAINS, NY— Sheraton Hotels & Resorts’ younger sibling, Four Points by Sheraton, is about to get its own push into the marketplace. The full-service, midscale brand, grown organically by ITT Sheraton before that company became part of the Starwood Hotels & Resorts portfolio, has its own prototype in the works, as well as a new senior vp to lead its growth. Hoyt Harper, the Starwood executive who led the launch of Starwood’s highly lauded loyalty guest program, and who most recently served as the company’s senior vp/business development and marketing, has been given the new role of heading up brand standards, product development and owner relations for Four Points. Harper reports directly to Starwood COO Bob Cotter. The Four Points flag currently has 153 properties in its portfolio, 118 of those in North America and 102 in the United States. Harper told HOTEL BUSINESS® that secondary and tertiary markets, as well as airport areas and cities are being targeted for the midscale brand, whose standards require full food and beverage options, including room service. “We think Four Points has a nice size portfolio, but it needs to grow substantially,” said Harper, adding that the flag already flies in a number of airport markets, including Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Miami, New Orleans and Vancouver. Four Points, the only midscale brand in Starwood’s primarily upscale product line, would fit nicely in areas where Westins and Sheratons do not exist, and suits those customers with lower per diems than those brands, said Harper. Competitors of the flag are considered to be Hilton Garden Inn and Courtyard by Marriott. And while the Four Points flag is heavily licensed— Starwood manages only 30 of the properties now and owns only seven— it is not being marketed solely as a franchise vehicle, said Harper. Because Starwood is striving to promote consistency of the brand— a point being made even more clearly by the development of a prototype— applications for franchises are being carefully scrutinized. “We’ve had 98 applications this year, 53 are being considered, and six have come under contract recently,” said Harper. Growth for the brand is expected to come heavily in the form of conversions, he added, but again, will be carefully considered. “We will be strict about the type of box we are looking for,” Harper explained. “We just spent three years getting rid of 30 properties we didn’t feel met our standards. That limits our opportunities, but it reinforces the fact that we will have a quality brand that will be consistent everywhere we go.” Harper, who said to watch for the unveiling of the Four Points prototype just before Thanksgiving, admits the brand is getting more focus than it had in the past. That point is driven home easily when one considers the attention the hip W brand has been getting since its launch, as well as the hype that has surrounded Westin with its Heavenly Bed and Heavenly Bath amenities. And most recently, of course, Sheraton was in the spotlight with its new service guarantee. “Now it’s Four Points’ turn,” said Harper. “We are serious about the midscale market.”