Starwood’s Latest: The Heavenly Crib

NEW YORK— Starwood Hotels & Resorts is throwing out all the cribs in its Westin, Sheraton and Four Points hotels throughout North America, and replacing them with new, custom-designed, ultra-safe cribs. Using New York City’s Central Park as a backdrop for the kick-off Aug. 14 of the new product, Starwood hosted a consumer and press event that brought together local, neighborhood babies and their parents— who tested out the new cribs— as well as Starwood officials, and the local media, who perched high on a Central Park hill to snap pictures of a gigantic, fabricated “Heavenly Crib” nestled under the New York skyline. Starwood had constructed the faux crib to drive its point home, that safety is key when traveling with children. The crib initiative was launched a year after the U.S. Consumer Product Safety commission and the National SAFE Kids Campaign reported that they had found unsafe cribs and play yards in the majority of hotels they had visited around the country. Hazards they cited included loose hardware, soft bedding, comforters or pillows that could cause suffocation, and adult-size sheets being used on the crib that could potentially cause strangulation or suffocation. Starwood spent over a year coming up with its new cribs, evaluating what was available commercially on the market. In the end, it decided to design its own product with extra safety precautions that went above and beyond existing standards. “We looked at everything possible and we exceed all standards on crib safety,” said Glenn Tuckman, svp North American hotel operations for Starwood. Tuckman was the Starwood executive selected to make the presentation in Central Park today. What exists today are two new crib styles that are being rolled out in 300 hotels in North America. Westin has its own “Heavenly Crib” to complement its Heavenly Bed introduced to the market two years ago, while Sheraton and Four Points have the “Sweet Sleeper Crib.” Attributes of the Heavenly Crib include a white wood finish, fitted, blue bottom sheet with a cloud design, a white bumper pad and white flounced dust ruffle. The Sweet Sleeper Crib has a natural wood finish with a blue bottom sheet with a car design in bright, primary colors, as well as a navy bumper pad and white cotton blanket. Safety elements of both products include waterproof, flame-retardant mattresses with vent holes for air circulation; a reinforced safety latch and special hardware fittings on the crib’s bottom to prevent the mattress from falling through; custom-designed linens that are tightly fitted to prevent suffocation from excess material; a bumper pad that is also tightly fitted to prevent suffocation; and teething rails with a non-toxic plastic. The mattress on both of the cribs is four inches thick, as opposed to the typical foam rubber mattresses provided in most hotel cribs, said Tuckman. To test the cribs, Tuckman, Starwood Chairman Barry Sternlicht and other company executives took the product home and had their babies give them a whirl. Once it met with approval, the product was launched, at the cost of $1 million to Starwood. Tuckman noted that the next step is to provide training for housekeepers to ensure that all elements of the crib are used properly. Instructions for the crib’s assembly are provided using pictures to avoid language issues. A mesh bag is provided with each crib so that when they are taken apart, all of their components, like linens and mattress pads, can be kept together. Starwood introduced its Heavenly Bath earlier this summer. Prior to that, it launched the Heavenly Bed in August 1999. Both products have met with great acceptance, said Tuckman, who declined to reveal what Starwood’s next “heavenly” product would be. He did indicate, however, that Starwood may provide for sale some elements of its new crib line. While the actual cribs are smaller than those that might be used in most residences, consumers may want to purchase some of the linens. The c