The home page of the new site showcases Starwood Hawaii's latest broadcast commercial spots focusing on their signature "Where you are / Were you want to be" campaign. Images reflect the hectic office environment that many can identify with these days, and then fade to an image of a tranquil beachgoer on a chaise lounge relaxing under the sun (shot on the island of Oahu).
Users can then click on either "The Starwood Experience" or "Exclusive Offers" section. "The Starwood Experience" takes the viewer on a virtual tour of Starwood Hawaii's 13 premiere resorts across five Hawaiian Islands while soft slack-key guitar music strums throughout the idyllic images. The site also features interactive maps of each of the islands and a total of six live Web cameras currently set up on the islands of Oahu, Maui and Kauai. The cameras capture views positioned 30-floors above the Sheraton Waikiki, overlooking Waikiki beach; beachfront at the Sheraton Moana Surfrider; overlooking Kaanapali Beach at the Westin Maui and Black Rock in front of Sheraton Maui. The final cameras overlook majestic Hanalei Bay at the Princeville Resort and the sunny south shore of Kauai at the Sheraton Kauai Resort.
"The www.starwood.com/hawaii site leverages the fact that online travel planners are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and expect more from their online planning tools," said Carla Kearns Smith, business development manager, FireFly Interactive, the company that built the site. "At the same time," she added, "as computers are becoming more powerful, hi-speed connections more prevalent, and plug-ins like Flash and Audio players essentially universal, Starwood Hawai`i is able to match user expectations with full utilization of the technology available."
"Our new Web site also provides travelers with immediate access to all of Starwood Hawaii's exclusive offers from Endless Escape rates, to SunSational Savings, family specials and honeymoon packages," added Troy. "Between the breathtaking imagery of the Hawaiian islands and our special offers, we are hoping the combined impact will encourage those researching their vacation online will choose Hawaii as their next vacation destination."
And for those interested in a destination wedding, which wedding experts say are on the rise, the Starwood Hawaii Web site features a special "Weddings at Starwood Hawaii" section. A slide show of each property showcases the most romantic locations to exchange marriage vows and the most elegant function spaces to host an intimate or large reception. The site also features a honeymoon gift registry that can help couples create their very own dream honeymoon.
For more information on Starwood Hotels & Resorts Hawaii, log onto www.starwood.com/hawaii, call your preferred travel planner, or 1-888-488-3535 (toll-free).
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with more than 740 properties in more than 80 countries and 105,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. With internationally renowned brands, Starwood is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels and resorts including: St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, Sheraton, Westin, Four Points by Sheraton, W brands, as well as Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts.
