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Four Points by Sheraton Unveils New Brand Prototype in Texas

Where: 6809 North Loop 1604 West [map], San Antonio, TX, United States, 78249

We suppose Texas is the place to roll out the new looks for the big brands: first, Le Meridien got its new identity goin' in Dallas — and now Four Points by Sheraton has unveiled the brand's "refreshed" new identity down in San Antonio.

Today's opening of the Four Points by Sheraton San Antonio Northwest also marks the launch of the brand's first "prototype hotel," displaying the brand's "rejuvenated, contemporary look, complemented by classic and comfortable interior design elements refreshed for today’s self-sufficient traveler."

The San Antonio property is actually the first of three "prototypes" opening across North America this year; those new hotels are the fruits of a five-year brand refreshment project (not to mention the result of the $1 billion Starwood poured into the brand to get it lookin' up-to-date.)

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Tags: Hotel Openings / Tri-Pack Hotel / Tri-Pack BT / Four Points By Sheraton / Manhattan Hotels / Staybridge Suites / Fairfield Inn / Hotel Hype / → All Tags

Another Tri-Pack Hotel is Now Two-Thirds Open in Times Square

Where: 326 West 40th Street [map], New York, NY, United States, 10018

How could we forget that the Tri-Pack hotel in Times Square would have some competition. We got a press release today saying that the Four Points Times Square has opened. When we checked our archives to see what else we have written about this hotel, we found this story which focused largely on Gene Kauffman's Tri-Pack Hotel.

However, we also wrote that he was working on a similar packaged hotel at 40th street that would include "a Four Points by Sheraton, Fairfield Inn and Staybridge Suites, each more than 30 stories tall." For clarity's sake we'll call this new one Tri-Pack BT (Business Travelers.) The other Tri-Pack will have the more budget-y brands of Holiday Inn, a Candlewood Suites and a Hampton Inn.

Now the Four Points is open at Tri-Pack BT but Staybridge Suites won't take guests until January 16, 2010. On the other hand the Fairfield Inn is already open with rooms at $199, making this Tri-Pack hotel two-thirds open.

And yes, that's a Starwood property, an ICH hotel and a Marriott brand all sharing the same space. (Btw for giggles, check out the Staybridge Suites rendering on their site which shows the building as a standalone.)

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Tags: Hotel Technology / Hotel Amenities / Starwood Hotels / Hotel News / Aloft Hotels / Element Hotels / Four Points by Sheraton / → All Tags

Aloft, Element and Four Points Introduce 'Digital Newsstands'

Whoa. Sweet. Just when we thought Amazon Kindles topped the list of awesome tech offerings for word nerds and news junkies, we hear about this: Starwood announced this week that they've entered into a partnership with Zinio (a company that digitally publishes print magazine titles) to offer a "Digital Newsstand" for free to guests in Aloft, Element, and Four Points by Sheraton hotel properties.

According to a press release:

The digital newsstand, which will be accessible in Starwood's guest rooms and lobby kiosks, will offer participating titles including: Caribbean Travel & Life, Destination Weddings & Honeymoons, Field & Stream, Golf Fitness Magazine, Kiteboarding, Macworld, mental_floss, Outside, Outside's GO, PC World, Saveur, Ski Magazine, Skiing, Spa Magazine, U.S. News & World Report, Wakeboarding and Working Mother. Also, Starwood will be the first hotel company to offer VIVmag, the first interactive digital women's luxury-lifestyle magazine, conceived and designed exclusively to be read digitally.

To access the digital newsstand during your stay, you click through from the internet portal page (on your laptop in your room or on a lobby kiosk) "to the private-label newsstand where free single issues will be featured," pick the magazine you want to read, register for Zinio, and read mags to your heart's content.

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Tags: Chief Beer Officer / Four Points by Sheraton / Scott Kerkmans / Four Points Hotels / → All Tags

Holiday Boozin' Tips From Four Points' Chief Beer Officer

Nobody has very much money as 2008 draws to a close, so people are forgoing champagne and just reaching for some trusty cheap beer. According to a new study by Four Points by Sheraton, 80% of people who threw parties this year ranked beer as their drink of choice, beating out champagne and wine by a mile (this is pretty shocking — unless the survey was done at frat houses). Also, the study found that 66% of those surveyed see themselves drinking more this holiday than last year (hmmm, we wonder why).

So you've got beer, you've got a strong desire to get drunk and you need to do something creative to entertain your guests. Enter Scott Kerkmans, Four Points' Chief Beer Officer.

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Tags: Hotel Openings / Hotel Delays / Aloft Hotels / Westin Hotels / W Hotels / Four Points By Sheraton / Starwood Hotels / → All Tags

This Week in Hotel Delays :: Starwood Hotels Not Immune to Delays

Where: United States

We always enjoy, and well, it drives us crazy at times too, watching hotel opening dates slowly but surely get pushed back. Some hotel operators are infamous for it, and some manage to keep it on the DL.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts is one of the companies that try to keep it on the DL but since some of their locations have such high visibility, it's impossible to not notice. After the jump, we run down some of the good and the bad in the Starwood portfolio as it pertains to hotel openings and delays.

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Tags: Chris Elliott / Hotel Hell / Starwood Hotels / Four Points By Sheraton / → All Tags

Sheraton Can't Be Bothered With Your Erroneous Bill Or Your Silly MSNBC Friend

Where: 5115 Hopyard Road [map], Pleasanton, CA, United States, 94588

Our buddy Chris Elliott is a columnist at MSNBC and also has his own site at Elliott.org. Most of the time he acts as a mediator for travel disputes between customers who have been wronged one way or another by airlines, car rental companies, airlines, hotels, airlines, online booking sites, oh yeah, and the occasional complaint about an airline.

We travel a lot too - so naturally we keep an eye on his site, but we have to say -- most things he writes about doesn't really surprise us, since people do dumb things and some companies are even dumber. Particularly airlines.

Until this week's post about a customer (Mike Black) who reserved and then canceled a room at the Four Points by Sheraton Pleasanton in CA and was assured by the hotel that there would be no charges for the room or cancellation.

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Tags: Four Points by Sheraton / Starwood Hotels / Hotel News / Manhattan Hotels / Hotel Openings / Hotel Opening Rates / → All Tags

SoHo Gets A Four Points, It May Cost You All Your Starwood Gold Points

Where: 66 Charlton St. [map], New York, NY, United States, 10013

Finally! We've been waiting for the Four Points by Sheraton SoHo Village for years now -- we first heard news of the property way back in 2004 -- and now the hotel has finally opened its doors at 66 Charlton, between Varick and Hudson Street.

This 150-room hotel is the second to open up in Manhattan (Four Points by Sheraton Manhattan Chelsea was the first) and definitely adds some much-needed affordable rooms to the NYC market.

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Tags: Hotel Swag / Four Points by Sheraton / Sheraton Hotels / → All Tags

Hotel Swag: Four Points and Their Mysterious Apple Peeler

The Four Points by Sheraton chain has been in our good books ever since they appointed a Chief Beer Officer, but they're teetering on heading over to the dark side after we discovered some of the odd (and probably useless) stuff they're trying to sell at their online store.

We get it about the sheets and towels and stuff, and even the fact that they sell a bunch of different pies (we'll take Mississippi Mud, thanks) is something  we can live with.

But in a very limited section of their shop called "Uncomplicated" they are selling a rather odd-looking apple peeler. For a start, we don't believe it's uncomplicated (is this thing slicing and peeling at the same time? What if we just want it peeled? How the heck do we attach the apple?), and second, we don't believe anybody really needs it. And definitely not from a hotel shop.

[Photo: Four Points Store]

Tags: Chief Beer Officer / Four Points by Sheraton / Scott Kerkmans / Hotel News / → All Tags

Sweet, Dude :: Four Points by Sheraton Appoints First Ever Best Brews Intern

When Four Points by Sheraton's Chief Beer Officer Scott Kerkmans put out a call for the first-ever Best Brews Intern in March, frat boys' ears all over the country perked up. Suddenly beer was a potential career option, and 2,000 applications poured in from hopefuls of all sorts.

And now the lucky recipient of the Sweetest Internship for Dudes Ever has been selected. Home brewer Dan Suarez of Brooklyn was the named the sweetest of all sweet bros:

In keeping with Four Points' commitment to spreading the gospel of life's Simple PleasuresSM, Dan will help develop in-hotel beer "happy hours" for Four Points hotels, work closely with local breweries and conduct beer trend research. He will also help promote Four Points Best Brews' program at happy hours and on bar stools across the country.

Okay, fine. We admit we're a bit jealous. But we send all our best to Dan and Scott. This looks like the beginning of a beautiful Bromance...

P.S. Scott Kerkmans is lookin' good these days despite holding a position that requires drinking beer all day. Not too long ago, he still looked like a frat boy himself. Now, is that hair gel we spy?

[Photo: Diane Bondareff/Four Points by Sheraton]