Westin Hotels & Resorts
Corporate brand
UnclaimedAn international upscale hotel and resort brand focused on restorative stays, wellness, sleep, and guest wellbeing.
Last updated October 14, 2026
Overview
Westin Hotels & Resorts is an American upscale hotel and resort brand operated by Marriott International. Its roots extend to 1930, when Seattle-area hotel owners Severt W. Thurston, Frank Dupar, Peter and Adolph Schmidt created Western Hotels as a management company during the Great Depression. The original group comprised 17 properties, primarily in Washington state and including one hotel in Boise, Idaho. Western Hotels expanded across western North America during the following decades, entering British Columbia and Oregon in 1931, Alaska in 1939, California in 1941, Utah in 1949, Montana in 1950, and Hawaii in 1956. The business developed from a regional hotel operator into an international lodging company through management contracts, acquisitions, and new construction. In 1955, it assumed management of Seattle's Olympic Hotel, which became its flagship and corporate base. In 1958, the company consolidated many properties under a more unified corporate structure and began operating hotels in Guatemala, its first locations outside the United States and Canada. It entered Mexico in 1961 and opened the Bayshore Inn in Vancouver that year, described as the first hotel built and owned by the chain. Western Hotels also participated in notable hospitality and tourism projects. Executive Edward Carlson helped bring the 1962 Century 21 Exposition to Seattle and was associated with the concept that inspired the Space Needle. Western Hotels managed the restaurant at the top of the Space Needle from its opening until 1982. The company also helped expand the Trader Vic's restaurant concept through locations in several of its hotels. As its geographic reach widened, the company adopted the name Western International Hotels in 1963. It became publicly held during the 1960s and entered joint marketing arrangements with Hotel Corporation of America and, later, Trust House Hotels. UAL Corporation acquired Western International in 1970. The company purchased New York's Plaza Hotel in 1975, adding a highly prominent property to its portfolio. The Westin name was introduced in 1981 as a contraction of Western International. The first property to receive the new identity was Seattle's Washington Plaza Hotel, renamed The Westin Hotel. Ownership changed several times thereafter. UAL's proposed Allegis travel conglomerate strategy failed, and Westin was sold to Japan's Aoki Corporation in 1988. Aoki subsequently sold the Plaza Hotel separately. Starwood Capital Group and Goldman Sachs acquired Westin in the mid-1990s, with Starwood taking full ownership in 1998. Marriott International acquired Starwood Hotels & Resorts in 2016, bringing Westin into the Marriott portfolio. Westin's modern positioning centers on wellness, sleep quality, exercise, and recovery within an upscale hotel setting. The brand is associated with the Heavenly Bed, WestinWORKOUT fitness offering, spa and wellness services, nutritious dining, meeting facilities, and the broader idea of helping guests feel renewed during travel. It operates hotels and resorts in multiple international markets, with properties ranging from urban business hotels to beach, mountain, and destination resorts. Westin is also part of the Marriott Bonvoy ecosystem, allowing participating guests to earn and redeem loyalty benefits across Marriott's portfolio. The brand's accommodation, meeting, dining, fitness, and wellness services are delivered through a mixture of managed, franchised, and independently owned properties operating under the Westin flag.
History
Westin's history began in 1930, when four hotel operators in the Pacific Northwest formed Western Hotels. The founders sought a coordinated management structure that could help their properties withstand the economic pressure of the Great Depression. The initial chain contained 17 hotels, most in Washington state, together with one property in Boise, Idaho. During the 1930s and 1940s, Western Hotels expanded through the Pacific Northwest and western United States. It entered Vancouver and Portland in 1931, Alaska in 1939, and California in 1941. The chain later added Utah and Montana. In 1949, executive Edward Carlson helped establish a relationship with restaurateur Victor Bergeron, known as Trader Vic, leading to Trader Vic's restaurants in selected Western Hotels properties. Western also assumed management of Seattle's Olympic Hotel in 1955, making it the company's flagship and moving its executive offices there. Hawaii became part of the company's network in 1956 through management of the Hawaiian Village Hotel. In 1958, Western Hotels reorganized many properties under a more unified corporate identity and began operating three hotels in Guatemala. This was the chain's first expansion outside the United States and Canada. Mexico followed in 1961, the same year that Western opened the Bayshore Inn in Vancouver, its first hotel described as both constructed and owned by the chain. The company adopted the name Western International Hotels in 1963. During the 1960s it became publicly held and entered collaborative marketing arrangements with other hotel groups. UAL Corporation acquired the company in 1970. Western International later purchased the Plaza Hotel in New York in 1975, increasing its presence in the luxury and landmark-hotel segment. In 1981, Western International changed its name to Westin Hotels. The new identity was derived from the earlier name and was first applied to the Washington Plaza Hotel in Seattle. Westin subsequently became involved in UAL's proposed Allegis travel conglomerate, which was intended to link airlines, car rental, hotels, and reservation technology. The strategy did not succeed, and Westin was sold to Aoki Corporation in 1988. The Plaza Hotel was sold separately after the acquisition. Starwood Capital Group and Goldman Sachs acquired Westin in the mid-1990s, completing the transaction in 1995 after negotiating a lower purchase price. Starwood assumed full ownership in 1998. Under Starwood, Westin developed a more coherent brand proposition around sleep, exercise, wellness, and personal renewal. The Heavenly Bed became a major consumer-facing brand asset, and Westin extended the concept beyond hotel rooms through retail sales of mattresses and bedding. Marriott International's 2016 acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts transferred Westin to Marriott. The brand remains an active international upscale hotel and resort flag. Its properties commonly combine accommodation with food and beverage, meetings, fitness, spa, and destination services. Westin's current identity emphasizes restorative travel, a positioning intended to serve both business travelers seeking recovery during demanding trips and leisure guests seeking comfortable, wellness-oriented stays.
- 2016
Westin joins Marriott International
[1]Marriott International completes its acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, making Westin part of Marriott's brand portfolio.
- 2015
“You Need Better Vacation Days” campaign launches
[6]Westin promoted wellness-focused vacations and resort travel through an integrated advertising effort.
- 2011
“For a Better You” campaign launches
[4]The campaign framed Westin’s signature amenities as a coordinated set of well-being benefits.
- 1999
Heavenly Bed enters consumer retail
[1]Westin begins selling the Heavenly Bed mattress to the public, extending a hotel amenity into a consumer product line.
- 1999
The Heavenly Bed launches
[3]Westin introduced its signature Heavenly Bed, making sleep quality a central part of the brand proposition.
- 1995
Starwood Capital acquires Westin
[1]Starwood Capital’s acquisition preceded the creation of the Starwood Hotels & Resorts platform.
- 1994
A. E. W. Scripps-led group acquires the company
[1]Ownership changed as the hotel business moved into a new phase of restructuring and brand development.
- 1991
Personal in-room voice mail introduced
[1]Westin is credited with introducing personal voice mail in guest rooms as part of its hotel-service innovations.
- 1981
Westin name introduced
[1]Western International Hotels adopts the Westin Hotels name, beginning with the rebranding of Seattle's Washington Plaza Hotel.
- 1975
Acquisition of New York's Plaza Hotel
[1]Western International Hotels purchases the landmark Plaza Hotel in New York.
Showing the 10 most recent.
Products and positioning
Upscale business and leisure hospitality with a distinctive emphasis on wellness, sleep, fitness, comfort, and restoration. Upscale to upper-upscale hospitality centered on well-being, sleep quality, fitness, nutrition and personal renewal.
Hotel and resort accommodation · 1981
Westin Hotels and Resorts
The core Westin offering consists of upscale hotels and resorts in urban, business, airport, beach, and destination locations. Properties provide guest rooms and suites alongside restaurants, meeting spaces, fitness facilities, and, at selected locations, spas and resort amenities. The brand operates through a combination of Marriott-managed, franchised, and independently owned properties. The core Westin offering consists of full-service hotels in urban, business and gateway destinations. Properties generally combine guest rooms and suites with restaurants, meeting facilities, fitness amenities and brand-standard wellness features. Ownership structures vary by property, but hotels operate within Westin’s design, service and guest-experience framework. Westin resorts extend the brand’s well-being proposition into leisure destinations. They commonly provide pools, recreation, spa services, destination dining and family or group facilities, while retaining signature sleep, fitness and wellness programs.
Sleep and bedding · 1999
Westin Heavenly Bed
The Heavenly Bed is Westin's signature sleep system and one of its most recognizable brand assets. It was developed as an in-room hospitality amenity and later sold to consumers through retail partnerships. The offering helped make sleep quality and bedroom comfort central to Westin's brand identity. Introduced in 1999, the Heavenly Bed became Westin’s most recognizable signature product. It is used as a differentiating guest-room feature and has also supported retail and advertising extensions of the brand’s sleep-focused positioning.
Fitness and wellness
WestinWORKOUT
WestinWORKOUT represents the brand's fitness proposition, including hotel exercise facilities and wellness-oriented programming intended to help travelers maintain activity routines while away from home. The concept supports Westin's broader positioning around movement, recovery, and personal wellbeing.
Spa and wellness services
Westin Heavenly Spa
Heavenly Spa is a Westin-associated wellness and treatment concept available at selected properties. Services vary by location but may include massage, beauty treatments, relaxation facilities, and other resort-oriented experiences. It extends the Heavenly naming system beyond sleep into physical restoration. At participating properties, Heavenly Spa services complement the brand’s renewal positioning through treatments and relaxation experiences. Availability, naming and exact services vary by hotel and resort.
Food and beverage
Westin Fresh by The Juicery
Westin Fresh by The Juicery is a wellness-oriented food and beverage offering associated with fresh juices and nutritious refreshments. Availability and menu formats differ by property, but the concept reflects the brand's effort to connect hotel dining with healthy travel routines.
Fitness and wellness programming
WestinWORKOUT and RunWESTIN
These programs support exercise during travel through hotel fitness facilities, in-room or guided workout options, running routes and related guest resources. They form part of Westin’s broader promise that travel can support healthy routines rather than interrupt them.
Marketing campaigns
- 2015You Need Better Vacation Days
United States
Westin promoted resort travel and wellness through a year-long campaign supported by print and digital advertising and an Out of Office Generator created with McSweeney’s.
Outcome. The campaign positioned Westin as a way to make limited vacation time more restorative and meaningful.
- 2011For a Better You
United States
Developed with BBH, the campaign used elaborate studio-built scenes and artistic photography rather than standard hotel-room imagery. It depicted the Heavenly Bed, WestinWORKOUT and nutrition offerings as “Elements of Well Being.”
Outcome. The campaign gave Westin a visually distinctive expression of its wellness strategy across print, digital and out-of-home media.
- 2007This Is How It Should Feel
United States
Westin extended its renewal positioning through a multimedia effort designed to express the emotional and sensory benefits of a stay.
Outcome. The platform was followed by experiential advertising that brought the idea of renewal into major transportation environments.
- 2000RSVP Westin
United States
Westin presented its advertising as engraved, letter-pressed invitations, using hospitality conventions in a contemporary and playful way to promote the brand’s style and innovations.
Outcome. The campaign sought to increase brand awareness while retaining an upscale, design-conscious tone.
- 1999The Best in Bed
United States
The campaign promoted the newly introduced Heavenly Bed with witty headlines and sensual imagery, linking superior sleep with professional and personal performance.
Outcome. It reinforced Westin’s repositioning toward the upper end of the upscale hotel segment.
- 1996Who is he/she sleeping with?
United States
Westin used provocative, suggestive copy to draw attention to its sleep experience and give the brand a more distinctive personality than conventional hotel advertising.
Outcome. The campaign generated significant attention and became a reference point for Westin’s later sleep-centered advertising.
- Westin wellness positioning
Global
Westin has built its brand communications and guest experience around the idea of helping travelers feel restored. Sleep, movement, nutrition, spa services, and wellness programming are used together to distinguish the brand within the upscale hotel market.
Outcome. Ongoing brand platform
Brand decisions
2016
Join Marriott International through the Starwood acquisitionM&ABackground
Westin was part of Starwood Hotels & Resorts when Marriott pursued the acquisition of Starwood.
Action taken
Marriott completed the transaction and integrated Westin into its global brand and loyalty infrastructure.
Aftermath
Westin continued as a distinct Marriott brand and gained access to Marriott’s distribution and Bonvoy ecosystem.
1999
Sell the Heavenly Bed to consumersProduct launchBackground
The Heavenly Bed had become a distinctive in-room feature and an important expression of Westin's focus on sleep and comfort.
Action taken
Westin began offering the mattress and related bedding products for public purchase.
Aftermath
The brand expanded into hospitality-linked retail, later using partnerships with Nordstrom and Pottery Barn to distribute bedding products.
1999
Introduce the Heavenly BedProduct launchBackground
Westin sought a tangible signature product that could differentiate its hotels and support a move toward the upper end of the upscale segment.
Action taken
The brand introduced the Heavenly Bed and made it a central feature of guest rooms and advertising.
Aftermath
The bed became one of Westin’s most recognizable brand assets and helped establish sleep as the foundation of its broader wellness platform.
1981
Create the Westin brand identityGeneration changeBackground
Western International Hotels sought a shorter identity as its hotel business developed beyond its original regional base.
Action taken
The company changed its name to Westin Hotels and rebranded the Washington Plaza Hotel in Seattle as The Westin Hotel.
Aftermath
Westin became the enduring consumer-facing identity of the hotel chain.
1963
Rename the company Western International HotelsStrategyBackground
The regional Western Hotels chain had expanded into international markets, making its original geographic identity less precise.
Action taken
Management adopted the Western International Hotels name.
Aftermath
The new name preceded the later Westin identity and reflected the company's broader international operating ambitions.
Recent events
- 2016
Marriott International acquires Starwood Hotels & Resorts[1]
M&A
Westin became part of Marriott International when Marriott completed its acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, expanding Marriott’s global brand portfolio and loyalty ecosystem.
- 2015
Westin promotes “You Need Better Vacation Days”[6]
Campaign
The integrated campaign highlighted Westin resorts and wellness-oriented leisure travel, supported by an online Out of Office Generator developed with McSweeney’s.
- 2011
Westin launches the “For a Better You” advertising campaign[4]
Campaign
Westin introduced a campaign built around its “Elements of Well Being,” using stylized studio imagery to present sleep, exercise and nutrition programs as parts of a restorative hotel experience.
- 1998
Starwood assumes full ownership of Westin[1]
M&A
Starwood Capital Group became the full owner of the Westin company.
- 1995
Starwood Capital Group and Goldman Sachs acquire Westin[1]
M&A
Westin changed hands again in a transaction completed in 1995 after the purchase price was renegotiated during the sale process.
- 1988
Aoki Corporation acquires Westin[1]
M&A
Following the collapse of UAL's broader Allegis strategy, Westin was sold to Japan's Aoki Corporation.
- 1981
Western International becomes Westin Hotels[1]
Product generation
The company introduced the Westin name, beginning with the rebranding of Seattle's Washington Plaza Hotel.
- 1975
Western International purchases the Plaza Hotel[1]
M&A
The company acquired New York's Plaza Hotel, one of the best-known properties in its portfolio at the time.
- 1970
UAL Corporation acquires Western International Hotels[1]
M&A
Western International became part of UAL Corporation, the parent company associated with United Airlines.
- 1963
Western Hotels adopts the Western International Hotels name[1]
Other
The company changed its name to Western International Hotels to reflect its expansion beyond the United States and Canada.
Sources8 sources
- 1Westin Hotels & Resortsen.wikipedia.org
- 2Marriott Internationalen.wikipedia.org
- 3Westin Hotels & Resorts Debuts New Advertising Campaignhospitalitynet.org
- 4Westin Redefines Traditional Hotel Advertising with Innovative Campaignhospitalitynet.org
- 5Westin’s New Ad Campaign Eases Travel Angsthospitalitynet.org
- 6Westin Hotels & Resorts Launches Multi-Million Dollar Advertising Campaignhotelnewsresource.com
- 7Marriott International Completes Acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwidenews.marriott.com
- 8RSVP Westinhospitalitynet.org
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