International hotel group Westin Hotels and Resorts is
consolidating its pounds 100,000 European corporate PR account into one
agency.
The group has shortlisted Hill and Knowlton, Manning Selvage and Lee,
its incumbent agency in the UK, CIB, and two agencies with which the
group has worked on a project basis: Grayling in Paris and Adam and
Partner in Frankfurt. The group owns 108 hotels in 23 countries. Westin
operates up-market hotels in Europe and has expanded with new properties
in Malta, Berlin, Dresden and Versailles.
’We are looking for an agency who for the next year will cover the UK,
France and Germany, and that may expand with the degree of Westin’s
expansion,’ said Katie Meyer, PR director for the group.
’Our goal is to formally establish the Westin brand in Europe,’ said
Meyer. The company wants to target travellers to Europe and to make
Europeans travelling outside the region aware of its hotels
internationally.
Westin is in the process of being acquired by the Starwood Lodging
Corporation, which also plans to buy the ITT Sheraton chain.
