A year after the program’s debut, Sheraton Hotels & Resorts is raising a glass to the success of its premium wine program, Sheraton Social Hour.
The Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide brand also is expanding the global rollout of the program, which offers guests a specially curated menu of wines and weekly tasting events, to 430 hotels around the world. In the United States, six experiential wine-tasting events are slated to debut at the Sheraton Chicago next month and will also take place in cities such as Seattle and Boston.
The brand said hotels that participated in Sheraton Social Hour have higher bar RevPOR (revenue per occupied room) than non-participating hotels as well as better year-over-year performance in bar and food and beverage RevPOR and saw an average 20% increase in YOY beverage revenue at the lobby bar. Sheraton Kansas City reported wine sales having increased 43% in the bar and lounge since the launch of the Sheraton Social Hour, Sheraton Seattle has experienced at 39% sales increase and The Sheraton New York Times Square’s bar revenue is up 20% since it introduced the program, according to the brand.
In celebration of the program’s success, Sheraton, Wine Spectator and its wine partner Ste. Michelle Wine Estates are hosting a 24-hour “Toast Around the World” at Sheraton hotels and resorts across the globe. The event will also include a virtual celebration via the brand’s new dedicated Social Hour mobile platform, Sheraton.com/socialhour, as well as social media platforms including Twitter and Instagram through #SheratonToast.