- Gregory Solman

LOS ANGELES Expanding into the travel and leisure space, Omnicom Group's Davie Brown Entertainment has added Westin Hotels & Resorts to its roster, according to Nancy Mammana, vp in DBE's New York office.
 
Mammana said the agency had been talking with Westin parent Starwood Hotels & Resorts "for a long time. They identified Westin as one of the brands we could work with." Many in the agency were Westin customers and "fans of the brand" already, she said.

Movie and television tie-ins, as well as celebrity outreach, events and PR, should begin by year's end, Mammana said. The budget was not disclosed.
 
"The uniqueness of Westin is the 'heavenly' line and their ownership of the personal-renewal idea," Mammana said. "That gives us something tangible for organic opportunities of mind/body connection. We'll find creative ways of showcasing that."

Nancy London, client vp, marketing and guest experience, said the initiative is also new for Westin, though it had worked "on an ad hoc basis" with shows like FX's Damages on what she described as small promotional events. With DBE on board, "This will be a more concerted effort involving film, TV, online, and celebrity seeding, a new angle to promote Westin as part of a lifestyle brand," she said.
 
That brand positioning includes the concept of "personal renewal," wherein the resorts cater to weary business travelers with signature white-tea scented lobbies and mood-elevating music, as well as workouts and spa attractions.

In order to accomplish the integrated marketing goals of the chain -- now with 150 properties in 31 countries -- Westin will be integrating its various roster shops of multiple holding companies, as well.

London said the initiative would also involve its creative advertising agency, Interpublic Group's Deutsch in New York, with which it developed the "This is how it should feel" brand platform, as well as the New York offices of media agency Publicis Groupe's MediaVest and interactive shop Avenue A/Razorfish. "We want as much synergy as possible," London said.