Keeping true to its mission of providing effortless travel experiences for guests so they can experience more, Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, part of Starwood Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: HOT), has launched a campaign “Delight my Journey” aiming to surprise thousands of travellers passing through the world’s busiest airport, Dubai International Airport, with thoughtful gestures and prizes.

The campaign recently kicked off with the dispatch of a dedicated Stop Over Support (SOS) Crew to Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport. The team was on the lookout to surprise in-transit passengers with random acts of kindness, including providing inflatable Sheraton bed experiences to sleep-deprived travellers, assisting passengers with their luggage, surprising couples with romantic dining experiences in the middle of the airport, offering spa experiences for those on a long journey and initiating games for families with young children. A few lucky people also received handy travel amenities such as power banks, eye masks and travel pillows.

Click to see how Sheraton delighted the journey of hundreds of travellers at Dubai International Airport.

As part of the campaign’s next phase, Sheraton is unveiling another ‘Delight my Journey’ activation this month: a Sheraton vending machine that will debut on 6th March from which travellers can redeem useful items that help ease their wait for their flights until 29th March. By simply scanning their boarding pass, travellers can win great prizes including Apple Watches, GoPro cameras, PlayStation 4 game sets and 150,000 Starwood Preferred Guest® (SPG®) points that can be redeemed for a holiday for two at a Starwood hotel anywhere in the world. Each person will receive two of the same item to encourage them to pay it forward with fellow road warriors.

“Dubai International Airport is the world’s busiest airport with more than 200,000 passengers passing through it every day. Through this activation, we can connect with and delight travellers outside of our hotels, making travel effortless for them,” said Elena Mendez, Vice President, Sheraton, Westin & Select Service Brands, Starwood Hotels & Resorts – Europe, Africa and Middle East. “These kind gestures reflect Sheraton’s new belief in allowing our actions speak louder and giving travellers a genuine taste of what to expect when they stay with us.”

The Dubai International Airport activation follows the Sheraton brand’s “Delight my Delay” campaign at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport in December 2015, where the brand gave consumers the chance to turn their delays into delights. Through a “Delight my Delay” kiosk, delayed travellers scanned their boarding pass to convert the duration of their wait or delay into the number of opportunities to win a prize.

Turning Heads and Changing Minds

Sheraton’s “Where Actions Speak Louder” advertising campaign, which launched last year and is slated to run through 2017, is designed to boldly communicate ongoing enhancements to the Sheraton guest experience, including new products and partnerships, a renewed focus on service, and an elevated look, feel and design for Starwood’s flagship brand. The campaign is one component of Sheraton 2020, the brand’s bold 10 point plan to make Sheraton the global hotel brand of choice, everywhere. Through it, Sheraton has introduced a new imaginative lobby menu, Paired; announced the richest SPG® promotion in the history of the brand, along with a promotion for travel professionals; launched the brand’s new visual identity and re-designed Sheraton.com web and mobile sites; and introduced Sheraton Grand, a new premier tier that recognizes exceptional Sheraton hotels and resorts.  A nod to the plan’s clear five year vision, Sheraton 2020 also promises continuous innovation of the Sheraton guest experience; an unwavering commitment to service excellence; the implementation of revenue and profit-driving initiatives to benefit owners and developers; and a goal of opening more than 150 new Sheraton hotels worldwide by 2020.

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