Heavenly Beds at the Westin Hotel
Brilliant differentiation in a crushingly homogenous market.
When I used to use hotels, they all seemed the same to me.
Now that I don’t use them, they seem even less differentiated.
Except for one, that has penetrated my oblivion.
The Westin.
Bed Written
I first heard of the Westin years ago. Someone told me I HAD to stay there for the experience (even though it was just 3 km from my home).
This seemed an unnaturally rabid extolment. I didn’t go, but I wondered what the big deal was each time I passed the building.
The other week, Fonnie handed me a brochure entitled Heavenly Beds at The Westin Hotel.
The hotel claimed its beds were so good, people were buying them.
I checked the site. These beds were going for up to $3,650!
And people were coughing up hundreds more to have the same linen they’d slept on.
And not just a few people: 33,000 of the buggers!
Pillow Talk
This got me thinking:
- Man, there sure are a lot of rich cats in the world.
- I wish I were that rich.
- That must be a bloody good bed.
- How clever of the hotel to offer it for sale.
- It’s a whole new profit centre for them.
- It’s also a killer point of difference.
- The other hotels must be livid.
- Beats the crap out of my ebook.
- What could I sell that would open a whole new revenue stream for me?
- Super duper red editing pens?
- Not much margin on those.
- And who uses red editing pens besides mad copywriters, anyway?
- Hmmm. I need to think beyond the text box …
- I know! I’ll tell this story on Small Business Owner.
- I’ll ask readers what they think.
Bed Time
- Have you slept on a Westin Hotel bed?
- Is it as good as they say?
- Would you buy one / have you bought one?
- Do you agree this is a brilliant initiative?
- Does your business have a product that equates to the Heavenly Bed?
- If not, what could you sell that simultaneously makes money and differentiates your brand?
Tough times demand innovative measures.
Wakey wakey!
Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire
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I think it is a great idea targetted at the premium end of town. I can only assume that this is their target market.
The whole concept around MyCarBudget was about expanding our product suite without actually making anything new. All of the services associated with MyCarBudget are services we currently offer to our existing clients but you need to lease a car from us to access them.
This includes discount fuel, servicing, tyres and insurance plus the extra benefit of budgeting (which you also receive when you Novate a car)
So now everyone can get access to our wholesale buying. The benefit for us is that more volume in purchasing delivers better buying power. The program will also result in new employer relationships where we can sell all of our services through.
Back on to the bed. For $3000+ I hope the beds are new and not used.
Great to hear from you as always, MCB. I think your assessment is correct. This range is certainly WAY out of my league.
I hadn’t thought of you and wholesale buying, so thanks for flagging that. Are people catching onto your message?
My reading is that the beds are definitely new. I’ve invited the Westin to comment, so I’m sure they’ll be swift and happy to clear up that point! Best regards, P.
Yes slowly. Our sales process is through employers and not direct. The service is sold as a employee benefit. So we are pushing hard for our sales team to visit existing clients to raise awareness.
Thanks, MCB. Maybe we can get you to do a guest post down the track on exactly how you improve people’s lives and bank balances. I’m interested!
I haven’t stayed at The Westin Paul, but I too have heard good things about. It is the City of Melbourne’s hotel of choice for visiting dignitaries.
Last year I was working with the marketing teams of various Hyatt, Hilton and Conrad hotels and resorts in Australia and Asia. Most of them offer a menu in the room from which you can purchase pillows, linen and various other hotel collateral (though none of the resorts I worked with offered beds for sale). It surprised me. However, guests actually do purchase. They get swept up in the luxury of it all.
You’re right; it’s a great additional revenue stream, which was developed because hotels and resorts weren’t making as much money from the room rate.
Hiya Suey! How beaut to get your input. I see the Westin has been doing this since 1999. I wonder if the other hotels followed suit, or the Westin came late but then went one better.
I remember seeing bathrobes for sale long ago. I assumed that was a ploy to stop people pinching them.
After enjoying a couple of shandies at a pub, I’ve been known to buy a stubbie to relive the luxury at home. I wonder if you can buy the minibar fridge too!
Thanks very much for joining us today.
G’Day Paul,
Mate, I dunno. Is this differentiation or just line extension? Seems like the latter to me. I haven’t stayed at a Westin. If I did I’d want to be sure that they were in the hospitality business not retail bedding.
If they could find a way to link the bed to the hospitality—sleep as well at home as you do at a Westin or something like that-my amateur marketing instincts tell me that as good as the bed selling idea seems, it will ultimately dilute, not differentiate their marketing position.
Have you seen the latest news about Borders? Everyone will blame Amazon and technology. But they line extended into CDs, DVDs, coffee retailing even gifts and toys long ago. They stopped being a specialist bookshop ages ago. Now it’s caught up with them.
Frankly, if I had a “heavenly bed,” I’d get Harvey Norman to stock it. Maybe I’d sell it to Winno!
Make sure you have fun
Regards
Leon
Hi, Leon. I don’t know what to call this, which is why I’m glad I’ve got blokes like you around.
I’m impressed because I’ve never stayed at the Westin, but they’ve got me going on about them. But perhaps, given I’m not in their target market, this is actually … a misfire?
What they have done is carve themselves into my brain (like your earlier example of Volvo = safety).
Do you reckon Harvey Norman could flog $4K beds to the masses? I suppose when you amortise it over 12 years, a buck a night for a good kip isn’t such a bad idea.
I get the feeling this debate will raise more questions yet. Best regards, P.
PS. What is it with you and Winno?!
Hi Paul,
I have stayed at the Westin and have slept in their Heavenly beds. I haven’t been to heaven but as far as hotels go, they’re the top beds. (I think all the hotels in the Starwood group have Heavenly beds. I know the Sheraton hotels have them, too.)
I had a couple years where I was doing an international job and travelling 200,000 air miles (that’s MILES, not KMs) a year. I slept in a lot of beds. The Heavenly Bed came out at the end of that stint. What I thought was really interesting was the reason why Westin introduced the heavenly bed. It seems hotels were notoriously bad at providing comfortable beds. (I can vouch for that). Even good hotels or high-end hotels fell down on the bed situation. It seems odd to think about it. The main reason most people go to a hotel is because they need a bed. It’s hard enough to sleep in a bed different from your own but even more difficult when the bed sucks.
So Westin decided to focus on the very thing that brings people to their business in the first place and do it better than anyone else. You know what, I think they got it right. It seems obvious but it’s not. Beds are expensive. Hotels historically buy cheap beds to keep their expenses down. By investing in beds, the Westin is getting even more business.
I think it’s a stroke of marketing genius to sell them to the public. I wouldn’t buy one – not at that price. I’ve got a great bed and great linens and don’t need to branded product. But what a great story they’ve got to tell now!
You should add another question to your list, what ‘industry standard’ could you improve upon? What thing is sitting right under your nose? Seems like the NAB has been thinking along those lines today, too.
Great article. Thanks for sharing.
What a tremendously thoughtful and authoritative comment, Sarah!
I’m constantly amazed by the expertise you and other readers bring to our discussions.
I like your analysis. And your question; consider it tabled! Thank you so much!
Here’s a comment via Twitter from @The_Appraiser *
Hi Paul. Westin Heavenly Beds r gr8, I’ve slept on them. Not what I call a service “WOW” moment though. What was in the box?
* ‘The only Hotel Rating web site that rates hotel service, along with hotel facilities, utilising our unique PRAISE® Hotel Rating System.’