Six of Starwood's premier brands have earned top rankings in the first ever L2 Digital IQ Index^® : Travel, which measured the digital competence of 89 selected travel brands across airlines, hotels and cruise companies. 

Of Starwood's nine brands, the L2 Travel study ranked Sheraton, Westin, W Hotels, Le Méridien, St. Regis, and The Luxury Collection against competitors and across the industry as a whole.  W Hotels Worldwide earned the top spot amongst all measured hotel brands, and Starwood's portfolio collectively outperformed all other hotel companies, ranking third overall in the study.

"With all six measured brands in the study classified as ‘Genius' or ‘Gifted,' Starwood highlights the benefits of an organization-wide approach to digital. All of the company's brands sit on the same site platform, providing enhanced SEO, cross-sell opportunities, and best-in-class customer service, all without compromising the distinct brand identity," said Maureen Mullen, Director of Research & Advisory for L2.  "The organization has approached social media in the same way, leveraging technology and community engagement tactics while allowing brands and properties to create customized and tailored content."

Starwood, who will soon release a groundbreaking location based program strategy, has continued to demonstrate its commitment and participation in the digital space by recently launching the most expansive company-wide social media infrastructure to date, encompassing more than 1,000 properties, nine brands, 125,000 employees in 100 countries, all operating under one consistent strategy.

"With a global foundation in place across multiple platforms, we have established a strong base for doing business in an ever-changing field, which allows us to meet the evolving needs and expectations of our guests whether in stay or not," said David Godsman, Vice President, Global Web. "We are honored to be recognized by L2 as a digital ‘genius' for our digital excellence."

The L2 Digital IQ Index ® : Travel follows other established L2 studies that rank companies across industries such as automotive, pharmaceutical, and specialty retail.  Authored by Scott Galloway, New York University clinical professor of marketing and founder of L2, in partnership with the George Washington University School of Business, and highly-reputed, integrated marketing agency ISM (specializing in travel), the Index evaluated the digital efforts of prestige travel brands across four criteria: Site (35 percent, including booking, loyalty programs and interactivity); Digital Marketing (25 percent, covering search engine optimization, email marketing and display); Social Media (20 percent, specifically Facebook, Twitter and YouTube); and Mobile (20 percent, defined by compatibility and applications). Each brand was scored against more than 350 qualitative and quantitative data points, and assigned a Digital IQ ranking of Genius, Gifted, Average, Challenged or Feeble.

W Hotels and Westin were considered "prestige" by virtue of their market leadership, price, ratings and reach, ranking in the top 10 overall and earning Genius or Gifted status. According to L2, W Hotels strategically utilizes digital to translate the W Hotel lifestyle and experience to consumers online.

Additionally, L2 praised Sheraton's "Better When Shared" virtual community, encouraging travelers to share their experiences and memories at a Sheraton property. The community also invites participates to share advice on location attractions, dining, shopping, and more to future travelers.

Starwood continues to lead both in and outside of the hospitality industry as an innovator and first in developing and launching unique digital initiatives.