Sheraton Hotels & Resorts Launches Signature Fitness Program in Asia Pacific

Part of Sheraton brand’s $120 Million Global Rollout of Revolutionary Health and Fitness Program - Sheraton Fitness Programmed by Core Performance

GUANGZHOU, China, Sept. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Sheraton Hotels & Resorts Worldwide announced the official launch of Sheraton Fitness Programmed by Core Performance^®, the brand’s revolutionary new health and fitness program, in Asia Pacific. Sheraton Hotels and its owners are investing $120 million to roll out its new fitness program that lets guests use the strategies developed by the leading experts in pro-athlete training to become the ultimate road warrior.

Launch of Sheraton Fitness Programmed by Core Performance in Asia Pacific at Sheraton Guangzhou Hotel on September 3, 2011
From left to right: Vincent Ong, Director of Brand Management for Asia Pacific, Sheraton; Nelli Yong, Vice President of Brand Management for Asia Pacific, Starwood; Hoyt Harper, Sheraton Global Brand Leader; Brent Callaway, Core Performance representative and James Greig, General Manager of Sheraton Guangzhou Hotel.

"We are thrilled to launch our new fitness program in Asia Pacific," said Mr. Hoyt Harper, Global Brand Leader, Sheraton Hotels & Resorts. "It is a global trend that fitness and travel go hand in hand. To better understand what our guests need we have conducted a survey in Greater China, the fastest growing market in the world, and our guests have told us that fitness is a priority when they are on the road. Sheraton Fitness Programmed by Core Performance offers a multitude of programs and services to help guests enhance their overall fitness regimen and performance before, during and after their stay." 

In celebration of the rollout of the new program across Asia Pacific, multiple concurrent fitness related activities happen across China from Guangzhou to Beijing, Wenzhou, Hangzhou, Shunde and Shanghai. To coincide with the meaning of "prosperity" in Chinese, all the activities are related to the number "8": Sheraton Guangzhou Hotel kicks off a special "Vertical Run" activity for 888 runners on September 3; Sheraton Shunde Hotel invites 288 participants perform a mass "Wing-Chun" martial art performance at the hotel square; Sheraton Shanghai Hongkou holds a swimming relay race; Sheraton Wenzhou Hotel holds a walking "marathon" with 88 participants; and the Sheraton Guangzhou Huadu Resort, set to open in November, holds an 88-participant "Tai-Chi" performance. Scheduled to open in end of this year, Sheraton Hangzhou Wetland Park Resort presents a cycling event with 88 cyclists. The soon-to-open Sheraton Beijing Dongcheng Hotel held an 88 hour non-stop treadmill marathon relay on 30 August.

Sheraton Fitness Program Meets Travelers Fitness Needs on the Road

From a survey across Sheraton hotels in Greater China, statistics have shown that fitness is a priority for travelers on the road:

• 2 out of 3 travelers exercise at least 4 times a month.
• Almost 9 out of 10 travelers rate staying fit and healthy as a priority in their life style.
• More than half of travelers expect to relax, refresh and remove fatigue with travel workouts.
• 9 out of 10 travelers expect a hotel fitness center with first class equipment, relaxing environment and professional coaches.
• 9 out of 10 travelers agree that if Sheraton has a fitness program which oversees health from the gym to F&B and in room workout, it will increase their preference of staying at Sheraton.

To meet the fitness needs of travelers Sheraton found it timely to launch Sheraton Fitness, a program that is developed from the same training methodology used by professional athletes. The program helps travelers train and eat healthy on the road, as well as refresh, recharge and refocus their minds and bodies. So whether travelers work out every day or just want to take advantage of the nutrition programs and health tips, "Sheraton Fitness Programmed by Core Performance" will help guests feel and perform better.

"We’re excited to partner with Sheraton to unveil this unique, co-branded program to Sheraton hotels in Asia Pacific," said Mark Verstegen, Founder and Chairman of Core Performance and Athletes’ Performance. "Sheraton Fitness is a program that touches multiple elements of a guest’s lifestyle, both in an out of the hotel, and we are dedicated to providing innovative solutions to enhance the overall health of guests."

New Fitness Program Goes Beyond the Gym

Guests will experience the holistic Sheraton Fitness program through multiple touch-points during their stay that incorporates four fundamentals of optimal performance: mindset, nutrition, movement and recovery:

• First Class Gyms Designed for the Top Performers in Life: Core Performance has developed a state-of-the-art gym experience tailored specifically to the needs of frequent travelers. Since travelers have different needs when they are on the road, the new fitness centers feature time-efficient training programs - 20 to 30 minute "themed" workouts - designed by Core Performance to work with busy travel schedules. 
• Guest Room Workouts: Guests can also request a complimentary "workout in a bag" -- including workout cards, workout mat, foam rolls, resistance band and massage stick -- to be delivered to their room.
• FIT Meetings: Sheraton is also unveiling a unique meetings offering that allows corporate businesses to enhance performance at meeting. This FIT Meetings concept includes breathing techniques to keep the mind and body sharp and customizable group workout options. FIT Meetings are now available at Sheraton Shunde Hotel, Sheraton Shanghai Hongkou Hotel and Sheraton Sanya Resort.
• Online Training, After Check-Out: Guests can access Sheraton Fitness online at Sheratonfitness.com, which features online training programs created by Core Performance and health/nutrition tips. This allows guests to download workouts and follow the Core Performance programs both at home and on the road - eliminating any disruption to their fitness regimen. Core Performance is also offering guests a free three-week trial to the online training at CorePerformance.com, which provides customized training regimes based on guests' goals. 

 About Sheraton Hotels & Resorts

Sheraton helps guests make connections at more than 400 hotels in 72 countries around the world and recently completed a $6 billion global revitalization and is now in the midst of a $5 billion global expansion over the next three years. Sheraton is owned by and is the largest and most global brand of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT), one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with 1058 properties in 100 countries and territories with 145,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood Hotels is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels, resorts and residences with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, W®, Westin®, Le Meridien®, Sheraton®, Four Points® by Sheraton, and the recently launched Aloft®, and Element ^SM.  Starwood Hotels also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com.

About Mark Verstegen and Core Performance

Mark Verstegen is the Founder of Core Performance and Athletes' Performance, the global leader in performance training, nutrition, and physical therapy for elite athletes and teams. In addition to his roles at Athletes' Performance and Core Performance, Mark is the Director of Performance for the NFL Players' Association and the author of five Core Performance books, including Core Performance Essentials and Core Performance Golf. Mark is featured regularly in Men's Health and Outside Magazine, and speaks regularly internationally about helping executives, athletes, and consumers alike achieve their performance goals.

For more information please visit www.sheratonfitness.com.