Starwood has scored another marketing win, with Starwood Hawaii introducing seven mini-dramas to promote the hotels online - these can be viewed online as well as downloaded for the iPod!

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Hawaii has created seven independent dramatic films set on and around its seven properties in the islands, complete with central characters, original music and storylines. Despite their aim to lure travelers, the films have little mention of Starwood's brands, such as Westin or Sheraton. The shorts are distributed to travel agents on DVDs and posted online at Google video and YouTube.com, where they have received about 1,000 views each in the first two months.

You can also check them out here:

Sue Pelletier blogs about the new, wacky and creative marketing campaign by Volkswagon, called the Emissions Index - check it out here: www.egoindex.com

"Volkswagon, in what I think is a pretty brilliant marketing campaign, came up with Ego Emissions Index, a site that assigns ego-ratings to just about everything."

Here are some Ad Spots run by Hilton Hotels in 2006:

Hilton Hotel 2006 TV commercial "Sand Castle"

Here are some recent TV spots run by Westin Hotels and Resorts.

The Westin "Breathe" Campaign:

The well-known LHW (Leading Hotels of the World) has seen a record number of applications this year for membership. The Leading Hotels of the World, Ltd. is the prestigious luxury hospitality organization representing more than 430 of the world’s finest hotels, resorts and spas, and is the operator of www.lhw.com. The LHW also maintains offices in 24 major markets across the globe.

Year-to-date, a record 355 hotels have applied for membership in The Leading Hotels of the World, the highest number ever in the company’s 78-year history. “This is an indisputable indication of the vibrancy of our business,” commented Paul M.McManus, president and chief executive officer. “The hospitality industry has traditionally turned to The Leading Hotels of the World, Ltd. for its exceptional value and unrivalled brand recognition, yet the number of applicants this year has been remarkable.” Of that group of hopeful applicants, only 24 -- a mere 7% -- have been accepted, due to the company’s exacting level of quality and service standards.