Hi Nancy;
Starwood Corporation literally "Owns" all the Sheratons/Westins/Etc. They acquired these through a lengthy acquisition/takeover, (majority of stock) and part of the negotiations contained the "BRAND retention" Of the properties. Many companies "purchase" other businesses, and keep the former BRAND name-thus maintaining the Strong customer base. Professionals even sell their business based upon this "customer data", including all patients and customers in the sales transaction.
The Starwood Corporation, retained the names of these former "chains" (Sheraton/Westin/etc.) to induce familiarity and loyalty among frequent travelers. If the resort's names were changed to "Starwood", occupancy may/would likely drop. Most persons do not embrace "change", especially in the resort industry. Starwood has "Partners" in the sense it is a foreign conglomeration of "silent partners", all coming together with the big $$ to acquire these former companies. Sheraton Corporation no longer exists as an entity by itself, nor does the Westin Corp. Even my shares of Sheraton Stock changed. Starwood has "Partners" with the Airlines, and rental car companies...where it shares it's base of SPG members (in points trading/processing). When Starwood acquired these companies, many "down-sizing" and corporate re-structuring effects took place. I believe is has greatly improved these resorts, and look forward to a long association with the Starwood Resort Corporation.
This acquisition also explains the removal of all things "Sheraton" from the Dolphin (& other Sheratons) resort...from the napkins, right down to the little 24 hr.T.V Sheraton Promo "Ces't Si Bon" (Which I adored!). Now, it's the STARWOOD 24-hr. T.V. promo you'll find @ the Dolphin, (and probably the Swan too).
*The following Company Overview is excerpted from the Company's 2000 10-K. A full copy of the 10-K is available via the Investor Relations section of this web site, choosing the "SEC Filings" banner button.
Starwood is one of the worlds largest hotel and leisure companies. The Companys brand names include Sheraton®, Westin®, The Luxury Collection®, St. Regis®, W® and Four Points® by Sheraton. Through these brands, Starwood is well represented in most major markets around the world.
The Companys hotel and leisure business emphasizes the global operation of hotels and resorts primarily in the luxury and upscale segment of the lodging industry. Starwood seeks to acquire interests in or management rights with respect to properties in this segment.
Competitive Strengths
Management believes that the following factors contribute to the Companys position as a leader in the lodging industry and provide a foundation for the Companys business strategy:
Brand Strength. Starwood believes that it has strong brand leadership in major markets worldwide based on the global recognition of the Companys lodging brands. The strength of the Companys brands is evidenced, in part, by the superior ratings received from the Companys hotel guests and from industry publications. For example, Starwood was designated as the "Worlds Best Global Hotel Company" by Global Finance magazine in their September 2000 issue. Also, for the second year in a row, Westin was named number one in the upper-upscale category of Business Travel News 2000 Survey of Top Hotel Chains. With the Companys well known lodging brands, Starwood benefits from a luxury and upscale branding strategy that provides strong operating performance from new customer penetration and customer loyalty. During 2000 and 1999, Starwood converted five and six, respectively, of its owned hotels, which had been operated on a non-branded or non-proprietary-branded basis, to proprietary brands owned by the Company. These conversions have enhanced and expanded the Companys global presence and brand recognition. In 2000, the Company also added an additional 76 hotels with approximately 17,981 rooms to its branded hotel system. In total, approximately 1,327 rooms were added to its newest brand, W. The W San Francisco recently won Hospitality Design Magazines 2000 Gold Key Award as best in the "Lobby/Reception" category and was a finalist in the "Guestroom" category.
Frequent Guest Program. The Companys loyalty program, Starwood Preferred Guest® ("SPG"), was awarded the 1999 Hotel Program of the year by consumers via the prestigious Freddie Awards. SPG, despite being the newest hotel loyalty program in the industry, also received awards for Best Customer Service, Best Web Site, Best Elite-Level Program and Best Award Redemption. SPG, deemed unique in the hotel and leisure industry for its policy of no blackout dates and no capacity controls, enables members to redeem stays when they want and where they want, a feature not offered by competitors.
While Starwood focuses on the luxury and upscale portion of the full-service lodging market, the Companys brands cater to a diverse group of sub-markets within this market. For example, the St. Regis caters to high-end hotel and resort clientele while Four Points by Sheraton hotels deliver amenities at more affordable rates. Management believes that the diversity of the Companys brands and customer base reduces the likelihood of competition for customers at any one of the Companys hotels from other hotels within its portfolio. Instead, management believes that this diversity serves to increase the Companys market share within markets where Starwood operates more than one brand.
Soooooo, the messages here may be getting to the right people quicker than we think! 
