I had the privilege of attending the W Music Summit last week in Austin, TX. The Summit, lead by Pablo Henderson, shed light on how W intends to enhance its brand through music.
From a newly minted record label (W Records) to on-site music studios (Sound Suites, to a music festival concept (Wake Up Call) and a partnership with the digital platform Mixcloud called Artist First, it’s all very progressive.
I was also excited by the innovations in their new app. Imagine playlist curation and customization on a whole new level, with big music discovery opportunities through Soundtrack Your Brand, a program built off of Spotify.
My big takeaway? Despite having all of these amazing irons in the fire, they’re still taking the time to solicit feedback and expert insight. I commend the W Hotels & Marriott teams for being bold enough to experiment but open enough to learn. It’s refreshing to see a brand as sexy and coveted as W trying new things. This isn’t one big bet on a star artist, where the partnership could come and go in a tour stop. It’s a commitment to programming that will undoubtedly have lasting positive effects on the brand.
While there, I recorded a live version of the Marriot Traveler podcast. Stay tuned for that!
No Fields Found.Also published on Medium.