Westin Hotels & Resorts Reveals The Next Industry First Focused On Improving The Well-Being Of The World

BETHESDA, Md., March 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Westin Hotels & Resorts today announced the launch of Project Rise: ThreadForward, an unprecedented sustainability program that collects, processes and reweaves hotel bed linens transforming them into thousands of pairs of children's pajamas.  The first-of-its-kind pajamas will be distributed to children in need, whose circumstances can contribute to shortened and more fragmented sleep. Beginning April 16^th, Westin will give the gift of better sleep beyond the brand's hotels, in cities around the world: from New York and Toronto, to Mexico City and Cape Town, and will encourage guests to support by purchasing a pair of pajamas on westinstore.com to benefit the program.

"As people integrate wellness into their lifestyle more holistically on the road and at home, giving back has increasingly become important to their overall sense of well-being," said Brian Povinelli, SVP & Global Brand Leader, Westin Hotels & Resorts.  "Wellness is in the Westin brand's DNA, and Project Rise: Thread Forward is evidence that we can empower the well-being of our guests and associates as well as make a difference in the communities around us - hopefully inspiring change in the industry as a whole."

Last year Westin introduced a global campaign called Let's Rise, taking on the distractions and unpredictability of travel and empowering people to regain control of their well-being when they need it most, while traveling.  As part of the brand's rally-cry, Westin looked to their associates for an idea to empower the communities in which they live and work. The brand launched a challenge, Project Rise, asking associates to submit those ideas through the lens of the Six Pillars of Well-being; one idea would be selected and solution funded by the brand.  More than 325 associates from around the world submitted ideas; one inspired insight encouraged the brand to repurpose discarded bed linens that often don't have a centralized recycling process or recipient.  

Committed to helping guests get a good night's sleep since the game-changing debut of the Heavenly Bed® almost 20 years ago, Westin saw an opportunity to not only create an innovative industry-first upcycling program, but also empower sleep in an entirely new way.

"Sleep continues to be the foundation of well-being," asserted Charles Morin, PhD, President of World Sleep Society. "But despite this, one third of all adults and a majority of children are not getting enough sleep. Research suggests that, particularly for children, creating and preserving bedtime routines lead to more restorative sleep, which in turn improves physical and emotional well-being." The simple act of putting on pajamas as part of a bedtime routine is one way to improve a child's quality of sleep and cement long-term sleeping habits.

As a result of these insights, Westin tapped Clean the World, a leader in global health, best known for its soap recycling programs, and Divergent Energy, who sources the innovative technologies and solutions, to develop the hospitality industry's first system to collect, process and reweave the discarded linens into a new fabric for pajamas. In just 5 months, 50 Westin hotels around the world submitted approximately 30,000 pounds of bed linens & terry to be sorted, broken down and reweaved into new material, using industry best practices in textile manufacturing. A new and proprietary upcycling process was developed specifically for this program to ensure the new fabric met both U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) regulations and provided the comfort sought in children's pajamas.

"Upcycling sheets into children's pajamas has never been done before," said Shawn Seipler, Founder and CEO, Clean the World. "As our partnership with Westin has grown over the past eight years through the bath & soap amenity program, we were excited when Westin came to us to help bring this vision to life.  Westin's Project Rise: ThreadForward program is a phenomenal effort to continue to improve children's health and create a more sustainable future."

Westin worked with San Francisco-based Venables Bell & Partners to conceive and design the pajamas, which feature the brand's signature color palette, zest, mint and flax (grey) as well as a whimsical illustration of a child rising over a moon with a book – a nod to a better sleep empowering a better day. They will be created in sizes 2-8.

With Delivering Good and their network of community partners, Westin will begin donating the first 1500 pajamas next month to children in need, who are most prone to suffer sleep anxieties, in markets around the world.

"Our mission to fight poverty and deliver hope to people in need aligns perfectly with what Westin was aiming to achieve with Project Rise: ThreadForward," said Lisa D. Gurwitch, CEO & President, Delivering Good. "We know that pajamas are among the most requested items of clothing sought by our charitable partners that support low-income households; and we are delighted to work with Westin, who shares our passion and commitment to lift communities and empower people to be their best selves."

As the global demand for well-being continues to grow and more people integrate wellness into their lifestyle, a new trend has emerged. Increasingly people consider giving back as an important part of their wellness routine, along with sleeping more, eating well and exercising.

In a recent global study:

• 77% of global respondents say giving back enhances their overall well-being
• Nearly 1 in 2 respondents in North America said it is very important to give back
• 80% of those surveyed globally have intentions to give back while traveling in the next 12 months
• And while nearly 1 in 4 travelers surveyed have volunteered through their hotel, 89% of people globally are more likely to book a hotel that provides give-back opportunities.

In response, Westin has made it possible for guests to support Project Rise: ThreadForward as well. Beginning on April 16^th, the children's pajamas will be retailed for USD $25.00 at Westinstore.com, and a portion of proceeds will go back to Delivering Good and continuing to support the efforts to give every child the opportunity to Sleep Well.

With its powerful penchant to give back, Westin continues to grow and evolve its programs and partnerships, addressing how wellness is integrated into consumers' lives through the brand's Six Pillars of Well-Being: Sleep Well, Eat Well, Move Well, Feel Well, Work Well, and Play Well. For more information about the Westin brand's campaign: Let's Rise, its commitment to sleep or to learn more about Project Rise: ThreadForward, please visit: www.westin.com/threadforward.

Study Methodology
This study is based on a survey conducted by STUDYLOGIC LLC via telephone of approximately 2,520 respondents ages 18 and older with household incomes of $50,000 or above from 4 different regions: North America, Latin America, Europe and AOA (Asia, Oceana and Africa). Interviews were conducted between January 24^th and January 31^st. The survey averaged 20 minutes in length and contains a margin of error of +/-3%.

About Westin Hotels & Resorts
Westin Hotels & Resorts, a leader in wellness and hospitality for more than a decade, empowers guests, associates and local communities to embrace well-being and be their best selves through the brand's six pillars of Well-Being: Sleep Well, Eat Well, Move Well, Feel Well, Work Well, and Play Well.  At more than 200 hotels and resorts in nearly 40 countries and territories, guests can experience wellness offerings that include the iconic Heavenly Bed, RunWESTIN program, TRX and Peloton fitness equipment and Westin Gear Lending with New Balance, in addition to delicious and nutritious SuperFoodsRx™ and more.  To learn more, visit www.westin.com. Stay connected to Westin: @westin on Twitter and Instagram and facebook.com/Westin.

About World Sleep Society
World Sleep Day is organized by World Sleep Society, an international association whose mission is to advance sleep health worldwide. World Sleep Society promotes and encourages education, research and patient care, particularly in those parts of the world where the practice of sleep medicine is less developed. World Sleep Society currently represents over 900 individual healthcare providers and 31 regional sleep societies, totaling over 14,000 members. Learn more at WorldSleepSociety.org and WorldSleepDay.org. Find us on Twitter @_WorldSleep and facebook.com/WASMF.

About Clean the World
Clean the World is a social enterprise dedicated to the mission of saving millions of lives around the world while simultaneously diverting hotel waste from landfills. Clean the World operates soap recycling centers in Orlando, Las Vegas, Hong Kong, and Punta Cana and leads a "Global Hygiene Revolution" to distribute recycled soap and hygiene products from more than 5,000 hotel and resort partners. The organization benefits children and families in countries with a high pre-adolescent death rate due to acute respiratory infection (pneumonia) and diarrheal diseases (cholera) – which are two of the top killers of children under the age of five. Since 2009, more than 44 million bars of Clean the World soap have been distributed in over 127 countries. Clean the World has served over 10 million individuals through its soap distribution and hygiene education programs. In addition, Clean the World provides hygiene kits to relief organizations throughout North America. More information: CleanTheWorld.org.

About Delivering Good
Delivering Good is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization, with a mission to provide new merchandise to people who have been affected by poverty and tragedy. It is the charity of choice for new product donations made by hundreds of companies in the fashion, home and children's industries. Donations include new clothing, books, shoes, toys, baby products, and other items for children and adults, and make certain that every needy recipient receives the fundamentals necessary for success. More information is online at Delivering-Good.org, and @DeliveringGood on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

SOURCE Marriott International, Inc.

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