Westin shutters information booths
The Visitor’s Connection information booth in Cruz Bay, and two others in Mongoose Junction and Red Hook, have been closed. The booths were great resources for information about activities and restaurants, but they also served as marketing tools for the Westin’s timeshare business.
Starwood has decided to suspend staffing of the locations for now and concentrate resources on marketing timeshares to hotel guests, although it is still paying rent on the three locations and may use them for other marketing programs in the future.
“St. John is one of the most profitable sites within Starwood vacation management and we will most certainly continue to market our St. John timeshares,” says Dave Whaley, senior marketing manager for Starwood Vacation Ownership at the Westin St. John. “But we have decided to focus more strategically on our in-house guests. As we work through this economic cycle, we need to focus on the engines that bring us the most profitable results.”
Four happy faces were let go as part of the decision. We understand tough decisions in a down economy, but it raises a serious question.
How will day trip visitors find the Cruz Bay public restrooms now?
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November 3rd, 2008 14:00
Ya know, I found it interesting that the name of the information center was “Visitor’s Connection”. I know my wife confused it with “Connections”. I wonder how many times that happened.
November 4th, 2008 14:08
“Hello, do you have Coco Lopez in a can”?
November 5th, 2008 21:54
I think its to bad that it closed. I found it very helpful and the people who worked there over the past 2 years were very nice. Im sure the taxi ass… are thrilled to have them gone.