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Innovation

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Strategic creativity takes passion, insight and energy.

From the extension of our global footprint, to embracing the local, real-time moments that matter to next generation travelers, we have placed a high value on innovation leadership in 2013.

Progress was evidenced by partnerships with academic institutions like Rhode Island School of Design, new tools and capabilities built into our business culture, design collaborations with trend-setters like David Rockwell and Ian Schrager, guest personalization, an evolving array of apps, and new emphasis on social listening. 2013 was defined by an unrelenting drive to fold innovation into the fabric of our day-to-day duties.

Additionally, we launched programs such as the Innovation Series, featuring ongoing events and activities to encourage associates to think broadly about their personal roles and the company’s mission, underpinned with tools and skills that could be put into immediate use. We built an Innovation Lab where we experiment, collaborate and co-create with cross-functional teams, customers and partners. And we challenged our teams to look for emerging obstacles, propose imaginative solutions and deploy collaborative platforms to support those discussions.

Looking forward, we will further engage our global guests and associates to develop meaningful products and impactful brands to create value for the next generation traveler. We will build upon our culture of innovation to develop new capabilities and spur agile, thoughtful approaches to tackle next-generation business challenges.