Westin Hotel Has A New Kid's Menu And It's Healthy

When the Marriott Corporation acquired Starwood Hotels and Resorts last fall, it became the steward of 30 hotel brands including Westin Hotels' locations — all 210 of them with another 48 in the works. To separate itself from the pack, Westin, a leader in business travel, dug deep and has now carved a position for itself based on a simple concept: wellness.

Currently, "wellness" is a big business. Take millennials for instance: 60 percent of this group considers "good health" as a key goal in life. And the good news for Westin is that 75 percent of that same group considers travel an important part of their plans. Even more impressive, Gen Z (those born after 1998) is the most health-centric generation ever, guaranteeing that Westin's Wellness offerings will have a long — and healthy — life.

Westin has created what it calls "6 Pillars of Wellness," which comprise Sleep Well, Move Well, Feel Well, Work Well, Play Well, and last, but certainly not least, Eat Well. The advertising tagline for all this is "Let's Rise." Westin's Sleep Well pillar derived from its 1999 campaign of Heavenly Beds. The rest of the pillars are more recent arrivals, including everything from hiring "Run Concierges" for joggers to "Gear Lending," New Balance workout wear delivered right to your room for a nominal fee. In certain Westin locations, you don't have to leave your room to workout. You can book a guestroom with a treadmill or a stationary bike.

And then there's Eat Well. Everything from SuperFoodsRX menu items to a Champagne Cocktail with a shot of antioxidants (recipe follows) is now offered at Westin. A wide selection of nourishing juices and smoothies are on tap at Westin Fresh by the Juicery. And in meeting rooms, Westin now features a whole selection of healthy snacks to replace those bags of chips and empty calories. But the Eat Well Menu for kids may be the most interesting development of all.  

A team of SuperChefsTM adopted a strategy most parents and grandparents already know: If all that's on the menu is healthy and nutritious food, that's what kids will (have to) eat. Breakfast items include baby spinach and cheese omelettes, oatmeal with apples and walnuts, and build-your-own granola parfait. For lunch and dinner, look for favorites like chicken quesadillas, turkey wraps, fish tacos, and tuna salad sandwiches. And for dessert, how does an apple fruit salad or a lemon cornmeal cookie with sorbet sound? What more could a kid want? There are no French fries on the kids' menu... but a smart kid could probably coerce a weak-kneed adult into ordering a side of truffle fries from the regular menu.

To toast your success as a parent, you can then order yourself a citrus berry spritz, the previously mentioned Champagne cocktail. Leave out the Champagne and you can even order one for the kids. Cheers!