Westin getting the ads it deserves

I find this Westin campaign from Deutsch interesting for other reasons than it's interesting. (Stole this picture from Mediapost, which did a nice, extensive take on how the hotel chain redecorated the Times Square shuttle as part of an effort to create "places of renewal.") The reason I say this is, that, far as I can tell, Westin has been an underrealized brand which deserves more recognition and more of a brand image that truly sets it apart than it's been getting. Until now. OK, I'll admit that I don't travel that much anymore, but I did find myself and the family at the Westin La Cantera outside of San Antonio in July and my husband and I were shocked to discover just how great a hotel it was. Definitely up there with some of the better hotels we stayed at while watching members of the 4As—what's the word?—bloviate. In our current state of life, it was a huge plus that it was kid-friendly. Not only did the kids receive gifts upon our arrival, but no member of the hotel staff ever seemed to mind their sprints to and from the elevator banks, or their sixteen trips to the breakfast buffet in the morning. With a three-year-old it was impossible to take some time to play one of the two golf courses, but the pool, to coin a cliché was the stuff of which memories are made. It meandered throughout the hotel's backyard and featured waterfalls, a water-park worthy slide, plenty of shallow areas for young children, nets for water polo, a creatively separated adult-only area, the requisite hot tubs, and enough pool toys and warm towels to make even a curmudgeonly grown-up happy. In short, our whole family has turned into advocates for the Westin brand, which, before our trip, I thought was just another big hotel chain, no more exceptional than a Hyatt or a Marriott.