• by Karl Greenberg , March 16, 2009

Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide has signed on as the first official hotel partner for the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).

The White Plains, N.Y.-based upscale hotel and vacation-ownership company with some 825 hotels and brands that include W, Sheraton, St. Regis, and Le Meridien, will use the association to tout Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) customer loyalty to women and families. A national effort will support.

The campaign will include traditional media and ads on WNBA.com and SPG.com. The hotel company will also offer SPG loyalty members access to WNBA games and events, and Starwood will be the official host hotel for marquee WNBA events including the WNBA Draft, WNBA Playoffs and the WNBA Finals.

Also, players and staff from all 13 WNBA teams, and WNBA league personnel will stay at Starwood hotel properties for all league games.

Paulo Pena, senior director of partnership marketing at Starwood, said the marketing plan is still being developed. "Our current thinking is that we will probably activate through WNBA.com and in some of the initiatives around encouraging empowering women," he says.

Pena says the partnership will promote SPG through its "SPG Moments" program that give members "opportunities to access once-in-a-lifetime experiences and moments that they wouldn't otherwise be able to do; we saw this as unique opportunity to give members access to WNBA stars and events."

The company has similar sponsorship programs with NCAA sports, and the PGA tour.

Starwood also will be a participating partner and official host hotel of the league's fourth annual WNBA Inspiring Women Luncheon in Chicago, which hosts some 300 attendees from entertainment, sports, business and politics.