Starwood's Cool Tool for Day Meetings

Catering-only events can be critical for pharma companies, but have often been low-priority for hotels. Now, hotel chains have apparently started to recognize that day meetings can add up to some lucrative business. In January, Starwood introduced a pilot launch of an online booking tool called Meetings in a Moment. By late July it was operating in 61 hotels, says Starwood's Duncan Kennedy, senior manager, meetings product development. And 16 percent of clients are pharma/medical planners —