Part of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (HOT), the Westin brand just launched a global competition to reinvent recipes for the brand’s Eat Well Menu for Kids, in which hotel associates will have six weeks in their kitchens to demonstrate their culinary creativity and recreate the kids menu for today’s smallest global guests. After a rigorous selection process that meets strict nutritional standards, up to 40 of the world’s best recipes will be provided to each property, giving them the flexibility to create their own regionally-relevant Eat Well Menu for Kids.

“As a brand committed to our guests’ well-being, we applaud the work PHA is doing to create solutions that will help make the healthy choice the easy choice for families,” said Brian Povinelli, Global Brand Leader, Westin Hotels & Resorts. “At Westin, we think it is more important than ever to offer families healthy menu options and introduce fresh alternatives for today’s littlest travelers, who may or may not be adventurous eaters. We are delighted to refresh the Eat Well Menu for Kids with input from our associates and their families with the goal to make eating well a bit more playful and appealing.”

“We want all children around the country to have more opportunities to enjoy healthy food, whether they're at home or on the go. When families travel, they need choices that will model their behaviors at home, which includes providing nutritious and delicious meals and snacks. Westin’s commitment to wellness is remarkable, and we are thrilled to partner with them to make healthier choices easier for their guests worldwide,” said PHA CEO Lawrence A. Soler.

Over the next two months, Westin hotel teams will dream up dishes that are nutritious, delicious and show local flair. Once finalized, teams will submit their entry, including an Instagram-worthy food photo to a panel of judges, including the experts at PHA and SuperChefs™, a group of doctors, dentists, dieticians, chefs and education experts dedicated to educating kids on eating well. Westin will share the winning recipes with all of its hotels and resorts around the world, allowing each property to choose which to be featured on their own Eat Well Menu for Kids.

Westin’s guests will be invited to participate along the way. Multiple hotels will host taste testing events, gathering feedback from associate families and younger guests as they ideate, create and perfect recipes. Four of the finalists hotels will also be invited to host SuperChefs Cookery Classes, hands-on cooking experiences that allow younger guests to come into the kitchen, create the new recipes and be sous-chef for a day.

Foodies and families can also follow #missiondelicious on Westin’s social media platforms for updates throughout the competition, a behind the scenes look at the development of the recipes and a sneak peak at the selection process. Finalists of the competition will be announced in August and will appear on the kid’s menus beginning in September 2016.

The Westin Eat Well Menu for Kids builds on the brand’s global Well-Being Movement, an initiative dedicated to inspiring guests and associates to discover new approaches to wellness through innovative partnerships and programs across the brand’s six pillars of well-being: Sleep Well, Eat Well, Move Well, Feel Well, Work Well and Play Well. First introduced in 2014 as a delicious and nutrient-rich offering for families, the Eat Well Menu for Kids was created in partnership with SuperChefs to give parents more healthful options for their children when on the road.

This competition follows the recent launch of Westin Family, a global program promoting a sense of well-being for families through interactive programming and signature amenities offered at all hotels, as well as physical play spaces at many resorts. With a growing global demand of family travel and their evolving needs, both programs reinforce Westin’s commitment to helping maintain our families’ well-being while on the road.

For more information about the Westin Eat Well Menu for Kids, please visit: www.westin.com/eatwell. For more information about Westin Family, please visit: www.westin.com/family.

About Westin Hotels & Resorts

Westin Hotels & Resorts, a leader in wellness and hospitality for more than a decade, lives its philosophy “For a Better You™” through the Westin Well-being Movement’s six pillars: Feel Well, Work Well, Move Well, Eat Well, Sleep Well and Play Well. At more than 200 hotels and resorts in nearly 40 countries and territories, guests can experience offerings that include the iconic Heavenly® Bed, RunWESTIN™ and Westin Gear Lending with New Balance®, delicious and nutritious SuperFoodsRx™, the innovative workspace Tangent, Westin Weekend signature experiences, and Heavenly Bath and Heavenly Spa. Westin is proud to offer Starwood Preferred Guest®, the industry’s leading loyalty program. To learn more, visit www.starwoodhotels.com/westin. Stay connected to Westin: @westin on Twitter and Instagram and facebook.com/Westin.

About Partnership for a Healthier America

The Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) is devoted to working with the private sector to ensure the health of our nation’s youth by solving the childhood obesity crisis. In 2010, PHA was created in conjunction with—but independent from—First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! effort. PHA is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that is led by some of the nation’s most respected health and childhood obesity experts. PHA brings together public, private and nonprofit leaders to broker meaningful commitments and develop strategies to end childhood obesity. Most important, PHA ensures that commitments made are commitments kept by working with unbiased third parties to monitor and publicly report on the progress our partners are making. For more information about PHA, please visit www.ahealthieramerica.org and follow PHA on Twitter @PHAnews.

Contact:

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
Katie Roberts, 212-380-4049
Katie.Roberts@starwoodhotels.com