Westin Hotels and Resorts Management Conference Photographs, 1957-1988

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Westin Hotels & Resorts
Title
Westin Hotels and Resorts Management Conference Photographs
Dates
1957-1988 (inclusive)
Quantity
2 Linear feet of shelf space, (1 Oversize folder)
Collection Number
Cage 5148 (collection)
Summary
This collection consists of group photographs from Westin Hotels and Resorts Management Conferences.
Repository
Washington State University Libraries' Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
Terrell Library Suite 12
Pullman, WA
99164-5610
Telephone: 509-335-6691
mascref@wsu.edu
Access Restrictions

This collection is open and available for research use.

Languages
English

Historical NoteReturn to Top

[From the guide to the Westin Hotels and Resorts, J. William Keithan archives, 1905-2004 (Cage 656)]

The firm known today as Westin Hotels and Resorts was formed in 1930 under the name Western Hotels, Inc. The idea for the company was conceived at an informal meeting in Yakima, Washington, between hoteliers Severt W. Thurston and Frank Dupar. Creating a management company to oversee the operations of all of their hotels, they reasoned, would help the hotels address Depression-era business conditions more effectively. Thurston and Dupar approached Peter and Adolph Schmidt, who operated five hotels in the Puget Sound area, with the idea, and the three groups agreed to pool their resources.

In 1930, Western Hotels operated seventeen hotels, all but one of them, The Boise, in Washington State. The firm expanded rapidly, however, to more accurately reflect its name. In 1931, Western Hotels ventured into both Vancouver, British Columbia, and Portland, Oregon. By 1941, Western had expanded into both Alaska and California. A decade later, Montana and Utah were added to the list of states served by Western Hotels. By then, a subsidiary company, Western Service and Supply Co., had been created to facilitate the operation of the growing number of Western Hotels.

Through the 1940s and most of the 1950s, Western Hotels remained focused primarily on management, supervising the policies and operations of its various hotels, but also emphasizing their individuality. Each hotel retained its own corporate and finan cial structure, and the notion of a "chain" of hotels was de-emphasized in advertising. Increasingly, however, the company began to wield greater influence on its properties, and in 1958, a decision was made to merge the better producing propert ies into a strong equity company. Western continued to expand not only in the western United States, but abroad as well, necessitating a name change in 1963 to Western International Hotels. In the mid-1960s, the capital structure of the firm was broadened, and Western International became a publicly-held company with its shares traded on the American Stock Exchange.

In 1970, Western International entered into a merger with United Airlines, Inc. Western International continued, however, as an autonomous, wholly-owned subsidiary of UAL Inc., with management and headquarters remaining in Seattle. During its associa tion with UAL Inc., Western simplified its name to the current form: Westin. The partnership with UAL Inc. came to an end after a failed attempt to unify Westin, United Airlines, Hertz, Hilton, and other travel-related companies as a one-stop travel compa ny under the name Allegis Corp. Subsequently, Aoki Corp., of Japan, purchased Westin in 1988 and sold it, in turn, to Starwood Capital Group, L.P. and Goldman, Sachs, and Co. in November 1994. In 1998, Starwood Capital assumed full ownership. In 2016, Marriott International acquired Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, including Westin.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

This collection consists of group photographs from Westin Hotels and Resorts Management Conferences.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

Copyright restrictions apply.

Preferred Citation

[Item description]

Westin Hotels and Resorts Management Conference Photographs, 1957-1988 (Cage 5148)

Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Location of Collection

(MASC STAFF USE) Oversize folder located in the oversize storage box for Cage collections.

Acquisition Information

Lawrence Dustin donated this collection to the Washington State University Libraries on behalf of the Westin Alumni Association in 2016 (MS 2016.18).

Future Additions

The repository expects to receive additions to this collection.

Processing Note

Gayle O’Hara processed this collection in 2022.

Related Materials

Westin Hotels and Resorts, J. William Keithan archives, 1905-2004 (Cage 656)

Georgina P. Tucker Papers, 1920-1997 (Cage 732)

Westin Hotels and Resorts, Chef Walter Roth Papers, circa 1951-1980s (Cage 820)

Sid Copeland, "The Story of Western International Hotels," circa 2003 (Cage 834)

Preliminary Guide to the Westin Hotels and Resorts Records, circa 1920s-2004 (MSSM.095)

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Bars (Drinking establishments) -- History -- Sources
  • Hotels -- History -- Sources
  • Restaurants -- History -- Sources

Corporate Names

  • Western International Hotels -- Archives
  • Westin Hotels & Resorts -- Archives

Other Creators

  • Corporate Names
    • Western International Hotels (creator)
    • Westin Hotels & Resorts (creator)