When Starwood Hotels and Resorts set out to improve internal communication and collaboration across its global hotel portfolio, the intranet became a central focus of its digital transformation strategy.

Starwood partnered with Social Edge Consulting to evaluate and implement Jive-n, starting with a focused pilot for the Information Technology Town Hall. This pilot validated the platform’s ability to support real-time communication, leadership updates, and employee engagement at scale.

From static intranet to social workplace

Following the pilot, the initiative expanded into a full-scale migration from a static intranet to a cloud-based Jive-n social community. This was not a simple lift-and-shift. The project required a complete rethink of how information was structured, accessed, and shared across hotels and corporate teams.

Key areas of work included

  • Content strategy to ensure information was relevant, current, and easy to find
  • User experience prototyping to improve navigation and reduce friction
  • Change management planning to support adoption across regions and hotel brands
  • Development of custom search enhancements and place display tiles
  • Hands-on creation and configuration of new collaboration spaces

Supporting hotel intranet adoption

Beyond corporate departments, the intranet needed to work at the individual hotel level. Social Edge developed an adoption plan and rollout playbook that local hotels could use to launch and manage their own Jive groups. This empowered teams on the ground while maintaining consistency across the organization.

A critical tool during acquisition

During the project, Starwood was acquired by Marriott. The intranet quickly became a trusted communication channel where leadership could address employee questions, share updates, and provide clarity during the integration process. This reinforced the platform’s value as more than a content hub. It became a two-way communication space during a period of significant change.

Results for hotel intranet strategy

Starwood’s Jive-n intranet delivered a more connected employee experience by

  • Improving internal communication across corporate and hotel teams
  • Creating a scalable model for global and local collaboration
  • Increasing engagement through social features and leadership visibility
  • Providing a reliable source of truth during organizational change

To learn more, read the full case study: Starwood Hotels and Resorts Has a Five-star Experience Using Jive 

See how we transformed Intranets. Learn how real companies that improved productivity and engagement with our consulting services. Read success stories.

Get expert support for your hotel intranet

Planning an intranet upgrade or replacing a legacy hotel intranet? Social Edge Consulting helps hospitality brands design, implement, and scale modern intranets that improve communication, adoption, and employee experience across corporate and hotel teams.

From platform evaluation and content strategy to UX design, change management, and rollout planning, our team works with hotel organizations to deliver intranets that actually get used.

Talk to hotel intranet experts and see how Social Edge can support your intranet strategy.