After some flirting with Anbang Insurance, Starwood has accepted Marriott's revised acquisition bid. Several major communications were published this week: 

• Press release to announce the merger
• Shareholder update on a new Starwood landing page
• "4 Things to Know" article by Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson
• Email to Starwood associates from Arne Sorenson (shown here)
• Email to Starwood associates from Starwood CEO Tom Mangas
• Email to Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) members
• Email to Marriott Rewards members

The internal messages link to additional content: a video message on the Starwood intranet and a poll for employees to name the new, combined program for discounted hotel rates. For Starwood associates, "HOT Rates" current offers good deals on stays around the world; employees may be excited about more possibilities, yet worried that the benefit won't be as generous. 

Bill Marriott hasn't updated his blog as of this writing. I'm sure it's coming soon.  

Discussion Starters: 

• Identify the primary and secondary audiences for each communication. Next, analyze the primary audience using principles from Chapter 4 in the book. 
• Assess all of the communications here. What's written, and what's left unsaid? 
• What are the key messages you take from these communications?