Four Points by Sheraton is launching a new promotion called the Four Points Pie Portrait, which focuses on the American obsession with pie.First Day of Summer -? As American as mom, baseball and? Pecan Pie? Well not quite. Apple still reigns as America’s favorite pie, but chocolate and pecan pie attract enough strength to challenge the historic leader, according to the inaugural ?Four Points Pie Portrait of America.? The Four Points Pie Portrait is a new annual examination of how Americans enjoy their signature dessert, coincides with the launch of Four Points by Sheraton’s newest ?simple pleasure’ offerings: pie in all its restaurants, express pie via room service and apple-cinnamon pie scent in its lobby, which is great news for the nearly half of the respondents who say the smell of apple pie baking ?just makes me feel good.?

So Why Pie?
According to Hoyt Harper the Four Points brand’s ?Pie Guy? and Senior Vice President, a great piece of pie perfectly embodies the Four Points brand’s values of simple, uncomplicated comfort. ?Want to make people smile and think of good times? Just serve a great piece of warm pie with a nice, cold glass of milk.?

And don’t just take his word for it. According to the research, 90 percent of Americans said a slice of pie represents one of the simple pleasures in life, 47 percent said that when they thought of pie the word ?comforting? came to mind and 39 percent said the smell of pie conjures up ?happy memories.?

Survey gives whole new meaning to Pie Charts?
Of the 1097 adults surveyed online, 17 percent favored apple pie, 11 percent picked pecan pie, and chocolate and pumpkin pie tied for third with 10 percent each. And among republicans and young adults, just a sliver of 1-2 points separates apple from chocolate’s challenge for favorite status.

Ooh La La Pie?
According to the survey, if you’re looking for love, steer clear of berry. Chocolate is the pie more Americans (27 percent) associate with romance, nearly double the number who link love’s potential with banana cream or apple (both 14 percent). Three berry pie (2 percent) ranks lowest on cupid’s list.

Boxers or briefs? Right brain or left?
The Pie Portrait paints a revealing picture of some men’s pie habits. 6 million men have eaten the last slice of pie and denied it (you know who you are!). Over half the middle-aged men surveyed admitted to eating pie with their hands or eating pie in their underwear and almost one-third acknowledge eating an entire pie by themselves.

Apple pie lovers typically describe themselves as independent, realistic and compassionate, while pecan pie addicts are most likely to describe themselves as realistic, thoughtful and analytical.

Easy as Pie
Pie lovers rejoice! Your own slice of heaven is just a room service button away, whether you choose the award winning Country Apple pie, made exclusively from over a pound of Michigan apples, the French Silk chocolate pie or a favorite seasonal or regional pie. And forget cake, because coming soon guests at Four Points by Sheraton hotels who are celebrating a birthday will get a slice of pie on us, same goes for Platinum members of Starwood Preferred Guest.

Four Points Battles ?De-Pie-Vation’ in the Big Apple {Pie!}
To celebrate the arrival of award-winning pies into its hotels in the U.S. and Canada, on the first day of summer Four Points ?pie posses? will blanket the Big Apple with free slices of all-time favorite apple pie. Four Points by Sheraton hotels across the nation and Canada including Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Pittsburgh and Washington, DC and Detroit will also offer hotel guests free pie.

Size Matters
Leave your diet at home because the Four Points Four Pies program isn’t skimpy. Each slice will amount to 1/6 of the pie versus the traditional 1/8. ?Size matters when it comes to pie,? Harper explained, ?and simple pleasures needn’t be small.?

The Scent of Pie in the Sky
After the travails of travel, guests to Four Points hotels will be greeted by the scent of Apple Pie baking when they walk through the door, which, according to the survey, will spur thoughts of childhood (27 percent), home (39 percent) and holidays (48 percent). ?“You know, if Four Points can help people slow down, smile and think good thoughts, we’re doing our job right,? said Mr. Harper.”

Four Points hotels have embarked on an exclusive relationship with the Pie Council of America to help spread the word about the virtues of America’s most treasured dessert. Mr. Harper has been appointed to the Council’s Board of Directors where he will assume a number of important responsibilities ? including judging the organization’s pie contests.

?“We welcome Four Points’ commitment to spread the gospel of pie,”? said Linda Hoskins, Executive Director of the American Pie Council. “?Indeed, pie is one of life’s simple pleasures and no other dessert elicits such warm memories of mom, home, and Americana. Four Points is not only promoting pie, it’s serving its guests the best possible dessert.?”
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