Autograph Collection is an American group of independent upper-upscale to luxury hotels within the Marriott International portfolio. The properties are independently owned and operated under the Autograph Collection name.
Hotel Atlantic in Hamburg, GermanySchloss Lieser in Germany
To grow in the post-2008 economic downturn, Marriott, known for its rigid uniformity, was willing to relax this stipulation to draw independent unique hotels to its network of franchised properties.[2] In 2010, Marriott approached Richard Kessler, an independent hotelier and former CEO of Days Inn, to incorporate the seven Kessler boutique properties into its system, under a yet unnamed new brand.[3]
In 2006, Kessler had dropped the Westin brand affiliation from his downtown Orlando hotel to operate independently.[4] Initially reluctant, Kessler came to an acceptable arrangement.[3] The hotels would operate autonomously, keeping their names and identities.[4] The Autograph Collection launched that year, with the Kessler properties forming the bulk of the hotel inventory.[3] This freedom may seem unfair to branded properties, sometimes subject to intransigent brand standards or extra fees, but the difference is that these independents bear the cost of creating their own brand identities from scratch.[5]
The new name highlighted not a brand, but a collection of hotels.[5]The Leading Hotels of the World, targeting high-end customers looking for unique hotel experiences, had long dominated this market.[6] Not displaying the Marriott branding or Marriott booking engine on the Autograph website, not only emphasized the unique experiences of these independent hotels,[7] but also shielded the hospitality giant's various brands from fallout should the venture fail.[4]
The selection included historical landmark buildings rejuvenated into the 21st century, but offering a hotel experience far different from a normal “cookie-cutter” property.[6] The collection sought hotels that possessed an element of authentic local flavor and cultural distinction to provide guests with an enriching stay. The experience itself, and service, replaced the traditional definitions of luxury, such as the number of bathroom fixtures and thread count of the bed sheets and drapes.[3] In addition to displaying hotels by location, guests could search the website by specifying unique preferences, such as culinary, historic exploration, arts, family, sports and urban.[7]
Over time, the growth emphasis shifted from adding existing properties to proposals and new builds that incorporated the desired features.[8]
Whereas advantageous in a buoyant economy, during a downturn, the backing from the diverse customer base of a big brand might be a savior.[9] Major soft brands launches were Ascend by Choice (2008), Autograph by Marriott (2010), Curio by Hilton (2014), Best Western Premier (2014), Unbound by Hyatt (2016), and Trademark by Wyndham (2017). Marriott continues to promote growth in its three soft brands, The Luxury Collection, Tribute Portfolio, and Autograph.[6]
To the guest, a soft brand hotel possesses the distinctive identity, design style, and regional flair of a leading independent property. To the hotelier, it accesses the global marketing channels, customer loyalty rewards program, staff training model, seamless back-of-house operational standards, and new technologies, provided by Marriott or its rivals. In addition, the major online travel booking sites charge 15 to 30 percent commission. However, larger companies like Marriott use their market power to negotiate the lowest rates from those agents.[10] Twelve months after a conversion to the Autograph Collection, independent hotels have experienced an average RevPAR percentage increase of 19.8 percent and an average RevPAR index percentage change of 12.5 percent.[5]
In January 2017, Autograph began the Independent Film Initiative at the Sundance Film Festival with the Autograph Collection Hotels & The Black List Sundance Social Space. The Annual Black List is a comprehensive list of strong screenplays that require financing. Autograph has its own indie film channel for hotel guests.[11] The Autograph Collection Short Film Award was created to discover new talent and accelerate the development of independent filmmakers.[12] Furthermore, Autograph provides a complimentary one-week hotel stay to chosen writers as an opportunity to develop their work.[13]
The Autograph Collection comprises a portfolio of 4- and 5-star properties that have ranged from a 15-room boutique hunting lodge in the Colorado mountains to the 3,400-room Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island, The Bahamas.[14]
As of June 30, 2020, the Autograph Collection consisted of 199 hotels in over 32 countries, with another 95 hotels with 16,941 rooms in its pipeline.[1]
Hyatt Hotels Corporation, commonly known as Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, is an American multinational hospitality company headquartered in the Riverside Plaza area of Chicago that manages and franchises luxury and business hotels, resorts, and vacation properties. Hyatt Hotels & Resorts is one of the businesses managed by the Pritzker family. Hyatt has more than 1350 hotels and all-inclusive properties in 69 countries across six continents.
Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. was one of the largest companies that owned, operated, franchised and managed hotels, resorts, spas, residences, and vacation ownership properties. It was acquired by Marriott International in 2016. Starwood was founded in 1969 as a real estate investment trust. In 1995, it was acquired and reorganized by Barry Sternlicht, who was its chairman until 2005 and founder of the Starwood Capital Group. Starwood had 11 brands and owned, managed, or franchised 1,297 properties comprising 370,000 hotel rooms in approximately 100 countries.
Delta Hotels by Marriott is a four-star brand of hotels and resorts located primarily in North America.
Four Points by Sheraton is an American multinational hotel brand operated by Marriott International that targets business travelers and small conventions. As of June 30, 2020, Marriott operated 291 properties worldwide under the Four Points by Sheraton brand, with 53,054 rooms. In addition, Marriott had 130 planned hotels with 27,342 additional rooms.
JW Marriott is an American luxury hotel brand owned by Marriott International.
Renaissance Hotels was founded as Ramada Renaissance in 1981, as an upscale brand of Ramada Inns. Hong Kong-based New World Development (NWD) acquired Ramada in 1989 and re-launched Renaissance Hotels as a separate brand. The brand was acquired by Marriott International in 1997. As of January 31, 2023, it has over 170 hotels worldwide.
Marriott Hotels & Resorts is Marriott International's brand of full-service hotels and resorts based in Bethesda, Maryland. As of June 30, 2020, there were 582 hotels and resorts with 205,053 rooms operating under the brand, in addition to 160 hotels with 47,765 rooms planned for development.
Fairfield by Marriott is a franchised economy to midscale hotel brand of Marriott International. The properties target guests willing to accept fewer amenities for lower prices. Cost-saving measures included standardized building architecture and bedding, and the absence of a full-service restaurant, but a complimentary hot breakfast.
Le Méridien is an American upscale, design-focused international hotel brand with a European perspective. It was originally founded by Air France in 1972 and was later based in the United Kingdom. Marriott International now owns the chain. As of June 2021, it had a portfolio of 109 open hotels with 29,439 rooms and a pipeline of 37 hotels with 9,585 upcoming rooms.
Courtyard by Marriott is an American brand of hotels owned by Marriott International. One of Marriott's mid-priced brands, the hotels are primarily targeted to business travelers, but also accommodate traveling families. As of June 30, 2020, there were 1,254 Courtyard Marriott Hotels worldwide with 187,095 rooms in addition to 288 hotels with 49,335 rooms in the pipeline.
SpringHill Suites is a brand operated by Marriott International offering suite hotels that target the upper-moderate lodging tier of the industry.
TownePlace Suites is a brand operated by Marriott International. The chain is part of the mid-tier extended stay lodging segment of the hospitality industry and consists of all-suites hotels.
Regent Hotels & Resorts is a British-American luxury hospitality brand, founded by hotelier Robert H. Burns in 1970. After passing through different owners since foundation, it is currently jointly owned by IHG Hotels & Resorts and Formosa International Hotels Corporation since July 2018, with hotels and resorts in Asia and Europe.
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC is an American multinational company that operates the luxury hotel chain known as The Ritz-Carlton. The company has 108 luxury hotels and resorts in 30 countries and territories with 29,158 rooms, in addition to 46 hotels with 8,755 rooms planned for the future.
Design Hotels is a hotel brand and hospitality consulting company owned by Marriott International and headquartered in Berlin, Germany. It is formed of privately owned and operated hotels.
THE PLAZA Seoul, Autograph Collection is situated in the heart of Seoul, to the south of Seoul Plaza.
Curio Collection by Hilton is an upscale hotel brand within the Hilton Worldwide portfolio.
JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort & Spa is a luxury resort in the city of Aventura, Florida. It features golf courses designed by Robert Trent Jones, a spa, tennis facilities, and restaurants.
Minor Hotels is an international hotel owner, operator, and investor headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand, with more than 530 hotels in over 55 countries across Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, the Indian Ocean, Europe, and the Americas. Minor Hotels operates as a subsidiary of Minor International, one of the largest hospitality and leisure companies in the Asia-Pacific region. The group operates hotels under the brands of Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas, Avani Hotels & Resorts, Elewana Collection, Oaks Hotels, Resorts & Suites, NH Hotels, NH Collection, nhow Hotels, and Tivoli Hotels & Resorts.
St. Regis Hotels & Resorts is an American multinational luxury hotel chain, owned and managed by Marriott International.
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