Please answer the following question: Which hotel company (Marriott, Hilton, or Hyatt) do the following 5 brands belong to?
- tribute
- goddess
- sign
- canopy
- Dream
(See answer below.)
Most planners will most likely not be able to identify all of these brands and, more importantly, describe their attributes. This is because there are more than 1,200 hotel brands worldwide.
Marriott lists more than 30 brands on its website. Hyatt Hotels lists 25.
“With the proliferation of new hotel brands, meeting planners have a full-time job understanding each brand and how it meets their requirements,” said Chekitan Dev, a professor at Cornell University’s Nolan School of Hospitality Administration.
Why are there so many brands?
Some developers will demand new brands that are cheaper to create and operate due to streamlined construction and operations. Chain stores also promise franchisees that the same brand will not open within a certain distance. These demands have led to the creation of more brands as a group as large as Marriott looks to grow.
Association President Miraj S. Patel The Asian American Hotel Owners Association acknowledged widespread concerns about brand proliferation. “To be honest, it’s confusing not only for consumers right now, but also for developers. A lot of people are thinking, ‘With all these brands coming out and all these legacy brands losing value, are we adding too much to the market? supply? ”
“Everyone is worried about brand dilution and that’s a concern for many owners.”
Planners are confused and frustrated
Craig Dooley, president of SDI Meetings & Incentives, calls the number of hotel sub-brands “overwhelming.” “Distinguishing them and understanding their comparative value is challenging.”
Ultimately, he said, the decision is based on the hotel’s suitability for the event, rather than brand loyalty or sub-brand distinctions. “While hotel companies promote these sub-brands to deliver services more efficiently, planners focus on meeting clients’ specific meeting requirements (such as room capacity, meeting space and location) and providing the most appropriate hotel, no matter the location. .
Bonni Scepkowski, president of Stellar Meetings, noted that the same issues she encountered with the main brand still exist with the sub-brands. “We still have to contend with issues such as concentrated bookings, inexperienced salespeople who may have never been to the property and boilerplate contracts with non-removal clauses,” she said.
“There are non-waivable fees that don’t provide any value and commitment to embedded vendors that don’t require negotiation. It’s just more red tape and a lack of flexibility in different boxes.
At the luxury level, some planners will make decisions based on certain sub-brands such as Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis or Park Hyatt, said Tiffany Cohen, senior vice president of incentives and global sourcing at Opus Agency. “But when you go down the portfolio, it’s not so obvious. Hotel chains have built a lot of loyalty through their personal programs, and customers come to us with more emphasis on ‘Can I get points?’ ” instead of ‘I need to stay at brand X.
Dave said one of the benefits is for people citywide. “When meeting planners can’t accommodate all attendees at their headquarters hotel, they want to know there are other affiliated hotels nearby that can accommodate the excess guests, all under one contract. Additionally, when headquarters hotels are expensive, meetings Planners like to offer nearby affiliate hotels at more affordable prices to attendees so they can do it all in one go.
Answer
- Tribute: Marriott Hotels
- Alila: Hyatt Regency
- Autograph: Marriott Hotel
- Canopy: Hilton
- Dream: Hyatt Hotel
