Hotels Embrace Place
Today’s hospitality environments emphasize unique, localized experiences to attract and engage guests.
The $12.2 billion merger of Marriott International and Starwood Hotels & Resorts reflects an industrywide consolidation that has placed the keys to millions of the world’s hotel rooms into the hands of a few hospitality companies.
But rather than narrowing consumer options, this consolidation has actually had the opposite effect. The number of hotel brands and sub-brands continues to multiply, expanding at a breakneck pace as the largest hospitality players seek to attract and build loyalty with guests. Collectively, Marriott and Starwood now oversee 30 separate hotel brands, ranging from signature flags like Ritz-Carlton to newer select-service boutique brands such as Aloft, which targets global travelers.