Skift Take
Hyatt's new soft brand is being positioned as a luxury experience for the social media-savvy consumer seeking individual character and a realistic price point in their accommodations. It also provides Hyatt the opportunity to move beyond hotel lodging, which poses all kinds of potentially exciting scenarios.
Hyatt Hotels is answering growing consumer demand for more independent-minded travel and hospitality experiences with a new soft brand: The Unbound Collection by Hyatt.
As such, the hotels in the group will retain their autonomy and independent identities, but they will now be integrated into Hyatt's distribution system, loyalty program, and marketing outreach. This provides Hyatt a way to easily expand its portfolio of product offerings in partnership with owners who don't have to change their operations or appearance to any significant degree.
Other legacy hotel companies have similar brand verticals such as Marriott's Autograph Collection, Hilton's Curio, and Starwood's partnership with Design Hotels.
"The use of 'Unbound' is really derived from the notion of freedom," says Maryam Banikarim, CMO of Hyatt Hotels. "Freedom for owners to be able to continue to operate the way that made them successful, and freedom for consumers to experience travel the way they want, but supported with Hyatt's level of service consistency."
>>Related: Skift CMO Interviews: Hyatt Hotels CMO on Engaging Consumers on Their Own Terms
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