Skift Take
Even though Marriott's CEO has said all 30 brands will survive the merger, we still think it's only a matter of time before Tribute Portfolio is culled and rolled into Marriott's competing Autograph Collection. Even so, it's good news for Starwood to see this kind of rapid growth for its newest of brands, especially during such a period of intense transition.
In the year since Starwood's Tribute Portfolio brand made its debut in April 2015, a lot has happened. A whole lot.
The soft brand collection's parent company was put up for sale last summer and in November, Marriott International beat out other bidders to acquire it. And, well, we all know what happened in March when one of those other bidders, Anbang Insurance Group, reappeared suddenly, inaugurating a bidding war and effectively forcing Marriott to sweeten its offer to buy Starwood and become the world's largest hotel company. Now that the Marriott-Starwood merger is nearly complete, both companies are proceeding with their plans as scheduled.
For Starwood's Tribute Portfolio, that means pursuing continued growth — much more than the company ever even anticipated for this soft brand of upper upscale, independent boutique properties. On April 28, Starwood announced three new signings for the brand, bringing its total global footprint to 20.
"We've been very pleasantly surprised with the growth we've seen," said Dave Marr, global
