Skift Take
With so many brands that fall under the luxury space, this makes sense but we wonder: what will happen to the other 20+ brands? How will Marriott contend with differentiating them, too?
When Marriott International finally bought Starwood Hotels & Resorts for $13.3 billion in September, it gained all 11 of Starwood's brands, three of which have now been added to Marriott's new Luxury Brands Group.
Similar to how AccorHotels debuted a standalone Luxury Brand Group when it completed its acquisition of the Raffles, Swissotel, and Fairmont brands earlier this year, Marriott is doing the same with eight of its luxury brands: The Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, W, The Luxury Collection, EDITION, Ritz-Carlton Reserve, JW Marriott, and Bulgari.
"As part of Marriott International, dedicated teams will be put in place to focus on luxury, including operations, sales and finance, to better differentiate and market our incredible luxury brands and hotels," Tina Edmundson, global brand officer for Marriott International, told Skift. Edmundson will be responsible for leading this new division.
"By grouping these brands together under the Marriott International umbrella, we are better positioned to deliver distinct choices to the discerning luxury guest," she added. "We are fortunate to be able to leverage the experience, tenure and capabilities coming from established luxury brands like The Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis, while also offering more boutique luxury experiences offered by The Luxury Collection and EDITION."
Last week, Marriott began distinguishing all 30 of its brands by identifying them as either "classic" or "distinctive," and grouping them into four distinct categories: luxury, premium, select, and longer stays.
Marriott does not have plans at this time to form standalone groups for
