Skift Take
Do we really need another soft brand collection? (You know the answer.) But more importantly, does Red Roof have the loyal customer base and big-enough distribution system to make it worthwhile for an independent hotel to want to join its soft brand?
Like many other hotel companies before it, including Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt, and Wyndham, Red Roof is launching its own soft brand collection. Called The Red Collection, this grouping of independent hotels already has its first member: The St. Clair Hotel in downtown Chicago, which is set to open next year.
Traditionally, soft brands have been created to welcome independent hotels that operate within the upscale space, but increasingly, more hotel companies have launched collections that appeal more to midscale and upper midscale hotels instead. Examples include Hilton's new Tapestry Collection and Wyndham's new Trademark Collection.
With The Red Collection, Red Roof is also looking to attract "upscale economy to midscale" hotels that are "hyper-local." Hotels that join the collection, such as The St. Clair, do so pr