If you've ever stayed at a hotel and thought "I wish I could just live here," well, you're not alone. Marriott says its sales of branded residences are booming.
Hotel execs gathered this week to compare the sizes of their hotel pipelines. The companies with the largest hotel development forecasts were Marriott and Hilton, and the types of properties proving popular says a lot about their strategic directions.
It won’t be an easy task, but Choice Hotels moving beyond the sectors that gave it durability during the pandemic makes sense for the recovery — if it manages to build the right upscale portfolio.
Marriott has been promising a W Hotels makeover for years, but a recent string of openings and deal signings show there is finally some momentum in reviving the brand.
Luxury travel, fashion concierge services have started taking off, and different companies are vying to grab the top spot. Right now it seems the front-runner is Rent the Runway, but more niche brands could find traction too.
W Hotels were once the hottest hangouts in town but two decades after its creation, it has been overshadowed by its younger competitors. Marriott inherited the W Hotel brand when it bought Starwood in 2016. Now it's up to Marriott to make the W brand shine again.
Are we guilty of succumbing to these gimmicky PR stunts by writing about them here? Guilty as charged. But as outlandish or strange as some of these things may sound, they do speak to some bigger trends we're seeing in hospitality. Promise.
Starwood may be in play right now, but that doesn't mean it's not in a position to make a move. Smart play by the brand to pick up property in need of some real management.