I’m tired. I’m tired and not just because I have an almost one year old running around the house. I’m tired because I have to keep track of the seemingly endless new brands from Marriott International. The hotel group announced the global launch of its 37th brand today, Series by Marriott, which will fit in its “midscale and upscale lodging segments”. What?
Series by Marriott Debuts in India
According to the press release, Series by Marriott is expected to expand Marriott’s global presence by bringing well-established regionally created brands and hotels that champion consistent quality and service into the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio.
Series by Marriott will provide regional owners access to the benefits of Marriott’s platforms, including the company’s Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program, while allowing their properties to maintain an independent identity. This sounds similar to what you’ll find at Autograph Collection hotels, though with entire independent chains as opposed to individual properties.
Anthony Capuano, President and CEO of Marriott International., had this to say about the launch of a new brand:
“Series by Marriott furthers Marriott’s commitment to delivering lodging offerings in the right place at the right price with basics done well. Creating a new, regional collection brand will further Marriott’s reach among value-conscious travelers, provide additional choice for our existing Marriott Bonvoy members and guests, and offer more affiliation opportunities for local owners.”
The first Series by Marriott properties are operated by Concept Hospitality Private Limited (CHPL) in India. The company has a portfolio of six brands and over 100 hotels operating in 90 locations.
As part of the strategic agreement between Marriott and CHPL, CHPL’s flagship brands—The Fern, The Fern Residency, and The Fern Habitat – will affiliate with Series by Marriott on an exclusive basis across India. The Fern portfolio is currently comprised of 84 open properties and 31 executed pipeline deals, totaling 115 properties and approximately 8,000 rooms.
These properties are expected to join the portfolio over time as discissions take place with third-party hotel owners and long-term franchise agreements are executed. In addition to its founding deal with CHPL, Marriott is also in active discussions about the Series by Marriott brand with owners in the United States, the Caribbean and Latin America, Europe, Middle East, and Africa.
What to Expect at Series by Marriott Properties
While Series by Marriott is expected to be a collection of independently marketed hotel chains, there are some brand standards that will exist across all properties. These are fairly basic and should allow for a wide variety of properties to come into the portfolio.
According to Marriott, all hotels in the portfolio will offer clean, comfortable rooms, free Wi-Fi, daily coffee or tea, with breakfast, and fitness centers. Meeting and event space will be available at select properties. The Series by Marriott brand is a flexible collection, meant to appeal to owners looking for easy conversion opportunities.
Marriott has one of the most confusing groupings of hotel categories as the company now has more than three dozen brands under its umbrella. While people that get paid more money than me see the value in all of this segmentation, as a consumer, I get confused by it all and tend to stick with a select few brands under the Bonvoy umbrella.
It will be interesting to see how the portfolio of these hotels grows, especially in the United States given all of the other competition.
Summary
Marriott International has just unveiled its 37th unique hotel brand with the launch of Series by Marriott. Series by Marriott properties will retain their regional branding and are intended to be easy conversion properties for hotel owners looking to gain access to the Marriott Bonvoy program. The first properties will be located in India with global expansion planned in the future.
Personally, I feel like Marriott has gone too far with its market segmentation as more than three dozen unique brands seems excessive. I’m curious to hear what others think but I fund myself sticking more towards the tried and true brands I know rather than the new options that have popped up in recent years.
