Heres a topic that Ive written about in passing endlessly, but which Ive never dedicated a post to, so I think its time. Can we just take a moment to talk about the complete collapse of hotel brand standards over the years? Whats going on, whats driving this change, and how should us consumers adjust our travel planning because of this?
The real problem is franchising, which is the real driver for hotel profits. But the hotel franchisor often doesn't have control over these franchisees, so they cheap out.
The franchisor absolutely *can* have control over the franchisee, they just realize that the franchisee is the one paying the bills at the brand, which is what is making it difficult. I don't know how to change that as long as the largest brands are asset-light (and especially in business hotels where you need a critical mass to get any real "loyalty"), but that is the reality of the hospitality world today.
You are absolutely correct about this. This was for example sooo true for DoubleTree Hotels in Germany, there where three (now two) and they varied so widely that it was unbelievable. The one in Hannover has a good soft product, location & mostly hard product but the bathrooms are straight out of the 1960s. The one in Berlin is great, they have the best executive lounge in germany (yes Ive been to the Conrad in Hamburg) offering full meals in the evening, a great hard product and a somewhat varying soft product (but I blame that on Berlin). The one in Frankfurt was an absolute desaster, there I was downgraded twice, only one of two elevators worked for years, air conditioning was regularly broken and most staff was untrained and at times cheeky.
Peninsula, Airelles and Belmond own much of the real estate for their hotels, which explains a lot (although LVMH can't figure out what it is doing with Belmond).
Hotel companies that trade publicly (Marriott, Hilton, IHG, Accor) also face significant market pressures to demonstrate constant growth at the expense of a sustainable, long-term business. That element is not unique to the hotel business. It plagues businesses such as fashion, where the pressure for growth ultimately erodes craftsmanship and exclusivity.
I am most depressed by what's going on with Four Seasons and Rosewood, each of which has a single brand that has suffered greatly with massive over-expansion. I haven't given up on Aman yet (having had extraordinary recent stays at Amanzoe and Amanruya, with Aman Sveti Stefan booked for next month), although its new city hotels do not interest me at all.
All of this makes me appreciate independent hotels whose business is really hospitality.
As David Rose put it, "I like the wine, not the label".
End of the day, a hotel is either a nice, well maintained property or it's not. It either provides good value for money at its price point, or it does not. They can slap whatever brand they want on the outside, whatever. Maybe the consistency makes a difference to the 100+ night a year road warrior, but in general, the idea of loyalty to a hotel brand never made much sense to me.
You're missing the point. It's not loyalty so much as expectations. Admittedly this matters less in the internet review age, but part of the appeal of a Hampton Inn (which actually has largely maintained its standards) is you know what you're going to get