Hyatt has just announced their latest hotel brand, called Unbound Collection by Hyatt. This is Hyatt’s first attempt at introducing an independent hotel brand as part of their portfolio, and seems to be almost identical to Starwood’s Tribute Portfolio, which has the slogan “Stay Independent.”
Here’s a message from Hyatt’s CEO, Mark Hoplamazian, describing his vision for the Unbound Collection:
Here’s how the new brand is described in the press release:
Hyatt Hotels Corporation today announced the launch of The Unbound Collection by Hyatt, a global collection of unique and independent stay experiences. The Unbound Collection by Hyatt will include a portfolio of new and existing upper-upscale and luxury properties that will maintain a distinct character while providing guests and owners Hyatt’s award-winning customer loyalty program, robust operational and marketing resources and trusted, quality brand.
The properties within The Unbound Collection by Hyatt – which will include historic urban gems, contemporary trend-setters, boutique hotels, resorts, and more – will have their own individual brand identities, free from constraint or convention. At the same time, the brand will provide guests the freedom from worry by giving them the high-quality that comes with the Hyatt brand.
To start, this new brand will have four properties, with the hope of growing beyond that quickly:
- The Driskill Hotel in Austin, Texas
- The Hôtel du Louvre in Paris, France
- The Carmelo Resort & Spa in Carmelo, Uruguay
- The Coco Palms Resort in Kauai, Hawaii (opening spring 2018 after a renovation)
The Hôtel du Louvre, an Unbound Collection property
As I said when Starwood introduced the Tribute Portfolio, I love the concept of independent hotels joining major hotel groups. I really value elite perks, the ability to earn & redeem points, and a consistent guest experience. But at the same time I love something that feels a bit more local and a bit less cookie cutter.
Unbound Collection by Hyatt should give a unique experience while still rewarding your loyalty to Hyatt, which is the best of both worlds.
The Carmelo Resort & Spa, an Unbound Collection property
So why do hotels seem to be coming up with a never-ending list of new brands? Their goal isn’t actually to sell directly to consumers, but rather to sell to investors. After all, hotel chains just manage a vast majority of their properties, and don’t actually own them. They get a percent of revenue, so they obviously have an incentive to create as many brands as possible.
These independent hotel brands have the potential to be especially lucrative for investors, because they can often convert an existing independent hotel to one of these “independent hotel” portfolios without having to spend too much on renovations to conform.
The Driskill Hotel, an Unbound Collection property
Bottom line
In general I feel like the major hotel chains have reached a point of saturation in terms of how many new brands they’re coming up with. Hyatt has actually been the most reasonable up until this point with growth, and this is a collection I’m really excited about.
I think this brand makes a lot more sense than the last brand Hyatt introduced, which was Hyatt Centric. I still don’t know what purpose Hyatt Centric actually serves, since they’re going with a cookie cutter concept while still trying to be “authentic.”
As far as I’m concerned, hotel groups can never add enough hotels which are unique and don’t fit into one of their cookie cutter collections. And that’s the beauty of something like Unbound Collection by Hyatt.
What do you think of Hyatt’s new Unbound Collection?
Membership is free and takes no more information than commenting as a guest. Earn status points for good contributions, and see fewer ads as your status grows.