Here’s a topic that I’ve written about in passing endlessly, but which I’ve never dedicated a post to, so I think it’s time. Can we just take a moment to talk about the complete collapse of hotel brand standards over the years? What’s going on, what’s driving this change, and how should us consumers adjust our travel planning because of this?
In this post:
Hotel brands mean very little at this point
Going back many years, hotel brands were rather consistent. When you booked a Grand Hyatt or Sheraton, you sort of knew what you were going to get. That’s not to say that all properties were the same (some hotels may be newly opened, while some might soon be undergoing a renovation), but the idea is that you roughly knew what to expect.
Nowadays that’s simply not the case anymore, and there’s so much inconsistency, even within each brand. The irony is that the number of hotel brands has exploded, so you’d assume that means it’s easier to associate specific hotels with specific properties. For example, in 2000, Hilton had around six hotel brands. Now in 2026, Hilton has nearly 30 hotel brands. Despite that, there’s less consistency within each brand than ever before.
The explanation for this is very simple — ultimately us guests and loyalty program members are not the customers of the major hotel brands, but instead, we’re the product being sold to prospective hotel investors. Hotels are mostly individually owned, and then the hotel groups get a cut on revenue for managing the property, having it in their loyalty ecosystem, etc. More hotels equal more money, essentially.
With major hotel groups being desperate for growth, the reality is that the actual hotel owners are in the driver’s seat. Does the major hotel group want the owner to invest money in aspects of the experience? Well, the owner will just threaten to go with another brand, and then eventually the hotel brand will cave.
The examples of this are endless, but just to give a few examples that come to mind:
- The exclusive Ritz-Carlton Reserve brand, which has long marketed itself as having properties in “remote locations handpicked for their lush, unspoiled landscapes,” is now opening a property in Shanghai
- The Hyatt Centric brand promotes itself as having hotels “at the center of prime destinations,” yet the Hyatt Centric Campestre León is far from the city center, and next to a Walmart and a bunch of fields (thanks to Robert D for flagging this)
- The JW Marriott brand has historically been about offering luxurious, large scale convention hotels, but then it’s also how Marriott’s first 20-tent safari lodge in Africa was branded
Just to give a couple of examples, even among existing Ritz-Carlton Reserve properties, the brand’s Niseko property, Higashiyama, really feels like it was intended to be a limited service hotel when built, and was then rebranded at the last minute.
For that matter, while the Ritz-Carlton Turks & Caicos has beautiful views, does this really look like what you’d expect from a luxury property?
So to sum it up, the explanation for what we’re seeing is very simple — hotel groups want to grow, and there’s a lot of competition for signing contracts with developers, so the hotel brands are willing to be flexible on standards in the name of growth. After all, that’s how they make money, and they’re obviously not worried about losing customers because of this.
It also has to be acknowledged that with interest rates not being particularly low, appetite for newly built properties is limited. As a result, hotel groups are largely relying for conversions for growth, and those are inherently going to be less consistent without major investments.
How I navigate this problem as a consumer
More than ever before, I simply don’t assume that a hotel is of a certain caliber simply because it belongs to a particular hotel group or brand. So while a certain type of branding may get me to look at a hotel in the first place, I increasingly look at all the pictures of the property, read reviews, and try to do my own research, before selecting a hotel. I will add that I have two exceptions to my skepticism.
First, I think there are some really small hotel brands that still very much care about quality over growth. These are largely passion projects that aren’t publicly traded, where it’s all about having a product that they’re proud of.
Now, I have to say, I think there’s sort of a critical mass where that just goes out the window. For example, all the brands I can think of that have such high standards are ones that have fewer than a dozen properties — I’m talking brands like Airelles, Capella, Oetker Hotels, etc.
Second, while the physical quality and amenities do differ greatly across properties at just about all major brands, there are some that consistently do a great job with service, and that’s worth something. For example, among the major hotel groups, Four Seasons is probably the brand with the most consistent service standards.
That’s because they really put a lot of effort into how they manage their hotels and train employees. I imagine that’s largely because they can’t use a loyalty program as a crutch to fill rooms — they need to win business with every stay.
Is every Four Seasons perfect? Of course not! It’s a huge brand. But for a hotel group of its size, I think it does the best job with consistently delivering high quality service.
Bottom line
Hotel brands have become so incredibly inconsistent over the years. The irony is that hotel companies have created so many more brands, so you’d think it would be easier to pick the right branding for a hotel. But it almost feels like the more brands there are, the less consistency there even is within each brand.
A brand all about remote locations? Stick it in the middle of one of the world’s biggest cities! A brand about being in the heart of the action? Put it next to a suburban Walmart and fields. That’s just how things go nowadays…
What do you make of the trend we’ve seen with hotel brand dilution?
I used to have the same opinion about FS service until a FHR stay at the Four Seasons Sydney. The size of the hotel and level of service felt more like a JW Marriott than a Four Seasons.
The shitification of everything has not spared the hotel or travel industry.
I’m gonna add a comment in the form of a letter that I recently wrote to Hilton regarding the disastrous state of the Doubletree in Times Square, West. My experience was hardly worth the cookie. I got a check-in, and I am hard-pressed to understand how Hilton can hold its head high.
Dear Hilton Guest Relations,
I just spent the night at the DoubleTree Times Square, and the experience was completely unacceptable.
After...
I’m gonna add a comment in the form of a letter that I recently wrote to Hilton regarding the disastrous state of the Doubletree in Times Square, West. My experience was hardly worth the cookie. I got a check-in, and I am hard-pressed to understand how Hilton can hold its head high.
Dear Hilton Guest Relations,
I just spent the night at the DoubleTree Times Square, and the experience was completely unacceptable.
After checking in around 7:00 p.m., I entered my room (36XX) and immediately found it excessively hot. Because I was in a hurry, I contacted the hotel through Hilton’s text/chat service and asked that someone check the temperature and the air conditioning. The agent assured me that this would be taken care of.
When I returned around 10:30 p.m., the room was 86 degrees.
I called the front desk repeatedly, but for nearly an hour I could not reach anyone. The phone would ring, place me on hold, and then disconnect. When I finally reached the desk, I was told that an engineer would be sent to my room immediately.
By 11:30 p.m., no one had come.
I then spent another hour and a half trying to reach the front desk. I finally got through around 1:00 a.m. The employee offered to relocate me to another Hilton property. Given that I had to be up only a few hours later, I explained that moving hotels at that point was not a reasonable solution. I asked instead for a fan. She assured me that one would be delivered to my room.
No one ever came.
I was left in an 86-degree room with no functioning air conditioning and no assistance from the hotel. Ultimately, I had to take a cold shower in the middle of the night simply to cool down enough to sleep.
What makes this even more troubling is that the employee told me this was a “one-off.” A quick review of the hotel’s online reviews, however, suggests that problems with room temperatures and air conditioning are neither new nor isolated. If this is a known and recurring problem, representing it to a guest as an isolated incident is deeply concerning.
This was not a minor inconvenience. The hotel failed repeatedly at every level: the room was not reasonably habitable, my initial request was not addressed, the front desk was extraordinarily difficult to reach, the promised engineer never arrived, and the promised fan never arrived. I ultimately spent the night uncomfortable, exhausted, and unable to get the sleep I needed.
This experience was beyond inexcusable, and frankly, I would be embarrassed if I were responsible for this property.
I expect Hilton to do more than simply apologize. I believe I should be fully comped for this night, and given the extraordinary failure to respond to the situation—and the fact that I was effectively left without a usable hotel room—I also expect additional compensation or consideration.
I would appreciate a prompt response explaining how Hilton intends to address this matter.
Sincerely,
"For example, among the major hotel groups, Four Seasons is probably the brand with the most consistent service standards."
That's because Four Seasons does NOT franchise.
(And it's because you pay an arm and a leg to stay there.)
I think that Novotel and Ibis are both very major and pretty consistent. Holiday Inn Express was mentioned as well and I can see that being consistent although I haven't stayed in one since before the pandemic.
The fact that you think they don’t franchise means they’re succeeding, because they actually do. They didn’t always, and nearly went bankrupt because of it, but have for many years. One of the New York locations is famously owned by Ty Warner, for example, and there’s been some recent articles in the news about the owner of the Nevis property (Bill Gates) being sued by residents. Fort Partners also owns a number of properties in and beyond Florida.
Four Seasons does NOT franchise. They operate on a asset-light management model, meaning they operate properties owned by someone else. That is NOT franchising.
The issue it seems is no hotel owner wants to own the fourth Hilton in any given city. So the chains create new brands. It's weird because you don't see McDonald's franchisees telling McDonald's that they want a different brand to differentiate them from the McDonald's owned by someone else a mile away.
It's interesting that you compare to fast-food, because, certain brands, like Taco Bell, have attempted to create specialty-brands, like Taco Bell Cantina (which, as far as I can tell, just means they also serve alcohol?) If it were stand-alone, would McCafe count? I digress...
I think the fast-food franchising model is the best example. McDonald's franchises but, for the most part, you can't tell which McDonald's are corporate and which are franchises. I think there are a couple reasons for this.
First, as far as I know, McDonald's generally doesn't allow a franchisee to own and/or operate a franchise from a competing chain, like Burger King. That certainly isn't the case with hotels.
Second, as far as...
I think the fast-food franchising model is the best example. McDonald's franchises but, for the most part, you can't tell which McDonald's are corporate and which are franchises. I think there are a couple reasons for this.
First, as far as I know, McDonald's generally doesn't allow a franchisee to own and/or operate a franchise from a competing chain, like Burger King. That certainly isn't the case with hotels.
Second, as far as I know, there's no equivalent to hotel management companies. If you own a McDonald's franchise, you operate it. Whereas you have a significant number of hotel owners who are totally detached from the management and operation of their hotel because they use Aimbridge or some other big management company.
McDonald's and Starbucks are successful because they have very high standards and quality control. In fact, Starbucks doesn't franchise at all.
Marriott and other big chains are now more like car companies. Sure, Ford or General Motors may impose requirements on a dealer for how the showroom looks or what services they have to provide, but the experience between dealers selling the same car brands varies significantly.
'Starbucks doesn't franchise at all.' Not sure about that, probably depends on your definition of franchising.
'The authority to open and operate Starbucks stores in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, which includes Türkiye, belongs to the Kuwait-based Alshaya Group.'
https://alshaya.com.tr/en/brands/starbucks
Starbucks does not franchise. It does license; such as your example or HMS Host with airports and highway rest areas. There is a difference between licensing and franchising.
It's purely a question of defining the setup- Alshaya themselves refer to [part of] it as a 'Starbucks franchise'. https://www.alshaya.com/en/media-centre/alshaya-news/alshaya-group-acquires-the-starbucks-franchise-in-greece-and-cyprus-and-becomes-the-new-exclusive-owner-and-operator/
They do no franchise. Almost certainly a mistranslation.
You do see it in the gas station business. BP didn't want to have a gas station at every intersection so they brought back the retired Amoco brand instead. Same gasoline, different brand name. Ditto for Exxon & Mobil stations. The ARCO brand, formerly just out west, is now available for midwest and eastern independents to use as an alternative for the Marathon brand. Marathon used to do that with the Speedway brand but they sold that off a few years ago.
I go by regional standards. I know a hotel stateside is going to do the bare minimum and nickel and dime you for everything. A hotel in Mexico is going to be overpriced and under deliver and make me question why I even bothered to travel there. A hotel in Asia I might actually get upgraded and there’s probably a decent free breakfast.
I've had outstanding value at lots of hotels in CDMX and other parts of Mexico, though the one time I went to Acapulco I had an experience that would've been poor value at $100 a night... and I was paying 2.5 times that!
Unless you're making a generalization based on the high taxes / service fees for many properties in Mexico, that's an odd comment. I would agree with the US issue on service and charging for everything but Mexico doesn't have consistent issues like you describe. Lots of great properties that have a phenomenal hard product for the price and great service. Definitely less common at the most touristy places (Cancun, Cabo, Tulum) but present elsewhere in Mexico.
So called brand standards are worthless, you really have to do your own research on any property you are considering. The inconsistency and dilution in the upper segments will probably drive the introduction of even more new brands on the top of the pyramid, as the quality erosion keeps us guessing in the mid-upper range. when will we see a new "ultra luxury" brand on top of RC Reserve introduced? Gotta keep up them growth numbers you know.
The concept of a "brand" is interesting.
The job of brand is to make people spend more money than the place is worth (hello Fairmont or Park Hyatt for example). It works well. Fools buy believing higher price = somehow better quality.
, I'm sitting on the Hilton Los Cabos beach after 24 hours realizing I've spent too much time in SE Asia (Bali, Thailand) lately. Sitting here as an earned Diamond I was shocked at the 1 category upgrade and the 3 balloons on the bed to celebrate our 55 anniversary. Spending $170 on a burger, fish taco and 1 bottle of cheap Pinot Noir pointed out how being a $60 taxi ride away to the...
, I'm sitting on the Hilton Los Cabos beach after 24 hours realizing I've spent too much time in SE Asia (Bali, Thailand) lately. Sitting here as an earned Diamond I was shocked at the 1 category upgrade and the 3 balloons on the bed to celebrate our 55 anniversary. Spending $170 on a burger, fish taco and 1 bottle of cheap Pinot Noir pointed out how being a $60 taxi ride away to the closest restaurant allowed hostage pricing to overpower decent pricing in the name of greed.
My only excuse is that this is nights 972,3,4 of my DFL journey. At this point I ask "why am I bothering?" and "did I miss the boat by a decade because 'everybody is a diamond'"?
What should I expect for 975-1000?
Why are you bothering?
Unless lifetime status is earned before age 50, at most 60, why bother?
I know people here are more concerned about upscale brands but there is one brand we find very consistent:
Holiday Inn Express.
The room features, hotel amenities and the reliability of breakfast make it our preferred airport/exit ramp/post event hotel.
I wish more brands were this reliable.
Yes--I think this is generally true. The inconsistency described in the article is mostly chains/owners trying to cash in on the halo of upscale brands. A Hampton Inn, on the other hand, tends to be a Hampton Inn.
Definitely agree, especially newer builds outside of North America. Decent cleanliness, decent furniture (and always has a desk!), decent internet, and free breakfast. I find them to be even more consistent than budget brands of other chains like Hampton, Fairfield, Springfield, etc. so they’re my first choice if I’m looking for something in that segment.
Ibis properties (including Styles and Budget) are also very consistently unexceptional…but gets the job done, especially for shorter stays.
Definitely agree, especially newer builds outside of North America. Decent cleanliness, decent furniture (and always has a desk!), decent internet, and free breakfast. I find them to be even more consistent than budget brands of other chains like Hampton, Fairfield, Springfield, etc. so they’re my first choice if I’m looking for something in that segment.
Ibis properties (including Styles and Budget) are also very consistently unexceptional…but gets the job done, especially for shorter stays.
I'm midway through a pretty horrible stay at the Hyatt Regency in Vancouver. I am shocked by how each Hyatt hotel seems to choose if they reward loyalty and if so to what degree? Here they basically did nothing, or at least, the bare minimum. I'm a Globalist. My assigned room is what I paid for, not even a good version of it, not a high floor, not quiet, not far from the elevators (as...
I'm midway through a pretty horrible stay at the Hyatt Regency in Vancouver. I am shocked by how each Hyatt hotel seems to choose if they reward loyalty and if so to what degree? Here they basically did nothing, or at least, the bare minimum. I'm a Globalist. My assigned room is what I paid for, not even a good version of it, not a high floor, not quiet, not far from the elevators (as I always request) not with the best view and certainly no upgrade even though when I check there are several other rooms that would have qualified. Before I got here I had a question about upgrades and they told me don't ask us call the Globalist phone number. Globalist breakfast is now only offered in the lounge: which is like sitting in an soul less Airline Terminal designed by Ikea with a to-go shop in the corner. When I asked if I could eat in the dinning room and forfeit what ever dubious benefits come with lounge access ( snacks! 3 pm Happy Hour! Continental breakfast! ) The assistant Front Office Manager Mr Mehta came to speak to me, predictably because it was such an outrageous request. Speaking to him was like having a negotiation with a used car salesman. It started with no. Then it moved to: I can offer you 20% discount on breakfast in the restaurant? And finally: I will let you have 1 breakfast out of the kindness of my heart so you might be able to have the experience (literaly what he said). I declined. No I avoid all F+B and eat locally at friendly places with good food who are glad for my business and welcoming. Of course, it's not about breakfast. It's about the greedy, cheap, short sightedness that makes me sp mad. I stay at 60 Hyatts last year and have been brand loyal for a decade, have the credit card, I'm all in and this is the best they can do? Had Mr. Mehta said Yes, it would have created so much good will. Saying No just clarifies for me how pointless it is to be loyal to a corporation that could care less about you or hospitality. The only thing the Vancouver Hyatt regency wants is my money and give me the least they can so they can make the maximum profit. This isn't the first time I have had experiences like this at Hyatts this year. This just was the proverbial straw, where I realized done. They've lost me and my business. It used to be great but now, not so much. I'm not sure what's happening, but it sure isn't about hospitality.
The Hyatt Regency in Salt Lake City is like this. They offer a very limited breakfast in the lounge but then the lounge closes in the mid-afternoon with zero evening offering. It's a complete scam to avoid giving globalists a restaurant breakfast where they might order an omelet or something.
@Ben,
I don't understand why you keep referring to the JW Marriott brand as a convention centre brand. The first JW Marriott was the Washington DC property, the first international property was Hong Kong. Neither of these are convention centre adjacent. Admittedly in Hong Kong, you can get to the convention centre in a taxi in 10 minutes or less, but not really a convention centre hotel. (In Hong Kong that would be Grand Hyatt...
@Ben,
I don't understand why you keep referring to the JW Marriott brand as a convention centre brand. The first JW Marriott was the Washington DC property, the first international property was Hong Kong. Neither of these are convention centre adjacent. Admittedly in Hong Kong, you can get to the convention centre in a taxi in 10 minutes or less, but not really a convention centre hotel. (In Hong Kong that would be Grand Hyatt and Renaissance)
I have stayed in a fair number of JW Marriotts across 6 continents, and I have yet to stay at a convention centre hotel. My impression was always upscale/luxury hotels, well above a Marriott but not quite the level of a Ritz Carlton.
I find Novotels remain very consistent indeed, and NHs are also pretty consistent. The few Hilton Graden Inns I've visited were predictable/consistent enough, and the same can be said for budget chains like Ibis or Toyoko Inn.
I think that the point of an upper upscale/luxury hotel is to have some personality- I can't really understand why consumers would even be looking for consistency per se.
From my POV, the "tiers" of business are more meaningful and I think some of the differentiation is overblown and should never have been a thing to start with. A CN or CP hotel was going to be quality regardless of whether it was in downtown Montreal or the Rockies. Today they're all Fairmonts.
I travel a lot and I don't see a major difference between some branding within a tier. Courtyard vs Fairfield vs...
From my POV, the "tiers" of business are more meaningful and I think some of the differentiation is overblown and should never have been a thing to start with. A CN or CP hotel was going to be quality regardless of whether it was in downtown Montreal or the Rockies. Today they're all Fairmonts.
I travel a lot and I don't see a major difference between some branding within a tier. Courtyard vs Fairfield vs Springhill blur together (Marriott's breakfast chaos aside), and Hyatt Regency vs Grand Hyatt do as well. That's not the end of the world - in some cases the differences are really a matter of paint job and a need to provide a few brands for franchisees to be able to use so you don't have four of the same hotel at the same interchange (even if you might as well have that) since business over time might increment in 200-room steps better than 1000-room steps.
I'm more bothered by hotels within a given tier "crashing out" in terms of overall standards (and not being knocked down a tier) than I am between brands. Put another way, it's less bad having to sort a Westin from a Marriott or Sheraton than figuring out that THIS Sheraton should probably be knocked down to a Four Points.
And of course, most of the "luxury" space (Fairmont aside) is invisible to me for a whole host of reasons, so smaller high-end brands just gets a shrug from me.
Good point re:not wanting four of the same brand nearby.
As an aside, I'm always amused to hear Four Points referred to negatively - my one experience of the brand was Barcelona Diagonal, which I found to be excellent.
@mickyb: I don't see Four Points as /bad/, but it has lower expectations than a full-service Sheraton. It's a lower tier, mostly-indistinguishable from the other limited-service tier hotels (if possibly prone to a few more bad apples than some of the other brands?).
Of course, with a dozen "select service" brands, Marriott should probably formally differentiate them into two tiers at some point - the expectations definitely vary a bit. Yes, I realize a few...
@mickyb: I don't see Four Points as /bad/, but it has lower expectations than a full-service Sheraton. It's a lower tier, mostly-indistinguishable from the other limited-service tier hotels (if possibly prone to a few more bad apples than some of the other brands?).
Of course, with a dozen "select service" brands, Marriott should probably formally differentiate them into two tiers at some point - the expectations definitely vary a bit. Yes, I realize a few brands are geographically bounded and one or two exist as "repositories" for whatever boutique stuff wandered in off the street this week that doesn't really want the whole "brand standards" thing.
[Also, Delta seems to straddle the full service/select service line depending on the property.]
You travel a lot and don't see a difference?
Courtyard has a restaurant/bar better work table.
Fairfield is basically cheap no frills.
Springhill is a suite version of Fairfield.
Hyatt Regency is modern and functional with a club lounge.
Grand Hyatt is classic luxury large hotel
Park Hyatt is boutique luxury but too boring.
Now if you only focus inside your bedroom, then that has less to do with branding and...
You travel a lot and don't see a difference?
Courtyard has a restaurant/bar better work table.
Fairfield is basically cheap no frills.
Springhill is a suite version of Fairfield.
Hyatt Regency is modern and functional with a club lounge.
Grand Hyatt is classic luxury large hotel
Park Hyatt is boutique luxury but too boring.
Now if you only focus inside your bedroom, then that has less to do with branding and can look much more similar.
You should stay at Motel 6 and save some money next time since you can't tell the amenities outside your room.
Eskimo, "too boring" LOL. Not all PH are same. Maldives Hadahaa ain't 'boring' at all.
This may be the pandemic coloring things, but I've run into CYs that only intermittently held to the pretense of a staffed bar. Springhills sometimes dress breakfast up enough to seem nice than a CY. The price points are randomly interchangeable in places (one interchange often had the Springhill like $50-80 more expensive than the other two).
Over in Hyatt land, a lot of Regencies don't have an operational lounge (a bunch of these fell...
This may be the pandemic coloring things, but I've run into CYs that only intermittently held to the pretense of a staffed bar. Springhills sometimes dress breakfast up enough to seem nice than a CY. The price points are randomly interchangeable in places (one interchange often had the Springhill like $50-80 more expensive than the other two).
Over in Hyatt land, a lot of Regencies don't have an operational lounge (a bunch of these fell off during the pandemic). Some GHs have an operating lounge, some don't. So the two are effectively interchangeable for me.
Edit: An example is in DC. The HR at Dulles has a lounge (closed on weekends). The HR at Tysons has a lounge (all days). The GH downtown has a lounge. The HR at DCA, HR on Capitol Hill, and HR Bethesda don't have lounges. Elsewhere, MCO doesn't have a lounge (neither does Grand Cypress), but the one by the OCCC has one. Buckhead in Atlanta has a lounge, HR downtown doesn't. HR at JFK (the casino) has a lounge (but has restricted hours). Hyatt Grand Central has a lounge. HR Times Square doesn't have a lounge. So really, I feel like it's around a 50/50 shot in either event - I think the only difference is probably, in theory, room count/convention orientation, but even that's fuzzy.
I didn't make any notes on Park Hyatt (it generally reads as "overly expensive with a variable experience" to me, usually with a badly overblown restaurant menu), but it's out of scope for the above comparisons.
TL;DR? HR and GH are functionally interchangeable with the main difference being room count/convention space, and I suspect that's a fuzzy line - the HR Atlanta would probably better classify as a GH (1260 rooms and a lot of convention space; compare the GH in Washington, DC at under 900 rooms or Seattle at 425), but the categorization might well be a legacy item.
Except most Hyatt Regencies no longer have a club lounge.
Fairfield and Holiday Inn Express are basically the same.
Courtyard and Hyatt Place are basically the same, although Hyatt Place has better bedding than Courtyard and the other limited-service Marriott brands.
Delta, Four Points and Holiday Inn are basically the same.
Marriott, Sheraton and Hyatt Regency are basically the same. I think your traditional Sheraton and traditional Hyatt Regency are closer. I think your...
Except most Hyatt Regencies no longer have a club lounge.
Fairfield and Holiday Inn Express are basically the same.
Courtyard and Hyatt Place are basically the same, although Hyatt Place has better bedding than Courtyard and the other limited-service Marriott brands.
Delta, Four Points and Holiday Inn are basically the same.
Marriott, Sheraton and Hyatt Regency are basically the same. I think your traditional Sheraton and traditional Hyatt Regency are closer. I think your average Marriott has a better restaurant than your average Sheraton or your average Hyatt Regency. Sheraton has long-suffered from poor F&B offerings. Same for Hyatt Regency.
Westin and Grand Hyatt are basically the same.
I think Park Hyatt is more like a JW Marriott or Fairmont than a St. Regis or Four Seasons.
I'd note that the Delta bit applies in the US. I think it's something a bit different in Canada; the US iteration just shook out because they needed somewhere to slot the brand in the US when they expanded and they didn't need "yet another" Sheraton/Marriott-coded brand.
I totally agree, generally speaking. However, I have to say that I've seen remarkably consistent brand standards across Europe. Whether it's Radisson Collection, Radisson Blu, Gran Meliá, Paradisus, Meliá, Tivoli, Anantara, or NH Collection, the experience and service level tend to be quite predictable, in a positive way. You generally know what to expect from these brands. Perhaps this is more of an American phenomenon, or an issue that tends to affect very large, heavily...
I totally agree, generally speaking. However, I have to say that I've seen remarkably consistent brand standards across Europe. Whether it's Radisson Collection, Radisson Blu, Gran Meliá, Paradisus, Meliá, Tivoli, Anantara, or NH Collection, the experience and service level tend to be quite predictable, in a positive way. You generally know what to expect from these brands. Perhaps this is more of an American phenomenon, or an issue that tends to affect very large, heavily franchised hotel companies?
I don't think my last few Radisson Blu stays in EU are consistent.
I think you feel that way because unlike the American brands that over promise and under delivers. The brands you mentioned doesn't promise much but still delivers. It helps having a fraction size of elite members. Then GHA elites don't get much either nor fixed cashback gives much aspirations. Again doesn't promise much. Where influencers love to brag about redeeming 80k points...
I don't think my last few Radisson Blu stays in EU are consistent.
I think you feel that way because unlike the American brands that over promise and under delivers. The brands you mentioned doesn't promise much but still delivers. It helps having a fraction size of elite members. Then GHA elites don't get much either nor fixed cashback gives much aspirations. Again doesn't promise much. Where influencers love to brag about redeeming 80k points at a $5000 room in Maldives but most average people could never book it. Can't set much expectations if you get a fixed 5% hotel dollars as cashback.
To some extent, I think that's true. What those hotels promise, they generally deliver, and I believe that's the foundation of it all.
The European market is still not saturated with co-branded credit card holders, and it really shows. Elites are still treated like elites. A Radisson VIP member gets the best available room. That's happened to me 9 times out of 9 stays over the last two years. A Meliá Platinum member gets...
To some extent, I think that's true. What those hotels promise, they generally deliver, and I believe that's the foundation of it all.
The European market is still not saturated with co-branded credit card holders, and it really shows. Elites are still treated like elites. A Radisson VIP member gets the best available room. That's happened to me 9 times out of 9 stays over the last two years. A Meliá Platinum member gets their upgrade on top of lounge access and the additional amenities at Gran Meliá. Personally, I've been upgraded 18 times out of 18 stays in the last 12 months. A GHA Titanium member gets the promised double upgrade. That happened to me 8 times out of 9 stays over the last year. The ninth was during Christmas, when the hotel was fully booked, and I only received a one-category upgrade instead of two.
We don't play the points game as much. GHA feels like a different and refreshing option. Radisson's points program is hardly worth pursuing in my opinion, and Meliá used to have some excellent redemption opportunities until the devaluation last year. Nowadays there are only a few remaining sweet spots. What we do receive, however, is a greater number of tangible perks.
On the other hand, I'm also talking about brand consistency. Over the last ten years I've traveled roughly 140 to 150 times, mostly within these kinds of brands, and I've generally had a very consistent experience, with the exception of some properties in the Americas and Africa.
All of my Radisson Blu stays (Bucharest, Berlin, Riga, Oslo, and so on) felt remarkably similar in terms of both service and architectural style. Likewise, all of my Gran Meliá experiences have shared the same culture and even elements of gastronomy, whether in Madrid, Tenerife, Rome, or China.
I think you've made a very good point. It really comes down to receiving what was promised.
At the end of the day, luxury isn't necessarily about receiving more than promised. It's about consistently receiving exactly what was promised.
I agree the number of brands had got incomprehensible to most consumers but it’s always been the case that some properties are notably better than others within a single brand e.g., Marriott Park Lane in London vs Marriott Heathrow airport. Price is usually the guiding factor. I guess now we see a bit more confusion where e.g. a Doubletree Hilton can be nicer than a Hilton in the same city. Not sure I particularly agree...
I agree the number of brands had got incomprehensible to most consumers but it’s always been the case that some properties are notably better than others within a single brand e.g., Marriott Park Lane in London vs Marriott Heathrow airport. Price is usually the guiding factor. I guess now we see a bit more confusion where e.g. a Doubletree Hilton can be nicer than a Hilton in the same city. Not sure I particularly agree with the examples in the post, partly because no consumers read the marketing jargon that describes each brand and it’s often just a way of getting around exclusivity agreements with owners. RC bringing its ‘resort in nature’ brand to a city mirrors Aman and Six Senses ‘urban resorts’ trend, and I’d expect a property with more focus on wellness/calm.
So as a thought question - out of all the franchised business models and individual businesses, why does this issue seem to be most unique and prolific among hotels? Is it the comparatively higher cost of maintaining a brand standard or mere raw greed?
Is it that the ‘average’ hotel consumer doesn’t know what the difference between a Hilton and a Conrad should be? How does the current highly experiential leisure travel market play into...
So as a thought question - out of all the franchised business models and individual businesses, why does this issue seem to be most unique and prolific among hotels? Is it the comparatively higher cost of maintaining a brand standard or mere raw greed?
Is it that the ‘average’ hotel consumer doesn’t know what the difference between a Hilton and a Conrad should be? How does the current highly experiential leisure travel market play into the situation?
I would argue that the average John and Susie Q Public checking into 3 separate Hiltons over the course of a year don’t notice much in terms of minor differences. However they’re likely to notice if 3 visits to Jersey Mike’s in different cities are highly dissimilar. I think the latter does more brand “damage” hence the incentive for consistency is higher in businesses with lower costs/lower pricing.
Curious to hear others’ takes.
You sound like a Stockholm syndrome victim for franchises.
If John Q stayed in a Jersey Mike for 12 hours each and have more contact points than just a streamlined sandwich, the Qs would definitely notice the difference in 3 visits even at the same store.
Harder to mess up if you're job is just to assemble a sandwich from only approved supplier. Did you notice the assembly of Hilton minibars?
But if Hilton cuts...
You sound like a Stockholm syndrome victim for franchises.
If John Q stayed in a Jersey Mike for 12 hours each and have more contact points than just a streamlined sandwich, the Qs would definitely notice the difference in 3 visits even at the same store.
Harder to mess up if you're job is just to assemble a sandwich from only approved supplier. Did you notice the assembly of Hilton minibars?
But if Hilton cuts it breakfast, it's like Jersey Mike's selling sandwich without meat. If Hilton cuts it's lounge, it's like Jersey Mike closed it's dining room. You can tell.
Then you're comparing a Hilton to a Conrad, do you notice the different design between Subways and Jersey Mike's besides the branding and coloring? The difference is there. Also if every Jersey Mike has the exact same layout eg. 6 tables 4 chairs and 3 exactly same decor/art at the same postion. You wouldn't even notice it for a few visits. But when you do, you will call the decor boring. Same with hotels, you can't expect every Hilton to look the same, unless it's a Motel 6.
It seems so short-sighted to me. One poor example of a brand could cost other hotels within the same brand dearly in the long run.
Is this why there are so many brands nowadays? "This brand used to guarantee a decent hotel. That's no longer the case, so we need a new brand that decent hotels actually want to be associated with". Repeat ad nauseum.
What is equally confusing is figuring out which hotel brand actually gives you breakfast or not. That is frustrating.
Delta? You mean like the faucet? Oh, the Marriott brand of hotels? Airline? What? Never heard of it… /s
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
"It's not loyalty so much as expectations."
Nailed it.
Names of brands set expectations. Simple concept but carried out horribly by Marriott.
Expectations?
Who blindly books a hotel based on a "brand" without checking reviews?
Or more like filtering out the glowihg reviews chain hotels give themselves with fake accounts.
I donno, James. It’s not a Big Mac. I think Peter both ‘got the point,’ and also added more points… I’ve stayed at plenty of Hampton Inns, but can’t tell you that much unique about it. DoubleTrees? Cookies. Ok. Got me there.
Expectations of what exactly? Powdered eggs? The Hampton Inn waffle?
What percentage of Hampton Inns have a pool. Some do, some don't, right?
My point is that a) every hotel rises and falls on its own and b) there's always a price paid to experience received calculation. If you are staying in a Hampton Inn in a more desirable location and they jack up their prices and you're still at a Hampton Inn, maybe one...
Expectations of what exactly? Powdered eggs? The Hampton Inn waffle?
What percentage of Hampton Inns have a pool. Some do, some don't, right?
My point is that a) every hotel rises and falls on its own and b) there's always a price paid to experience received calculation. If you are staying in a Hampton Inn in a more desirable location and they jack up their prices and you're still at a Hampton Inn, maybe one that has not been renovated in awhile, you may not be thrilled. If you're staying in a Hampton Inn in a tertiary location and it's surprisingly nice and well maintained and the powdered eggs taste reminiscent of non-powdered eggs... hey, pretty good!
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...
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.
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...
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.
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.
A privately held franchisor is probably more likely to maintain control.
Likewise, a model where franchisees were invited in but had to use the franchisor for management (essentially swapping their investment for returns) might limit the damage.