“Marriott doesn’t have enough hotel brands, I wish the company would introduce some more…” said no one ever. That’s not stopping the company, though. In September 2023, Marriott announced the details of its newest hotel brand, Four Points Express by Sheraton.
Marriott has today revealed what we can expect from these properties in terms of Bonvoy participation, so I wanted to go over those details, in addition to recapping the basics of the brand.
In this post:
The basics of Four Points Express by Sheraton
Four Points Express by Sheraton is Marriott’s newest hotel brand, designed for the midscale segment. This is intended as a regional brand, with properties in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. This new brand follows Marriott’s recent launch of the City Express by Marriott brand in Mexico and Latin America, as well as the StudioRes by Marriott brand in the United States.
I think the logical question is what makes Four Points Express by Sheraton different from the standard Four Points experience. Marriott describes Four Points Express by Sheraton as offering “value-conscious consumers a seamless hotel experience in a convenient location, with principles of reliability, simplicity and value in both the design and guest experience.”
Here’s how Marriott describes what we can expect from Four Points Express by Sheraton:
“Four Points Express will provide guests with the genuine, friendly service Marriott International’s brands are renowned for. Midscale travelers are practical planners who prioritise elements that make both business and leisure trips effortless. The brand will treat these fundamentals with great importance by providing clean, comfortable rooms, breakfast and complimentary Wi-Fi, delivering an efficient and relaxing experience at an affordable price.”
“Four Points Express hotels will offer design signatures that provide character and a recognisable, localised aesthetic. The brand has been tailored to meet guests’ needs and the efficient cost model is intended to provide an effective pricing strategy for owners and help drive meaningful growth for Marriott International.”
As you can see, a lot of these points don’t actually tell you a whole lot. I suspect Marriott would describe all of its brands as offering “genuine, friendly service,” yet the company still uses that to describe a new brand, clearly due to lack of other unique characteristics.
There are three Four Points Express by Sheraton properties expected to open in the next year or so:
- The 52-room Four Points Express by Sheraton Antalya Lara is expected to open in Türkiye in late 2023
- The 201-room Four Points Express by Sheraton London Euston is expected to open in the United Kingdom in 2024
- The Four Points Express by Sheraton Bursa Nilüfer is also in the pipeline in Türkiye, but details are otherwise lacking
Four Points Express by Sheraton will be a soft conversion brand
Keep in mind that for the major hotel groups, us consumers aren’t the customers, but rather we’re the product. The customers are the hotel developers that the major hotel groups are hoping to attract, since that’s how they make money.
So if you want an honest perspective of what a new hotel brand actually offers, head over to the page for developers. Here’s how Four Points Express by Sheraton is described there:
“Four Points Express is conversion-friendly, offering owners the ability to join Marriott Bonvoy and benefit from the power of Marriott International’s distribution system and loyalty program without extensive refurbishment requirements. The brand offers a fast entry option into Marriott International’s powerful platform while providing all the key elements midscale guests value.”
“The midscale traveler is highly price and value conscious. Location and price for a specific trip type are key decision-making drivers. Our brand promise has been tailored to meet the guests’ needs and the cost model enables both an effective pricing strategy and meaningful growth, which will significantly increase distribution and provide guests with more choice in terms of locations to stay.”
In other words, what makes Four Points Express by Sheraton unique is that the brand won’t actually have many standards. It will be an easy way for hotel developers to join the Marriott ecosystem with a limited service hotel conversion, while not having to invest much in refurbishing the project. So while other brands promise a certain level of consistency, that’s much more limited with this new brand.
How this brand will participate in Marriott Bonvoy
When it comes to Four Points Express by Marriott participating in Marriott’s loyalty program, here’s what we can expect:
- Bonvoy members will earn 5x base points per US dollar spent on qualifying charges; this is aligned with some other limited service brands, like Protea Hotels, City Express, Element, Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites, and Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy
- Bonvoy members will earn one elite night credit for every two nights stayed
- For the elite welcome gift, Platinum members, Titanium members, and Ambassador members, will have the choice of complimentary breakfast for each night of their stay for two people, or 500 bonus points per stay
I think this is more or less what we all expected. At least elite breakfast is an option, though in terms of points and elite night credit earning, this will be among the less rewarding brands. I’m not a fan of the trend of Marriott awarding half elite nights, but there’s not much we can do about it.
Bottom line
Four Points Express by Sheraton is Marriott’s newest hotel brand, and it will be a soft conversion brand focused on Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. This will essentially be an easy way for existing midscale properties to be converted into Marriotts. This gives them access to Marriott’s loyalty program and distribution channels, without having to invest a significant amount in renovations.
For Marriott, clearly the focus with growth is on quantity rather than quality. I suppose that’s fair enough, given how the major hotel groups have money. However, it’s also kind of sad when new brands come in the form of “hey, let’s start a hotel brand just like our existing hotel brand, just without the standards.”
What do you make of Four Points Express by Sheraton?
Four points is already a lower end brand. However, so is Fairfield and many other brands. I just do not see how this can differentiate with all of those.
I could be on board with the 0.5 elite nights per night stayed at the discount brands if it means you get double or triple nights at more luxury brands like JW Marriott or St Regis.
This elite status qualification story sounds very similar to airlines... remember when elite status was all about distance flown (even in discount economy) and nothing else?
One risk might be that, down the line, Marriott will say...
I could be on board with the 0.5 elite nights per night stayed at the discount brands if it means you get double or triple nights at more luxury brands like JW Marriott or St Regis.
This elite status qualification story sounds very similar to airlines... remember when elite status was all about distance flown (even in discount economy) and nothing else?
One risk might be that, down the line, Marriott will say you earn one elite night per $x spent, which will completely gut the qualification process and make things even more revenue based. However, given how international hotel chains are, maybe this won't happen. You can't create a situation where it is almost impossible to qualify for elite status through stays at hotels in some countries due to lower prices.
80% sure there is one being built on the edge of Barcelona in Villadecans. The sign has been covered as they were building but it’s highly likely it is this.
What Bonvoy needs is a brand that REQUIRES to have a 24/7 CLUB LOUNGE.
This is basically an SNL skit at this point. At our new Aloft Express Towne Place Four Residence Points Sheraton Suites Westin by W, you can check in to a room with no bed or bathroom if saving money is truly your thing...
Won't be a success! Having 73 hotel brands only serves to confuse the conser and make them take their business ELSEWHERE! Need to do less - maybe 2 or 3 brands!
I really think more of us travelers should speak up about this new trend of .5 Elite Night Credits from half a dozen Marriott brands. IF these hotels cost 1/2 the price of a similar property: maybe. But they DON'T. Compare the cost per night and you'll quickly learn this. Even the reduced points earnings at brand like Element, Residence Inn, and TownePlace make ZERO sense to me. Priced the same in my city (DFW) at a regular Sheraton or Courtyard.
Oh thank you little baby Jesus. A seamless hotel experience in a convenient location, with principles of reliability, simplicity and value in both the design and guest experience is exactly what’s been absent in my travel life. This will fill that void. Marriott does it again!
"If I was going to open a motel, I'd call it the 'Sleep and F*** Motel.' It'd have one of those flashing, buzzing signs, and maybe be right at the New Jersey entrance to the Holland Tunnel." - George Carlin
So if you stay one night, do you get a half credit, or zero credit?
Not sure how different it is from a Fairfield outside the US
Finally a Four Points without the extreme luxury standards!
I assumed they were working towards killing Sheraton purposely rather than a spinoff of a spinoff.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA exactly...
Personally, I refuse to consider any Marriott properties until they have at least 100 brands. They simply do not offer sufficient options with the current array of brands. Wake me when they reach 100.
Introducing: "Four Points Junior Platinum Express Elemental Eco Suites Select Garden Villas ES by Sheraton at Marriott Garden House La Casa de City Comfort Towne Springs"!
Otherwise known as: FPJPEEESSGVESMGHLCCCTS by Bonvoy
It's a City Express renamed for those markets, and we expect to see in the future, "Four Points Express Junior by Sheraton." There is another "City Express Junior" in Mexico that is closer in style to a Formule 1 or Etap hotel but with an in-room bathroom.
I did find it out that it’s for Europe and Asia only. Both Hilton and IHG have announced midscale conversion brands. I interpreted City Express to be more of an upper economy play, not mid scale conversion.
FWIW Four Points is itself a mid scale conversion brand in practice, but I guess adding the Best Brews station is too much investment for some owners.
I've always put Four Points above Courtyard and more comparable to a Delta in Marriott's ecosystem and a Holiday Inn in IHG's ecoysystem if only because many, if not most, Four Points have a full-service restaurant.
Looks like Hilton home2home which I'm at now.. how original.. not!!!
The regular four points has brand standards?
We list 'WiFi' as a property feature. Why? Because we had to fill a character minimum and there were no other distinguishable options.
Also, anyone else think those lobby renderings look like an office?
The name is so stupid too—everyone’s just going to think of it as a Four Points and not realize it’s any different
I thought Four Points was bottom of the ladder? Anybody remember when they sponsored dessert on US Airways? Four Points Pie.
A brand with no standards. Well good. I’m gonna open my locally curated artisan value property “Crap and a Nap”
Four Points and Delta are the Marriott brands equivalent to Holiday Inn.
I've had the...misfortune...of staying in three Four Points properties. ALL of them, each in different states across the US, gave me "this is basically a 'nice' hostel but you don't have to share your room and you have your own bathroom" vibes. Slightly elevated but not by much. They have internal hallways (well, one of them did) so that's a bonus.
To FNT's point, I've actually stayed at much better Holiday Inns than Four Points....
I've had the...misfortune...of staying in three Four Points properties. ALL of them, each in different states across the US, gave me "this is basically a 'nice' hostel but you don't have to share your room and you have your own bathroom" vibes. Slightly elevated but not by much. They have internal hallways (well, one of them did) so that's a bonus.
To FNT's point, I've actually stayed at much better Holiday Inns than Four Points. So I'd actually rank Holiday Inns as one rung up. Only reason I'd stay at a Four Points is because I was loyal to Marriott so I could cash in points for something useful, like Aeroplan miles. Either way, taking a garbage brand and making it "express" means nothing; the bar was already so low Marriott would need a boring machine to dig a tunnel to lower the bar any further. But looks like they found one...
I recently stayed at a Four Points in Europa (Barcelona), and it was a perfectly fine hotel and room. Quite comparable to a Courtyard. And also the price, at 200€ per night, wasn't exactly low end.
This is really getting very confusing.
Only Marriott could come up with a five word hotel brand name this unnecessarily long (I'm sure there'll be a "Four Points Express by Sheraton London Heathrow Airport East" very soon....)
This is also a clear attempt to leverage the Holiday Inn Express brand in EMEA (which is probably the leading brand alongside Ibis in this segment, albeit with stricter brand standards than it looks like this will have). I can't imagine IHG's lawyers will...
Only Marriott could come up with a five word hotel brand name this unnecessarily long (I'm sure there'll be a "Four Points Express by Sheraton London Heathrow Airport East" very soon....)
This is also a clear attempt to leverage the Holiday Inn Express brand in EMEA (which is probably the leading brand alongside Ibis in this segment, albeit with stricter brand standards than it looks like this will have). I can't imagine IHG's lawyers will be too happy with the name...
Couldn't agree more, Tom ! In other words, a cheap knock-off by Marriott in order to capitalize on the established IHG branding for Holiday Inn Express (where the IHG brand is standardized on new design, hot breakfast included and aimed at a younger demographic). It will be interesting to see if Marriott chooses to cross the line with an included breakfast, first up?
Actually surprised it has taken this long. American chains tend to be dwarfed in Europe by Accor because the American chains' brand standards are so rigid and more suitable for new builds than repurposing and conversions. This seems like the sort of thing that could compete against Mercure, which is an incredibly versatile brand and extremely popular throughout the EMENA region.
Personally I hope it isn't very successful, as I am quite fond of...
Actually surprised it has taken this long. American chains tend to be dwarfed in Europe by Accor because the American chains' brand standards are so rigid and more suitable for new builds than repurposing and conversions. This seems like the sort of thing that could compete against Mercure, which is an incredibly versatile brand and extremely popular throughout the EMENA region.
Personally I hope it isn't very successful, as I am quite fond of Accor brands and find the US brands tend to be incredibly expensive compared to Accor properties, but will be interesting to see how it progresses.
Isn't Mercure a little higher on the spectrum? In my experience staying at a handful of Mercure properties in the UK, they have fallen somewhere between a Holiday Inn and Sheraton.
Mercure can be 3 or 4 stars typically. Some are very minimal. Some are quite nice. It is an extremely flexible brand. Especially if you go to smaller cities in Germany and France, you will see a very wide range of Mercures.
I can make the press release shorter and easier to understand:
"It's a Hampton Inn with a different paint job."
It actually sounds more closer to a Best Western, Red Roof Inn, Comfort Inn. No gym requirement. Almost certainly a kiosk for a front desk in Europe.
I suspect the reason why these are being called Four Points Express by Sheraton is that internationally Sheraton is a known brand that may even have higher consumer ratings than Marriott. But it seems like Marriott International is risking that by allowing these to be conversion properties.
This looks aimed at the international version of Red Roof Inn. So maybe a very low-end Ibis?
I wouldn’t be surprised if there is no staffed...
I suspect the reason why these are being called Four Points Express by Sheraton is that internationally Sheraton is a known brand that may even have higher consumer ratings than Marriott. But it seems like Marriott International is risking that by allowing these to be conversion properties.
This looks aimed at the international version of Red Roof Inn. So maybe a very low-end Ibis?
I wouldn’t be surprised if there is no staffed front desk in Europe with check-in handled through kiosks.