In late 2024, Marriott announced that it would be greatly expanding its outdoor focused lodging options, with the acquisition of one company, and a long term agreement with another company. There’s now an additional update, as Marriott has launched a new, branded “collection” for these properties.
Major hotel groups seem to be looking to expand in this area — recently we’ve seen Hilton Honors partner with Autocamp, and we’ve seen World of Hyatt partner with Under Canvas.
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Marriott acquires Postcard Cabins, partners with Trailborn
For a bit of background, a while back Marriott expanded its outdoor focused lodging options, thanks to two new deals with players in this segment. Marriott has acquired Postcard Cabins, formerly known as Getaway Outposts, and Marriott has also launched a long term agreement with Trailborn.
Postcard Cabins has 29 locations with a total of 1,200 cabins, situated within two hours of major US cities (find all the locations here). The idea is to offer unique, tiny cabins that are nature focused, allowing guests to disconnect from daily life.
Trailborn currently has four locations, near Rocky Mountain National Park, the Grand Canyon, and in Highlands and Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. There’s an additional property under development, in Mendocino, California. Once all properties are open, there will be a total of 559 rooms.
Here’s how Leeny Oberg, Marriott’s Chief Financial Officer, describes this:
“Marriott has long been committed to offering incredible travel experiences for every trip purpose. As guests are increasingly interested in nature-immersive travel, we are excited to build on the incredible breadth of our portfolio and welcome the Postcard Cabins and Trailborn portfolios to Marriott Bonvoy as we deliver more accommodations and experiences in awe-inspiring destinations. Whether you’re looking for bespoke lodging near natural wonders, an elevated camping experience, or off the beaten path excursions in nature, our planned outdoor-focused collection is expected to offer a broad array of options for seasoned adventurers and first-time explorers.”
Outdoor Collection by Marriott Bonvoy launches
Marriott has just announced plans to launch Outdoor Collection by Marriott Bonvoy, its newest brand portfolio. This will exclusively offer outdoor-focused, design-forward stays, set in unique locations. As it’s described, “every property in the Outdoor Collection by Marriott Bonvoy will combine unparalleled access to nature alongside the essential needs that hotel guests expect such as comfortable beds, hot running water, and dedicated restrooms.”
Unsurprisingly, the two inaugural brands for the Outdoor Collection by Marriott Bonvoy are Postcard Cabins and Trailborn. With this, we’re also seeing the properties fully integrated into Marriott Bonvoy, in terms of the ability to earn and redeem points, and take advantage of elite perks.
We’re also seeing the introduction of Marriott Bonvoy Outdoors, a new digital platform that enables travelers to plan travel based on what they like to do. So travelers can now search across 450+ hotels, 50,000 Homes & Villas, and curated tours & activities that offer immediate access to some of the most popular outdoor activities. These include skiing and snowboarding, hiking and glamping, biking, scuba diving and snorkeling, surfing, fishing, and more.
Here’s how Peggy Roe, Marriott’s Chief Customer Officer, describes this:
“We built Marriott Bonvoy Outdoors to help people, whether that’s cresting a mountain trail, catching the perfect wave, or simply finding quiet under the stars. Travel is at its best when it speaks to who we are and what we love. It’s about reconnecting with yourself and the people you love in the places that inspire you most. With the new Outdoor Collection by Marriott Bonvoy, our curated Marriott Bonvoy Moments, and even playful activations like the Drop Pin Challenge with Dylan Efron, we’re not just offering places to stay, we’re opening doors to experiences that inspire, connect, and stay with you forever.”
Bottom line
Marriott has announced a significant expansion when it comes to outdoor focused lodging. In late 2024, the company announced it acquired Postcard Cabins (formerly known as Getaway), and has a new long term agreement with Trailborn. Now we’re seeing the launch of Outdoor Collection by Marriott Bonvoy, essentially a packaged branding for these concepts, which also allows for future expansion.
What do you make of Marriott’s outdoor focused expansion?
FNT - that development is not unique to Marriott (Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, etc have the same business model), and it's not new (the move to franchising, collection of brands, etc is decades old).
As these companies grow, they will continue to add non traditional lodging options. I know these companies have dabbled in home sharing concepts. Eventually I see more expansion in this area, especially if there are big portfolios of vacation homes that...
FNT - that development is not unique to Marriott (Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, etc have the same business model), and it's not new (the move to franchising, collection of brands, etc is decades old).
As these companies grow, they will continue to add non traditional lodging options. I know these companies have dabbled in home sharing concepts. Eventually I see more expansion in this area, especially if there are big portfolios of vacation homes that can get accumulated and packaged over the next few years.
Hyatt mostly does hotels. Hyatt manages a much higher percentage (a majority in fact) whereas Marriott franchises over 70%. Hilton and IHG franchise at a higher level than Marriott but neither Hilton nor IHG are trying to become the next Tripadvisor or Expedia. Marriott is doing it because it depends on fees for revenue since it isn't collecting management fees.
More evidence that Marriott has ceased to be a hotel company. It is now just a booking platform that just happens to operate a few luxury brands.