With the recent unveiling of Radisson Individuals and the WorldHotels Crafted Collection, the hotel industry has two new examples of a unique brand. a trend that is now firmly established in the landscapethe light" brands. Most often christened 'collections' by hotel groups, these brands are both flexible enough to accommodate independent hotels keen to retain their individuality, but strong enough commercially to enable them to reach a wider customer base, particularly business customers.
In the current climate, the support of world-renowned names such as Accor, Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott and Radisson and the contribution of their millions of loyal customers are very welcome news for many hoteliers. " To a an unprecedented moment for the hotel industryWe are proud to open our hotel as a member of The Luxury Collection (a Marriott International brand)." said Metehan Özyer, member of the Board of Directors of the Özyer Group, owner of the Matild Palace in Budapest.
Expected to open in May, this new 130-room hotel will be the fruit of the metamorphosis of a historic palacebuilt in 1902 for Maria Klotild of Saxe-Coburg, has been given a chic, contemporary makeover. This UNESCO-listed property is entirely in keeping with Marriott's prestigious Luxury Collection, of which it will become the 120th member, as the brand also plans to restore Josun Palace in Paris to its former glory. Seoulone of the oldest hotels in Korea.
Based on the model of so-called 'voluntary' chains such as Leading Hotels or Relais&Chateaux, these brands emerged - and perhaps not coincidentally - in the wake of another major crisis, that of 2008. At the beginning of the last decade, Accor's MGallery and Marriott's Autograph Collection launched a trend that has become increasingly popular. which has since spread to the entire sector, with the notable exception of the IHG group. From the Curio Collection at the Hilton Trademark Collection from Wyndham to theUnbound Collection of Hyatt or the noria of collection" versions of Best Western brands The hotel groups have launched a charm offensive against the boutique hotels.
The parade continues today. Among the pioneers, Marriott's Autograph Collection is celebrating its 200th opening since 2010 with the addition of the Grand Universe hotel in Lucca, Italy. This boutique hotel with just 55 rooms, housed in a former 16th-century palazzo, is part of a collection of top-of-the-range hotels of great diversity, the very old alongside the avant-garde. This year will see the arrival of new members located in a designer building - the Humaniti Hotel, at Montréal - than in the walls of a former cement factory - the CAST in Nanjing, China - or in a former bank resembling a Belle Epoque palace, the Marmorosch hotel in Bucharest, expected this summer.
The Autograph collection is planning further business destinations in 2021, with developments expected in Antwerp, Berlin and Istanbul in Europe, and Singapore and Seoul in Asia. But it is also looking to expand its range of independent hotels, Marriott can also count on two brands inherited from the Starwood groupThe Luxury Collection on the upscale side and, in a more contemporary style, Tribute Portfolio, which is preparing to break the fifty-hotel barrier with the Kinley hotel in Chattanooga (United States). Together, these three brands will extend their global footprint to nearly 70 new establishments by 2021, including 24 new hotels.
Given the success of the formula, the offer is segmented in order to extend the groups' reach into the independent hotel sector. Best Western, for example, has turned its attention to the budget segment with its Sure Hotel Collection, enabling it to reach hoteliers in both Paris and Sainte-Maxime in France. Hilton, meanwhile, has launched a more mid-range brand in addition to its original top-of-the-range Curio collection, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, due to arrive in Paris shortly. Both brands have reached a milestone this year, with the Tapestry Collection by Hilton adding its fiftieth member and the Curio Collection its hundredth. Not the least of which is the new Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, a casino resort revisiting the former Hard Rock Hotel and offering no less than 1,500 rooms, 12 restaurants and huge event capacities.
In the same way, Hyatt is now communicating around its three independent brands under one umbrella. These brands cover the luxury segment with The Unbound Collection, urban boutique hotels with JdV by Hyatt - JdV stands for 'Joie de Vivre', perfectly in line with the brand's lifestyle positioning - and the resort segment with Destination by Hyatt. All of these brands are set for strong growth between now and 2025. With each new hotel opening under the three brands of Hyatt's independent collection, we encourage the unique discovery of the local culture or history of the place, truly illustrating the spirit of these three distinct brands." said Katie Johnson, Head of Independent Collections at Hyatt.
While the JdV brand, which is essentially American, made its European debut in Sweden with the three Story Hotels in Stockholm and MalmöThe Unbound Collection continues to expand worldwide. Scandinavia is also part of its plans, with the Hotell Reisen in Stockholm last year and soon the Grand Hansa Hotel in Helsinki, but also Spain with the former Byblos Hotel in Mijas, as well as Mexico, Japan, Panama, Thailand... Among the new entrants, the collection has also been enriched by two flagships just renovatedhistory Hôtel du Palais in Biarritz and, in a much more contemporary style, the Commune by the Great Wall, near Beijing. Designed by 12 renowned Asian architects, this 175-room hotel - formerly the Kempinski - has a sophisticated setting in the unspoilt surroundings of the Great Wall.
As for Accor, the French group is still committed to a single 'collection' brand, MGallery. Proof of its maturity, this brand, which has long been under the wing of SofitelNow that its network has passed the hundred mark, it no longer needs the addition of 'by Sofitel' at the end of its name to stand on its own two feet. Its 106 members include flagship hotels such as the Molitor in Paris, the INK in Paris and the Sofitel in Paris. AmsterdamSanta Teresa in Rio de Janeiro and the Muse in Bangkok, as well as conversions of other Accor hotels. For example, the Louis in Versailles was first a Sofitel, then a Pullman before reopening in 2018 reinterpreted by two female designers in the spirit of the Grand Siècle.
More recently, in the La Défense business district, the MGallery le Nest Paris has followed an almost identical path. This former Sofitel has been given a contemporary makeover by the Parisian interior design house Numéro 20, created by Oscar Lucien Ono, to turn it into a 151-room arty cocoon. Other MGallery openings this year include a hotel overlooking the ruins of Pompeii, the Pompei Habita 79, and the brand's arrival in Singapore with the affiliation of the Orchard Hills Residences Singapore.
Will the new collections follow in the footsteps of their predecessors and make their mark on the global hotel landscape? Announced just before Covid ravaged the tourism industry, the WorldHotels Crafted Collection is now taking off with some fine firsts, such as the ACME Hotel Company in Chicago, the first hotel in the city according to Conde Nast readers, and the ODSweet Duomo in Milan, an upmarket, design-led and fun hotel, the hotel offshoot of the Italian confectionery brand ODStore. There's no doubt that the hotel industry has other treats in store.
