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Autograph Collection

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Autograph Collection
IndustryHospitality
Founded2010
HeadquartersWashington, D.C.
Number of locations
199 hotels (June 30, 2020)[1]
Area served
Global
ParentMarriott International
Websitewww.autograph-hotels.marriott.com

Autograph Collection is an American group of independent upper-upscale to luxury hotels within the Marriott International portfolio. The properties are independently owned and operated under the Autograph Collection name.

History

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Hotel Atlantic in Hamburg, Germany
Schloss Lieser in Germany

To grow in the post-2008 economic downturn, Marriott, known for its rigid uniformity, was willing to relax this stipulation to draw independent unique hotels to its network of franchised properties.[2] In 2010, Marriott approached Richard Kessler, an independent hotelier and former CEO of Days Inn, to incorporate the seven Kessler boutique properties into its system, under a yet unnamed new brand.[3]

In 2006, Kessler had dropped the Westin brand affiliation from his downtown Orlando hotel to operate independently.[4] Initially reluctant, Kessler came to an acceptable arrangement.[3] The hotels would operate autonomously, keeping their names and identities.[4] The Autograph Collection launched that year, with the Kessler properties forming the bulk of the hotel inventory.[3] This freedom may seem unfair to branded properties, sometimes subject to intransigent brand standards or extra fees, but the difference is that these independents bear the cost of creating their own brand identities from scratch.[5]

The new name highlighted not a brand, but a collection of hotels.[5] The Leading Hotels of the World, targeting high-end customers looking for unique hotel experiences, had long dominated this market.[6] Not displaying the Marriott branding or Marriott booking engine on the Autograph website, not only emphasized the unique experiences of these independent hotels,[7] but also shielded the hospitality giant's various brands from fallout should the venture fail.[4]

The selection included historical landmark buildings rejuvenated into the 21st century, but offering a hotel experience far different from a normal “cookie-cutter” property.[6] The collection sought hotels that possessed an element of authentic local flavor and cultural distinction to provide guests with an enriching stay. The experience itself, and service, replaced the traditional definitions of luxury, such as the number of bathroom fixtures and thread count of the bed sheets and drapes.[3] In addition to displaying hotels by location, guests could search the website by specifying unique preferences, such as culinary, historic exploration, arts, family, sports and urban.[7]

Over time, the growth emphasis shifted from adding existing properties to proposals and new builds that incorporated the desired features.[8]

Whereas advantageous in a buoyant economy, during a downturn, the backing from the diverse customer base of a big brand might be a savior.[9] Major soft brands launches were Ascend by Choice (2008), Autograph by Marriott (2010), Curio by Hilton (2014), Best Western Premier (2014), Unbound by Hyatt (2016), and Trademark by Wyndham (2017). Marriott continues to promote growth in its three soft brands, The Luxury Collection, Tribute Portfolio, and Autograph.[6]

To the guest, a soft brand hotel possesses the distinctive identity, design style, and regional flair of a leading independent property. To the hotelier, it accesses the global marketing channels, customer loyalty rewards program, staff training model, seamless back-of-house operational standards, and new technologies, provided by Marriott or its rivals. In addition, the major online travel booking sites charge 15 to 30 percent commission. However, larger companies like Marriott use their market power to negotiate the lowest rates from those agents.[10] Twelve months after a conversion to the Autograph Collection, independent hotels have experienced an average RevPAR percentage increase of 19.8 percent and an average RevPAR index percentage change of 12.5 percent.[5]

In January 2017, Autograph began the Independent Film Initiative at the Sundance Film Festival with the Autograph Collection Hotels & The Black List Sundance Social Space. The Annual Black List is a comprehensive list of strong screenplays that require financing. Autograph has its own indie film channel for hotel guests.[11] The Autograph Collection Short Film Award was created to discover new talent and accelerate the development of independent filmmakers.[12] Furthermore, Autograph provides a complimentary one-week hotel stay to chosen writers as an opportunity to develop their work.[13]

The Autograph Collection comprises a portfolio of 4- and 5-star properties that have ranged from a 15-room boutique hunting lodge in the Colorado mountains to the 3,400-room Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island, The Bahamas.[14]

Accommodations

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Historical

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Year Type US Non-US Total
2010[15] Properties      13      0      013
Rooms 03,828      0 003,828
2011[16] Properties      17      10      027
Rooms 05,207 00898 006,105
2012[17] Properties      24      13      037
Rooms 06,609 01,404 008,013
2013[18] Properties      32      24      056
Rooms 08,410 03,053 011,463
2014[19] Properties      44      31      075
Rooms 10,082 07,428 017,510

From 2015

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North
America
Europe Middle E.
& Africa
0Asia &0
Pacific
Caribbean
Latin Am.
Total
2015[20] Properties      055      30      001      003      006 00095
Rooms 013,135 04,344      0446      0785      4,098 022,808
2016[21] Properties      064      33      002      004      008      111
Rooms 014,299 04,710      0532 001,195      4,203 024,939
2017[22] Properties      078      38      003      007      009      135
Rooms 017,107 05,403 001,102 001,895      4,313 029,820
2018[23] Properties      095      46      008      008      009      166
Rooms 020,218 06,466 001,738 002,167      4,313 034,902
2019[24] Properties      108      53      009      009      013      192
Rooms 022,463 07,165 001,906 002,364      3,751 037,649
2020[25] Properties      123      54      7      12      13      209
Rooms 025,449 06,468 001,640 003,245      3,751 040,553
2021[26] Properties      136      58      8      16      35      253
Rooms 027,807 07,298 001,629 003,706      11,154 051,594
2022[27] Properties      146      68      13      19      36      282
Rooms 029,678 08,482 002,344 004,455      12,158 057,117
2023[28] Properties      153      77      15      22      37      304
Rooms 031,321 010,010 002,402 004,703      12,448 060,884

Properties

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As of June 30, 2020, the Autograph Collection consisted of 199 hotels in over 32 countries, with another 95 hotels with 16,941 rooms in its pipeline.[1]

British Virgin Islands

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Canada

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Germany

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Ireland

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Japan

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Mexico

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United Kingdom

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United States

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Autograph Collection". Marriott Hotels Development. Retrieved 2020-08-20.
  2. ^ Berzon, Alexandra (25 January 2010). "Independent Hotels Sign On With Marriott". Wall Street Journal.
  3. ^ a b c d "Marriott Hopes Its Autograph Collection Brand Will Boost Its Cool Factor". Skift.com. 13 January 2014.
  4. ^ a b c "Kessler hotels join Marriott's Autograph Collection". Orlandosentinel.com. 25 Jan 2010.
  5. ^ a b c "Hotel Management, 11 Jun 2014". Hotelmanagement.net.
  6. ^ a b c "Kipsu, Rise of Soft Brands". Kipsu.com.
  7. ^ a b "Hotel News Now, 14 Oct 2011". Hotelnewsnow.com. 14 October 2011.
  8. ^ "Market Screener, 20 Sep 2012". Marketscreener.com. 20 September 2012.
  9. ^ "Exactly Like Nothing Else". Leadersmag.com.
  10. ^ Weed, Julie (21 October 2019). "New York Times, 21 Oct 2019". The New York Times.
  11. ^ "PR News, 19 Oct 2016". Prnewswire.com (Press release).
  12. ^ "The Indie Film Project". Marriott.com.
  13. ^ "Maggie Gyllenhaal partners with Autograph Collection Hotels to empower female screenwriters". Marieclaire.co.uk. 24 April 2019.
  14. ^ "Autograph Collection hotels in the pipeline". Canadianlodgingnews.com. Archived from the original on 2020-10-30.
  15. ^ "2010 Annual Report". Marriott.gcs-web.com. p. 18.
  16. ^ "2011 Annual Report". Marriott.gcs-web.com. p. 19.
  17. ^ "2012 Annual Report". Marriott.gcs-web.com. p. 22.
  18. ^ "2013 Annual Report". Marriott.gcs-web.com. p. 20.
  19. ^ "2014 Annual Report". Marriott.gcs-web.com. p. 17.
  20. ^ "2015 Annual Report". Marriott.gcs-web.com. p. 5.
  21. ^ "2016 Annual Report". Marriott.gcs-web.com. p. 7.
  22. ^ "2017 Annual Report". Marriott.gcs-web.com. p. 7.
  23. ^ "2018 Annual Report". Marriott.gcs-web.com. p. 6.
  24. ^ "2019 Annual Report". Marriott.gcs-web.com. p. 6.
  25. ^ "2020 Annual Report". Marriott.gcs-web.com. p. 13.
  26. ^ "2021 Annual Report". Marriott.gcs-web.com. p. 6.
  27. ^ "2022 Annual Report". Marriott.gcs-web.com. p. 6.
  28. ^ "2023 Annual Report". Marriott.gcs-web.com. p. 6.
  29. ^ "Best Autograph Collection Hotels". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  30. ^ "Independent Boutique Hotel Locations , Autograph Collection". Marriott International. Retrieved 2019-10-13.
  31. ^ "Google Travel". google.com. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  32. ^ "Threadneedles London". Theglasshousehotel.co.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  33. ^ a b Nieset, Lane (January 1, 2015). "Top 8 Marriott Autograph Collection Hotels". The Points Guy. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  34. ^ "Threadneedles London". Hotelthreadneedles.co.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  35. ^ "Luxury Hotel Accommodation in Cambridge since 1844". Universityarms.com. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  36. ^ "History, pricey upgrades for Dallas' Adolphus lead to pact with Marriott". Dallas News. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  37. ^ "Finest Luxury - Hotel Near Times Square | The Algonquin Hotel". Algonquinhotel.com. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  38. ^ "Autograph Collection: Blackhawk Hotel". Marriot.com.
  39. ^ "Hotel Carmichael: A New Boutique Luxury Hotel in Carmel, Indiana". www.hotelcarmichael.com. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  40. ^ "Castle Hotel, Autograph Collection". Marriott.com. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  41. ^ "Las Vegas Luxury Hotel | The Cosmopolitan". Cosmopolitanlasvegas.com. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  42. ^ Kester, Jennifer. "The Cloudveil Hotel Debuts In Jackson Hole". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
  43. ^ "Home | the Current". Archived from the original on 2019-01-25. Retrieved 2019-01-24.
  44. ^ "Boutique Hotel in Daytona Beach, Florida | The Daytona, Autograph Collection". Marriott.com. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  45. ^ "The Draftsman Hotel - Downtown Charlottesville VA Hotel". Thedraftsmanhotel.com. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  46. ^ "Premium Hotel Locations | Autograph Collection Hotels". Autograph-hotels.marriott.com. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  47. ^ a b "Portfolio". Crescent Hotels & Resorts. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  48. ^ "The Henry, Autograph Collection". Behenry.com. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  49. ^ "Hi-Lo Hotel | A Luxury Hotel in Portland, Oregon". Hi-lo-hotel.com. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  50. ^ Oseid, John (July 16, 2014). "The Lexington New York City: A Jazz Age Makeover". Forbes. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  51. ^ "Hotel Metro. Autograph Collection. Overview". Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  52. ^ "The Metropolitan at The 9 - Downtown Cleveland Hotels". Metropolitancleveland.com. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  53. ^ "Best Hotels in Old Town Alexandria". Morrisonhouse.com. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  54. ^ "Hotel in Portland, Maine | Book a Suite Today". Thepresshotel.com. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  55. ^ "The Stella Hotel joins Marriott's Autograph Collection". kagstv.com. October 8, 2021.
  56. ^ "Best Hotels Downtown OKC | The National Hotel Official Website".
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Media related to Autograph Collection hotels at Wikimedia Commons