Autograph Collection

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]

Historical

From 2015

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]

Australia

• Midnight Hotel in Canberra
• Pier One Sydney Harbour in Sydney

Azerbaijan

• Park Chalet, Shahdag in Qusar
• Pik Palace, Shahdag in Qusar

The Bahamas

• French Leave Resort in Eleuthera

Belgium

• Cardo Brussels Hotel in Brussels
• Sapphire House in Antwerp (2022)

Belize

• Alaia Belize in San Pedro Town

Brazil

• The Hotel & Spa do Vinho in Bento Gonçalves

British Virgin Islands

• The Scrub Island Resort, Spa & Marina in the British Virgin Islands^[29]

Canada

• Civic Hotel, Surrey, BC
• The Algonquin Resort St. Andrews By-The-Sea, St Andrews, NB
• The Kananaskis Mountain Lodge, Kananaskis Village, AB
• The Hotel Saskatchewan, Regina, SK
• The DOUGLAS, Vancouver, BC
• Humaniti Hotel Montreal by Autograph Collection, Montreal, QC
• Muir Hotel, Halifax, NS
• The Pearle Hotel & Spa, Burlington, ON

China

• Flow and Co. Qingdao in Qingdao
• Nanjing Jiangning in Nanjing
• The Shanhaitian Resort in Sanya
• The Sifang Hotel Nanjing in Nanjing

Colombia

• The Artisan D.C. Hotel in Bogotá

Costa Rica

• The Hotel Punta Islita in Guanacaste
• El Mangroove, Gulf of Papagayo
• Planet Hollywood Costa Rica, Gulf of Papagayo

Dominican Republic

• Hideaway at Royalton Punta Cana in Punta Cana
• Royalton Bavaro in Punta Cana
• Royalton Punta Cana in Punta Cana
• Royalton Splash Punta Cana in Punta Cana

Estonia

• The Hotel Telegraaf in Tallinn

Finland

• Hotel U14 in Helsinki

France

• The Hotel de Bourgtheroulde in Rouen
• The L'Hermitage Gantois in Lille
• La Caserne Chanzy Hotel & Spa in Reims
• La Maison Rouge Hotel & Spa in Strasbourg

Georgia

• Paragraph Resort & Spa Shekvetili, Autograph Collection in Shekvetili

Germany

• Caro & Selig in Tegernsee
• Hotel Luc in Berlin
• LUME Boutique Hotel in Frankfurt
• Roomers Baden-Baden in Baden-Baden
• Roomers Munich in Munich
• Schloss Lieser in the Moselle region
• The Falkenstein Grand in Koenigstein im Taunus
• The Hotel am Steinplatz in Berlin
• The Hotel Atlantic in Hamburg
• The Hotel Elephant in Weimar
• The Hotel Gewandhaus Dresden Dresden
• The Villa Rothschild in Köenigstein im Taunus

Greece

• Academias Hotel in Athens
• Domes Aulus Zante in Zakynthos
• Domes of Corfu in Corfu
• Domes of Elounda in Crete
• Domes Noruz Chania in Crete
• MonAsty in Thessaloniki

Grenada

• Royalton Grenada in St. George's

Hungary

• Dorothea Hotel in Budapest

Indonesia

• Amarterra Villas Nusa Dua in Bali
• Sari Pacific Jakarta in Jakarta
• The Stones Legian in Bali

Ireland

• Mount Juliet Estate in Kilkenny
• Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin
• The Powerscourt Hotel in Wicklow

Israel

• The Publica Isrotel in Herzliya

Jamaica

• Hideaway at Royalton Blue Waters in Montego Bay
• Hideaway at Royalton Negril in Negril
• Grand Lido Negril Au-Naturel in Negril
• Royalton Blue Waters Montego Bay in Montego Bay
• Royalton Negril in Negril

Japan

• The Prince Sakura Tower Tokyo^[30]
• The Prince Kyoto Takaragaike
• Mesm Tokyo in Tokyo
• TIAD in Nagoya

Kenya

• Sankara Nairobi in Nairobi

Malaysia

• The Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur
• STRIPE Hotel Kuala Lumpur

Mexico

• Hacienda del Mar Los Cabos in Los Cabos
• The Royalton Splash in Cancún^[31]
• The Royalton Riviera in Cancún
• The Hideaway at Royalton Riviera in Cancún
• The Royalton CHIC in Cancún
• Planet Hollywood Adult Scene in Cancún

Netherlands

• Hotel Nassau Breda in Breda
• The College Hotel Amsterdam in Amsterdam

Panama

• The Buenaventura in Río Hato
• The Sortis Hotel in Panama City

Poland

• Stradom House in Kraków
• Hotel Verte in Warsaw

Portugal

• Domes Lake Algarve in Vilamoura
• The Ivens in Lisbon

Qatar

• Al Samriya in Doha
• Qabila Westbay Hotel in Lusail

Romania

• The Marmorosch Bucharest in Bucharest

Singapore

• Duxton Reserve Singapore
• Maxell Reserve Singapore

South Africa

• African Pride Melrose Arch in Johannesburg
• Irene Country Lodge in Pretoria

South Korea

• The Plaza in Seoul
• RYSE Hotel in Seoul
• GRAVITY Seoul Pangyo in Seongnam, Gyeonggi
• Hotel Onoma in Daejeon

Spain

• Hacienda Son Antem Golf Resort Llucmajor
• Hotel AC Baqueira Ski Resort in Baqueira-Beret
• Hotel Palacio del Retiro in Madrid
• Hotel Palacio de Santa Paula in Granada
• Hotel Querencia de Sevilla in Sevilla
• Palacio Santa Clara in Valencia
• Palacio Tondon in Briñas
• Sabàtic in Sitges
• The Cotton House Hotel in Barcelona
• The Ercilla de Bilbao Hotel in Bilbao
• The Eugénia De Montijo in Toledo
• The Hotel Circulo Grand Via in Madrid
• The Hotel Palacio del Carmen in Santiago de Compostela

Switzerland

• Grand Hotel Suisse Majestic in Montreux
• Kameha Grand Zürich in Zürich
• Neues Schloss Privat Hotel Zürich in Zürich
• The Hotel Lucerne in Lucerne
• Waldhaus Flims Wellness Resort in Flims

Tanzania

• Le Mersenne Zanzibar in Pingwe

Thailand

• Madi Paidi Bangkok in Bangkok

Trinidad and Tobago

• The BRIX in Port of Spain

Turkey

• Adahan DeCamondo Pera in Istanbul
• Orient Occident Hotel Istanbul in Istanbul
• Burdock Hotel Istanbul in Istanbul
• The Sofa Istanbul in Istanbul
• The Orientbank in Istanbul

United Arab Emirates

• The Habtoor Grand Resort in Dubai
• The La Ville Hotel City Walk in Dubai
• The Lapita Resort in Dubai

United Kingdom

• Montcalm East in London
• St. Ermin's Hotel in London
• The Bankside Hotel in London
• The Dixon in London
• The Hotel Xenia in Kensington
• The Glasshouse in Edinburgh^[32]
• The Threadneedles Hotel in London^[33][34]
• The University Arms Hotel in Cambridge^[35]

United States

• The Hotel Adagio in San Francisco, California
• The Adolphus Hotel in Dallas, Texas,^[36]
• The Advenire in St. George, Utah
• The Algonquin Hotel Times Square in Manhattan, New York City, New York^[37]
• The Ambassador Hotel in Wichita, Kansas
• The Arrowhead Springs Hotel and Spa in Lake Arrowhead, California
• The Hotel at Avalon in Alpharetta, Georgia
• The Hotel Blackhawk in Davenport, Iowa^[38]
• The Blackstone in Chicago, Illinois
• The Blue Moon Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida
• The Brown Palace Hotel in Denver, Colorado
• Hotel Carmichael in Carmel, Indiana^[39]
• The Casa Monica Hotel in St. Augustine, Florida
• The Castle Hotel in Orlando, Florida^[40]
• The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada^[33][41]
• The Cloudveil in Jackson, Wyoming^[42]
• The Hotel Chicago Downtown in Chicago, Illinois
• The Current Iowa in Davenport, Iowa^[43]
• The Historic Davenport in Spokane, Washington
• The Daytona in Daytona Beach, Fl.^[44]
• Hotel Distil in Louisville, Kentucky
• The Draftsman in Charlottesville, Virginia^[45]
• The Hotel Duval in Tallahassee, Florida^[46]
• The Éilan Hotel & Spa in San Antonio, Texas,^[47]
• The Elliot Park Hotel in Minneapolis, Minnesota
• The Farnam in Omaha, Nebraska
• The Fenway Hotel in Dunedin, Florida
• The Grand Bohemian Hotel in Orlando, Florida
• The Grand Hotel in Fairhope, Alabama
• The Henry in Dearborn, Michigan^[48]
• The Hi-Lo Hotel in Portland, Oregon^[49]
• The Hotel Icon in Houston, Texas,^[47]
• The Industrialist Hotel in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• The Inn at Bay Harbor in Bay Harbor, Michigan
• The Koloa Landing Resort in Koloa, Hawaii
• The Laylow in Honolulu, Hawaii
• Hotel LeVeque in Columbus, Ohio
• The Lexington Hotel in New York City^[50]
• The Lodge at Sonoma Resort in Sonoma, CA
• The Mansion on Forsyth Park in Savannah, Georgia
• The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel in Kohala Coast, Hawaii
• The Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC
• The MC Hotel in Montclair, New Jersey
• Hotel Metro in Milwaukee, Wisconsin^[51]
• The Metropolitan at The 9 in Cleveland, Ohio^[52]
• The Morrison House in Alexandria, Virginia^[53]
• Hotel Nia in Menlo Park, California
• The Hotel Northland in Green Bay, Wisconsin
• The Notary Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• The Oaklander Hotel in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• The Paso Del Norte in El Paso, Texas
• The Pier South Resort in Imperial Beach, California^[33]
• The Press Hotel in Portland, Maine^[54]
• The Raphael Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri
• The Saint in New Orleans, Louisiana
• The StateView in Raleigh, North Carolina
• The Siena Hotel in Chapel Hill, North Carolina′
• The Trade Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Trilogy Hotel in Montgomery, Alabama
• The Triada in Palm Springs, California
• The Union Station Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee
• Westdrift Manhattan Beach, California
• The Warrior in Sioux City, Iowa
• Hotel Cleveland in Cleveland,OH

United States Virgin Islands

• Morningstar Buoy Haus Beach Resort at Frenchman's Reef in Saint Thomas

Vietnam

• Vinpearl Landmark 81 in Ho Chi Minh City

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