FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Where do Marriott Brands Match Up w/ SPG Brands
Old Jan 15, 2016 | 11:17 am
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Horace
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Here's Arne Sorenson's perspective on this subject (from the transcript of the Marriott International and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Conference Call, November 16, 2015):
Vince Ciepiel - Cleveland Research Company: Great, thanks. First from a branding perspective how do you see the upper upscale portfolio evolving over the next few years? And does the Sheraton or Westin product provide you something differentiated versus Marriott’s existing portfolio domestically?

Arne Sorenson - Marriott International, Inc.: Yes. I think so. The Westin we think is, it’s obviously a smaller brand than Sheraton and Marriott, and is a strong brand which we think can continue to grow right in the space that it’s in. We talked about Sheraton a bit and the Sheraton Grand sub-branding for the better assets and the need to cull the bottom end of that brand if you will.

I think the Marriott brand will continue to perform well. I wouldn’t see us changing the positioning of Marriott Hotels & Resorts brands and that they are in a fairly distinct place. They are certainly in a different place in terms of performance.

Beyond that you get to Le Meridien and Renaissance. Those are brands which are competing in a fairly near place it seems to me. And so we’ll want to see whether or not -- what the right approach is exactly between those two brands. And we don’t really have the answers to that yet. Again we need to get the Meridien team their advice, we need to get the Meridien owners also to tell us what their perspective is about things.

Then you end up with Autograph which is a very strong and Tribute which is Starwood’s very recent entry into this Collection space. They obviously just did a big deal in Las Vegas last week which they announced. We’ll see where those brands go.

But I think generally with the exception of a couple of points I just made we think the brands in the upper upscale space will continue to perform with the rough positioning that they have today.
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