Originally Posted by CanadaDH

I'm curious how easy it is to rebrand properties, considering that the hotels are operated under a management contract. The hotel owners entered into a contract with FRHI to manage their properties, and I'd be surprised if the contract permitted the operator to swap the brand without permission. In many cases, we're not talking about cookie cutter properties. Surely there is some sort of veto or even an exit clause from the contract that the owner can invoke in such a situation? A lot of the Fairmont properties are iconic and have a reputation far greater than the current brand on the sign, and where I think FRHI/Accor needs the property in their collection more than the hotel owner needs FRHI/Accor to run it. If I was the owner of, say, the Fairmont Chateau Frontenac, and Accor wanted to rebrand it as a Sofitel (not that I think they would be dumb enough try that), I'd want to tell them to get stuffed, and go see if Four Seasons or another operator would like the chance to run the property.