As others have noted here, SpringHill Suites is not an extended-stay brand. Also, these aren't true suites with separate rooms. SpringHill Suites is usually very good if you want a limited-service hotel room with a somewhat separate sitting/working area. It has far more in common with Courtyard, Four Points, and Fairfield than with extended-stay brands.
Marriott's three extended-stay brands offer studio, 1-bedroom, and 2-bedroom apartment-style units, with full kitchens. The actual mix of units varies by location and property age.
Residence Inn — Over the years, the granddaddy of extended-stay hotels has changed its physical characteristics and gained a lot of competition, but it continues to be at the higher end of the extended-stay market.
TownePlace Suites — Marriott started a second extended-stay brand with a lower cost structure and generally lower pricing. Square footage for similarly designated units (studio, 1-beadroom, 2-bedroom) is smaller than Residence Inn, and 2-bedroom units tend to have 1 bathroom, not 2. Locations may not be a prime.
element — Starwood, being late to the extended-pay game, went for a so-called "lifestyle" approach, which Marriott now brands as "Distinctive." With element, Marriott now has a growth brand that can go into markets already served by Residence Inn and that is more appealing to guests who also like AC Hotels and aloft.
You could also include Marriott legacy and Starwood legacy timeshare brands as extended-stay (apartment-style, with full kitchens), but then things get really complicated — and Marriott doesn't call them extended-stay.
Last edited by Horace; Aug 11, 2018 at 7:31 pm