Originally Posted by
itsaboutthejourney
In general, luxury is not in mega-chain Marriott's dna. But there are some real gems to be found. Ritz-Carlton seems to strive for more staid traditional luxury while St. Regis can at times be a little more contemporary in the way they provide luxury. I would hardy ever consider JW a luxury brand, just a glorified Marriott. Some of the former SPG Luxury Collections are indeed luxury, but I'd say they are also often historical properties which can lead to challenges in terms of renovated accommodations, but overall I really like most of the Luxury Collection properties that I've stayed. I do think Edition is striving for a modern luxury as are some W resorts.
Well put, I agree. Although I'd say one can really determine (unfortunately) only at the property level, not the brand. I've stayed at the Ritz in St. Louis a couple times and I wouldn't put that in the luxury category. I've not had that experience at St. Regis, but have only stayed at a couple.
Then there are the exceptions in places like Southeast Asia where even many of the non-luxury brands offer more in terms of a luxury experience than in the US.