Originally Posted by hockeyinsider

My issue with Autograph Collection is it's such a soft brand that it is inconsistent. Perhaps the most inconsistent of legacy Marriott's brands. There are legitimate 5-star hotels flagged under it and then there hotels that couldn't make it as independent hotels and only affiliated with Marriott because they need higher Revpar.

In this case, if the hotel was legitimately the number one hotel in the market it wouldn't need Marriott's Autograph Collection flag.

This property is managed by First Hospitality Group, which mostly manages limited-service properties. The only full-service Marriott properties it manages are the Renaissance Toledo, Marriot Peoria, Sheraton Suites Chicago–O'Hare and Hotel LeVeque, Autograph Collection. To me, this is a big red flag. You don't hire a management company with mostly limited-service experience for an upscale or luxury property. Period.

From the First Hospitality Group website:



From the Chicago Tribune:



The Tribune article goes on to say a Chicago lawyer and investor bought it for $6.5 million in 2013. If you read between the lines, it seems like it was one part vanity and one part a fondness for the hotel's bygone era. You know, someone with money buying a hotel who knows nothing about the hotel industry.

And I quote:



Sounds great, but there's probably a very limited market for this kind of hotel. Thus the reason why it is flagging as Autograph Collection.

And then there's this from the hotel's sales director:



In other words, they want the millennials and under-40s as well as business travelers because there just aren't enough old, rich fuddy duddies who play polo and want champagne brunches to keep the hotel profitable during the week.

I wish it luck, but I suspect we will see all the fat and luxury cut by the third-party management company to maximize profit.