Originally Posted by
hockeyinsider
Of course, they will. They obviously feel they can't compete independently anymore. They need what Marriott International's Luxury Collection brings to the table.
And, of course, Marriott needs them too. Marriott needs more aspirational properties.
Call it a win-win, regardless of whether any of us can ever redeem points for a stay there.
The fact is the whole beach hotel-cum-resort market is super competitive. There are so many destinations with good beaches. Even semi-private or fully private islands aren't as rare or as much of a novelty as they used to be.
Bolding mine.
I actually think North Island needs Marriott here more than Marriott needs North Island. Certainly, Marriott does not NEED more aspirational properties!
Marriott since buying Starwood already has the largest portfolio of aspirational properties of any luxury hotel group in the world. It isn't even close now. Between St Regis and Ritz-Carlton alone, Marriott outstrips Four Seasons, Aman, Oetker, Peninsula, Mandarin Oriental, Rosewood, Banyan Tree, Six Senses, Belmond, etc. And that doesn't even include the Luxury Collection!
Marriott also has Bulgari and Ritz-Carlton Reserve on top of those aspirational property brands participating in Bonvoy.
Marriott will love having North Island as yet another amazing property in its roster. But it doesn't need it. That's almost certainly why North Island's ownership chose Marriott--as it could have chosen Hyatt (too tiny a distribution platform of consumers, let alone those who actually SPEND big money) or Hilton (not even close to the luxury portfolio of Marriott) or Accor (not even close to the luxury portfolio of Marriott) or Kempinski (give me a a break).
Marriott not only has the biggest luxury portfolio and the soft brand Luxury Collection with some incredible properties already, but it also has some very big spenders among its elites, more so than Hyatt, Hilton, and the others. North is counting on those, too.