Originally Posted by
writerguyfl
This is complete speculation, but there might be geographic restrictions prohibiting additional Autograph Collection hotels built into the franchise agreements of one or both of those properties. To avoid oversaturation of a brand, a forward-thinking franchisee will insist on being the only hotel of a given brand within a certain geographic radius.
That said, I'm not sure it matters. There are too many brands now for the general public to easily grasp the difference.
That's reasonable speculation. It could very well be a geographic restriction.
Hilton also has three collection brands. Hilton's luxury "soft brand" is LXI. But I'm not entirely sure of the difference between Canopy Collection and Curio Collection. I think Curio Collection is the higher-end collection, while Canopy Collection sits somewhat lower on the food chain.
What all these brands from Marriott and Hilton have in common is they are supposed to be collections of one-of-a-kind hotels, not hotel chains in the traditional sense.
Because the Rand Tower hotel will be like no other hotel and will have its identity defined by the historical building, it makes sense to affiliate it with a collection brand rather than a brand such as W Hotels or Le Méridien.