Originally Posted by
itsaboutthejourney
Not sure how many Tribute properties you've stayed or if you've read the marketing materials for the brand, but it's far from akin to Delta. I'd put it just under Westin or Le Meridien or Renaissance - full service but different standards than most cookie cutter Marriott brands. The uniqueness can be misinterpreted as lower standards. And if this is the same developer as the Langham Chicago my guess is this will be a beautiful historic building redevelopment.
Originally Posted by
Horace
When Le Méridien Chambers Minneapolis opened around a dozen years ago, the Tribute Portfolio "soft brand" did not yet exist — so it wasn't an option.
These days, hotel developers have far more choices — a bewildering array of brands from Marriott, Hilton, IHG, Hyatt, Accor, and the others. And, supposedly, many in the Millennial Generation prefer independent lifestyle and boutique hotels over traditional chain hotels.
There are cases in Marriott where hotels have chosen to move from Renaissance or Ritz-Carlton to Autograph Collection.
There will still be cases when a hotel company prefers an identity based on the reputation and standards of a traditional brand such as Le Méridien or Renaissance — even when there's historical building involved.
The points I've tried to make in this thread is that Tribute Portfolio is an appropriate brand for the hotel going into Rand Tower (especially if Autograph Collection is not an option for some reason) — and that Tribute Portfolio is positioned quite differently than Delta Hotels.
While I understand those comments, I have stayed in two Tribute properties: The Maxwell and the Royal Palm. Both are subpar and would have been deflag but for their locations. They are subpar in terms of their staff, the condition of the facilities, the quality of the facilities, and more. The threads on those properties here on Ft are consistent with my view of them. They are also the most prominent locations of Tribute Properties in the US with a handful of Magnolia hotels in other cities and the rest scattered around in places like Muscatine Iowa and Cleveland Mississippi. I suppose I think of Tribute as a tribute that these places may have been nice at one time. They do have bellstaff, a restaurant, and room service so they are allowed to call themselves full-service properties just like Delta even though the properties or much more of the quality of a limited service property. I suspect this property is going to be something more like an AC or Courtyard with bell staff, a restaurant and room service.
As for the management company, Oxford, The Langham is a good property but they also manage the Lexington in New York which is also an embarrassingly bad property that would have been deflagged but for its location along with the Doubletree in New York and several limited-service Springhill, Hyatt Place, Etc properties.
All that being said, maybe the common theme is that Tribute Properties are refurbished Art Deco era buildings with ambiguous brand standards while Delta properties tend to be refurbished bland and modern buildings with ambiguous brand standards.
Of course, the W Foshay in Minneapolis is in an art deco building but they chose to meet a more clear brand standard.