Piping some bits into the conversation:

• Hyatt's plan is to take Alila upmarket, eventually positioning above Andaz as a 'retreat' brand of sorts. The current brand ethos and essence will still stand, but it will move closer to Park Hyatt [still below it though] as a more premier offering.
• Andaz is a bit lost as a brand - I remember reading reviews from designers online who absolutely slammed its logo as the work of children with its different colors and ANdAZ styling, and word was that Hyatt was examining redesigning it in a monochromatic format but that clearly hasn't happened - and I feel it needs more differentiation and effort, especially now that Thompson is in the mix.
  • Thompson definitely has more emphasis on its F&B than Andaz, and they have a very clear design direction in their mid-century modern approach and the integration of warm tones and browns, and using materials like metal and leather in their interiors.
  • Andaz is more colorful, utilizing a brighter and more varied color palette to create spaces that are livelier than the moodier, clubbier vibe you'll find at Thompson.
  • I wish Andaz would have clear brand tenets you'd find across all their hotels; a glaring inconsistency is their wine hour. Kimpton has always had a Social Hour across their portfolio where all guests are offered wines and beers for one hour in the evening on a complimentary basis to encourage mixing and hanging out in their lobbies/public spaces, but with Andaz, some properties offer it and others don't. Andaz also has some issues with their free minibar inclusions; it's just stupid grocery store snacks in some/most hotels, whereas others like Shenzhen Bay throw in their signature IPA beer as part of the complimentary offering.
• Andaz is positioned as a 4/5 star brand, and I feel that Thompson is in the same category. I think of Andaz as a grown up W in that the designs will be colorful but bright and the mood isn't trying too hard/borderline immature, while Thompson is a mix of EDITION and Le Méridien in that it's darker and sultrier, but it has a clear design direction and places priority on destination dining and drinking.

The bigger issue that's been flogged to death in many a thread remains the issue of size: Hyatt's brand portfolios are too small, especially these specialty and niche offerings. Andaz has been around since 2007 but only has 25 open hotels, Alila has 18 properties and Thompson has 17 hotels that are all located in the United States and México [the Shanghai property that briefly showed up in the pipeline has since disappeared]. When we go a step further to look at Moxy, Caption's competitor, Moxy has 107 hotels that are either open or opening soon, and Hilton's version, Motto, has over 10 signed projects. Caption barely has two pipeline hotels.

I understand that COVID is hampering travel, bottom lines and the hospitality industry, but when you look at how Marriott and Hilton are filling their brands out, Hyatt has no excuse to dawdle. Perhaps this planned European acquisition will remedy some of these expansion qualms, but one can only hope that if/when they acquire some chain that they'll amalgamate those hotels into their existing portfolio lest Hyatt become another Accor with more brands that it knows what to do with.

khabah