I have less of an issue with the Hyatt Centric name, and more of a problem with how inconsistent it is as a brand. Hyatt slotted a few plain Hyatt-branded hotels under the Centric brand, and even some of their newer properties are very sparsely decorated and just look hollow and devoid of any thought. Some properties - Tokyo, Kanazawa, 5th Avenue, Wall Street - integrate color and pattern to liven up their spaces, but for a brand positioned against Canopy by Hilton and Le Méridien, it's woefully lackluster. Canopy at least integrates canopy elements in all its rooms, has strong brand standards and thoughtful design mixed in that is inspired from the local destination, whereas Le Méridien is built around a mid-century modern aesthetic and certain brand programs [Sparkling hour, Au Soleil during the summer with branded material and events] unique to it... but what makes a Hyatt Centric a distinctive product?

I feel like this is a greater issue within Hyatt's portfolio: they are a small player with too many brands, not enough hotels in those brands [aside from Place and Regency] and generally not enough to distinguish said brands. Their strongest brands from an image and consistency perspective in my mind are:

• Park Hyatt, with its muted colors and residential-inspired design
• Hyatt Regency, where you can expect a beige room and upscale service offerings
• Hyatt Place, with its formulaic design and knowing what to expect
• Hyatt House, for the same reasons above
• UrCove, for the same reasons above
• Thompson, with its brand aesthetic and emphasis on F&B [this was inherited through the Two Roads acquisition, where Thompson already had cachet pre-Hyatt]

That leaves the other 12/13 brands up in the air. Andaz is supposed to be a more mature competitor to W, but what is its point? They were meant to have a brand standard wine hour à la Kimpton, but that isn't happening - so aside from rooms that are supposed to be more colorful... that's it? Hyatt Centric has the brand image issues mentioned above, the plain Hyatt brand has been on the alleged chopping block for years but hasn't gone anywhere, why are there three separate collection brands when Unbound and JdV will do, etc. Hyatt should devote more effort to properly carve out each brand and give them more substance and unique features, otherwise they all bleed through into each other.

khabah