Originally Posted by
khabah
I completely agree with this statement and raised it a few times on different threads. I think this watering down is most evident with Le Méridien, W and St. Regis; LM basically means a grey room with a brightly colored chair and wooden table, W means empty room with uselessly bright and form-over-function furnishings, and St. Regis is being intentionally neutered to position it as an inferior product to Marriott's legacy Ritz-Carlton.
Here we are, a couple of years later. I no longer patronize either LM or W properties for various reasons. But I prefer StR over RC any day (that said, I love the RC in Naples, Florida). Have you seen, let alone visited, StR properties in Doha or Rome? I've stayed at StR Doha several times, and am staying at both Doha and Rome during the next few months. StR is far from being RC's ugly stepsister.