Don't think this has been discussed at least not recently.

As a relatively new Starwood Platinum, I've been wondering this ever since staying at a few Four Points.

We've talked a lot on this board about how Sheraton is no longer considered a consistent, upscale brand, at least not in the US. Also there were comments in the amenities thread about how Four Points had better coffee and toiletries than does the "parent" Sheraton brand.

Meanwhile Four Points itself seems to have a consistency problem - between the nice new builds like Southpoint Durham NC, boutique-like hotels like Santiago, and some of the others in the recently resurrected best/worst 4pts thread.

I understand why the brand was originally branded as "Four Points by Sheraton" - it pre-dates the creation/merger into Starwood, so it was needed to create an association with the then-respected Sheraton brand.

But now, shouldn't "Four Points" stand on its own? The new/renovated Four Points properties are good, the initiatives like microbrews and pies add a distinctive amentity, and the fairly recent logo change looks modern. Why keep the association with the fading "Sheraton" brand? Among other things, it just confuses taxi drivers sometimes!

If Starwood things "Four Points" can't stand on its own as a brand, wouldn't it be better to rename it as "Four Points by Starwood"?

I realize other hotel brands are mixed on this. Hilton has "Hilton Garden Inn" rather than just "Garden Inn", and I've seen some recent addition of "by Hilton" to "Homewood Suites". But Hampton, Doubletree, and Embassy don't have "by Hilton" as part of the branding (yes, I know the 3 of them came in via the Promus acquisition while HGI and Homewood were home-grown so perhaps HH wanted the "Hilton" as part of the brand.) Marriott has its name on a lot of the subsidiary brands. But Four Points sounds like it could stand on its own, and unlike Marriott and Hilton, the parent brand is on a downscale slide so doesn't add value.

Any thoughts?