Originally Posted by
dtremit
Out of curiosity -- what is the appeal (to Starwood) of having non-participating hotels under the brand umbrella? It has always seemed odd to me, for instance, that the Parker Meridien keeps Meridien in its name but doesn't follow the brand standards -- it would do just fine as just The Parker, I'd think. Take the SPG brand out of the name, and the hotel gets the separate image it seems to want, and the consumer knows exactly what he or she is (or is not) getting.
The appeal is that Le Parker Meridien was a Le Meridien-branded property before the merger and remains so afterwards to maintain its tie to Le Meridien as a brand. It did not participate in Moments, so it was not forced to participate in SPG either. There is plenty of notice these days, even to the casual observer, that this hotel does not participate in SPG, but remains branded as a Le Meridien hotel.
Best regards,
William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
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