Just noticed this on the Marriott website as to how Marriott differentiates its brands:

Luxury

* The Ritz Carlton
* Bvlgari
* JW Marriott

Lifestyle/Collections

* Edition
* Autograph Collection Hotels
* Renaissance Hotels
* AC by Marriott
* Moxy Hotels

Signature

* Marriott Hotels

Modern Essentials

* Courtyard
* Springhill Suites
* Fairfield Inns
* Protea Hotels

Extended Stay

* Residence Inn
* Townplace Suites
* Marriott Executive Apartments

Destination Entertainment

* Gaylord Hotels
* Marriott Vacation Club

Lifestyle is like the dumping ground for everything that doesn't fit in one of the others.

I would have thought Renaissance would have gone under Signature vs. Lifestyle, and the new Atlantis would have been a better fit for Destination Entertainment vs. Autograph Collection. Interesting that Protea is under Modern Essentials.

Cheers.

Yes, I would put Ren under signature as well. I don't know enough about Protea, their lodge properties look more lifestyle than essential, but city props dominate.

This is comic gibberish. In what way (other than marketing parlance) would one ever describe a Fairfield Inn as a "modern essential."

Exactly. How can Autograph and AC be in the same category. Like putting Kabul and Paris in the same tourist category

It would certainly make sense for Marriott Hotels and Renaissance Hotels to be in the same category. In many cities, it seems the definition of a Renaissance Hotel is "we already have a full-service Marriott Hotel around here, so this other full-service hotel has been branded as a Renaissance Hotel."

From Marriott's marketing viewpoint, it seems that Signature means "the brand that started it all for Marriott, before all these other brands were added."

The category is "Lifestyle/Collections." Apparently AC is "lifestyle" while The Autograph Collection is a "collection."

The strangest category is "Destination Entertainment." Gaylord Hotels is the brand for four large convention hotels with huge atriums, while Marriott Vacation Club properties are essentially extended-stay condo resorts sold through a timeshare program. How are these even remotely similar?

Renaissance was a hotel chain that Marriott bought in 1997 (or 98). The reason some cities have both is because, in many cases, Renaissance was there first. That was one of the reasons Marriott bought the chain, to get a footprint in cities it didn't have it's signature hotels. It certainly as nothing to do with what was written here.



[QUOTE=Horace;23175063]The category is "Lifestyle/Collections." Apparently AC is "lifestyle" while The Autograph Collection is a "collection."/QUOTE]

This is simply a wild guess, not a factual statement, and even as a guess it makes no sense. Anyone who has stayed in both AC hotels and Autograph hotels would know that they belong in the same listing as would Four Seasons and Ibis.

Absolute marketing gibberish all around, much like how a bottom, run of the mill basic standard room is a "deluxe" room. What is a non deluxe room?

Again, my point is simply that it would make sense for Marriott Hotels and Renaissance Hotels to be in the same category. Both are positioned as traditional full-service hotels. Marriott Hotels tend to have more brand consistency than Renaissance Hotels, but calling the former "Signature" and the latter "Lifestyle" is just marketing.

Yes, Marriott acquired 114 Renaissance Hotels in 1997 (along with some other brands). Many, but not all of them, are still Renaissance-branded. Marriott expects to reach nearly 170 Renaissance Hotels in 40 countries by the end of 2014.

Some of the newer Renaissance-branded hotels went into geographic markets where Marriott already had an established Marriott Hotel. And, yes, some new Marriott Hotels went into geographic markets where there was already a Renaissance Hotel.

Again, I'm am not agreeing with or justifying how Marriott has defined and populated its categories.

It is factual to say that Marriott refers to the category as "Lifestyle/Collections."

It is factual to say that Marriott press releases use the term "lifestyle" when defining AC Hotels. ("AC Hotels by Marriott reflect the modern urban lifestyle with hotels featuring a unique blend of quality, comfort, design and technology.")

It is factual to say that Autograph Collection has "collection" right in its name and that Marriott stresses the collection/ensemble character of the brand. ("The Autograph Collection is an evolving ensemble of strikingly independent hotels.")

The categories don't have to mean that all brands within the category provide the same level of amenities and services. If they were truly the same, they could be lumped into the same brand, not just into the same category.

WOW, that was funny. You definitely made a point. Although I doubt you realize the point you actually made !

Some are fairly modern - especially the newer ones. I agree their toilets are not modern by any means.



My interpretation for the Ren is like this: this FS hotel is nice but not nice enough that we call it a Marriott, let's brand it as a Renaissance. If it sucks at least it's not a 'Marriott'.

I guess Marriott thinks Autograph Collection = AC

- Broschek Room: small guest rooms in the Ren in Hamburg, Germany;
- Business Room: rooms located in the new wing in CY Bremen （i.e. room in the less historical building), Germany;

It is explosive experience.

There are many cities I stay in where the Ren is steps above the FS down the street. They belong in the same category.

In most cities (not all) the Ren is more modern/stylish and has a more luxurious feel than the traditional FS Marriott (especially domestic properties).