Relative Ranks of SPG brands

 
Old May 11, 2011, 3:01 pm
  #1  
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Relative Ranks of SPG brands

Hi all,

First post here, go easy on me...

What are the relative rank of the SPG brands? I'm sure this varies property to property by location, but I'm curious if there's a general consensus about how the brands stack up. Thanks!

Cheers,

KM

Well, found http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starw...ds-2010-a.html but that's from almost a year ago, so... once more around the horn?

Last edited by knightmair; May 11, 2011 at 3:05 pm Reason: found older post
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Old May 11, 2011, 5:23 pm
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St. Regis
The Luxury Collection
W
Westin
Le Meridien
Sheraton
Element
Aloft
Four Points

I think the ranks of the bottom three are arguable as it is for the top two, but the middle part (W to Sheraton) should be fairly rigid.
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Old May 11, 2011, 5:34 pm
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Originally Posted by jaejaez
St. Regis
The Luxury Collection
W
Westin
Le Meridien
Sheraton
Element
Aloft
Four Points

I think the ranks of the bottom three are arguable as it is for the top two, but the middle part (W to Sheraton) should be fairly rigid.
Bingo - this is how I would rank it. I was thinking maybe a flip-flop of Westin and Le Meridien, but Westin seems to have been setting up nice, new properties lately. I don't really see that out of the Le Meridien brand.
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Old May 11, 2011, 5:39 pm
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My rankings.
  1. The Luxury Collection
  2. St. Regis
  3. Le Meridien/Westin (pretty much a tie)
  4. Sheraton
  5. Four Points
  6. W
I've never stayed at an Element or Aloft (and never expect to), so I can't rank them.

You'll see I moved LC up since the last poll because of some very good experiences to counter the bad one.
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Old May 11, 2011, 5:47 pm
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Originally Posted by mahasamatman
My rankings.
  1. The Luxury Collection
  2. St. Regis
  3. Le Meridien/Westin (pretty much a tie)
  4. Sheraton
  5. Four Points
  6. W
I've never stayed at an Element or Aloft (and never expect to), so I can't rank them.

You'll see I moved LC up since the last poll because of some very good experiences to counter the bad one.
Might I ask why the hate towards W's?
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Old May 11, 2011, 6:19 pm
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Originally Posted by jaejaez
St. Regis
The Luxury Collection
W
Westin
Le Meridien
Sheraton
Element
Aloft
Four Points
I think this is precisely correct. I'd only add this: In my eyes, no SPG brand has slipped in the past decade more than the Westin brand. Westin's existing properties, in far too many cases, have remained stagnant and somewhat dated.

Westin was once a brand filled with vitality and freshness, but it no longer is. I'm puzzled by this, frankly. I know that long-time Westin brand manager Sue Brush retired last year, so perhaps there are several new intiatives coming, but for too long now, the Westin brand has been slipped considerably down from where I would have ranked the brand in, say, 1995.

I think it's fair to say that in the 1990s, Westin was positioned as a low Luxury Brand. These days, it's more of a high-middle mainstream brand.
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Old May 11, 2011, 6:53 pm
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Originally Posted by mahasamatman
My rankings.
  1. The Luxury Collection
  2. St. Regis
  3. Le Meridien/Westin (pretty much a tie)
  4. Sheraton
  5. Four Points
  6. W
Based on my modest experience ( more than 110 Properties, 350+ stays,750+ nights) thats exactly how i would rank Starwood brands. Aloft would be tie with Four points. No elements stays yet.
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Old May 11, 2011, 8:34 pm
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Originally Posted by GTHCGTH
Might I ask why the hate towards W's?
They're trite. They try too hard to be "hip" and come off as "square", and they actually takes themselves seriously doing it. They're sterile. I simply don't find them inviting at all.
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Old May 11, 2011, 8:54 pm
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Originally Posted by mahasamatman
They're trite. They try too hard to be "hip" and come off as "square", and they actually takes themselves seriously doing it. They're sterile. I simply don't find them inviting at all.
Precisely, and therein lies the beauty of W.
They attract a demographic that I find repugnant and in doing so perform an invaluable service. I'm able to enjoy the rest of the brand family safe in the knowledge that if there's a W within strutting distance then my stay will be that little bit sweeter.

tip to Starwood : put a Help Us To Build Another W envelope in every hotel suite, you're assured of my $10 donation each and every stay.

and a tip 'o the hat to Starwood for getting to work on the Bangkok W. I can hardly wait to not stay there
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Old May 11, 2011, 8:57 pm
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I'd definitely put the Denver Element I stayed at last year ahead of a lot of Sheratons
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Old May 11, 2011, 10:50 pm
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Originally Posted by UA-NYC
I'd definitely put the Denver Element I stayed at last year ahead of a lot of Sheratons
+1 ^ i agree!! the element that i stayed in last year (lexington, ma) was fantastic! i can't wait to get back there
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Old May 11, 2011, 11:39 pm
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1. Luxury Collection
2. St. Regis
3. Westin
4. Sheraton
5. Le Meridien
6. W
7. Element
8. Four Points
9. aloft

The LC is has some great properties and I like the variety of each. The St. Regis has probably more consistency in it's brand, however I like the great experiences the LC offers.

I debated on whether to move Sheraton to 3 because of their lounge standard. If you take out the lounge I think the Westin Heavenly Bed wins out for me. Although if I had a choice I would take a sheraton lounge and a lesser bed than a Westin with no lounge and a better bed, if I'm there more than one day, for the lounge aspect.

The LM's have a wide variety of quality, with most being very good, however there are some low end LM's I would avoid.

I am ambivalent about W's, I like the hippness but I agree they do try too hard to appear to be exclusionary and appeal to the poser crowd.

The element I haven't stayed in but a couple people I know have and they loved it. I anticipate when I stay there I will have it move to 6 above W perhaps.

Four Points in the US suck, however internationally they are pretty good. There are some nice ones in Dubai for example which would mirror a LM IMO.

aloft, I do like because of the price point and simpleness. However, as others have mentioned the AC units, room set up can be a drawback. I feel they are too trendy to be in it for the long haul. In 10-15 years I wonder if their styling will need a serious update.
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Old May 12, 2011, 12:45 am
  #13  
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Originally Posted by mahasamatman
My rankings.
  1. The Luxury Collection
  2. St. Regis
  3. Le Meridien/Westin (pretty much a tie)
  4. Sheraton
  5. Four Points
  6. W
I've never stayed at an Element or Aloft (and never expect to), so I can't rank them.

You'll see I moved LC up since the last poll because of some very good experiences to counter the bad one.
I would agree with this list. I know Starwood wants the W's to rank higher (based on the price they charge), they are not the hotel for me. They are dark, you can barely see the person beside you in an elevator or hotel lobby, they have way too much stuff on the desks in the room and they go overboard with the wish stuff. Although I kind of think it's cute when they call me for my wake-up and say "Sorry for waking you Mr. Z-Man but it's a beautiful day in Seattle", I kind of wish it was one of those calls where there is no one on the other end.
If I had my choice, it would be Sheratons all the time due to their consistency with lounges, quality staff and overall nice feeling, but I can't rank them ahead of SR or LC properties because those are way better, but at my price point, Sheraton is the best for me.
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Old May 12, 2011, 5:26 am
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For 'value' - meaning what I get for what I spend - I would actually put Sheraton & Sheraton 4-points at the top of the list. (Admitedly, there are exceptions to this within the Sheraton family). But overall, this has been my experience. Yes you get more for LC & St. Regis, but you also pay through the nose for it. With the exception of a few notable properties, such as the DIP, Westin over-promises and under delivers. W does nothing for me. LM is hit and miss. And I have never stayed at an Element or Aloft.

Cheers,
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Old May 12, 2011, 9:02 am
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Originally Posted by mahasamatman
They're trite. They try too hard to be "hip" and come off as "square", and they actually takes themselves seriously doing it. They're sterile. I simply don't find them inviting at all.
While this is your opinion and I have no desire to change this impression, surely the fact that they have better quality sheets and towels and bath products should make them slightly higher than the 4 Points?

To me the 4 Points are really on par with a nice Holiday Inn.
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