Why it’s important to understand Marriott’s brands
Marriott has a diverse portfolio of 18 brands. It describes the brands as “individually distinct and collectively powerful.”
Oct. 15 2014, Updated 9:00 a.m. ET
Brand portfolio
Marriott has a diverse portfolio of 18 brands. It describes the brands as “individually distinct and collectively powerful.” Brands under the signature and modern essentials accounted for ~62% of the 675,623 rooms that Marriott operates. Marriott’s brands are concentrated in the top quality tiers—luxury, upscale, and midscale.
Of the total rooms worldwide, 8% falling under the luxury segment. 38% are in the upper-upscale segment. 40% are in the upscale segment. There are 14% in the upper midscale or midscale category. These chain-scale categories are based on a price range. Click here for more information about each chain scale segment’s price range.
Brand categories
The brands fall under the six categories. The categories are based on the nature of services and the target market it caters. This is shown in the chart above.
- Signature – Marriott hotels is the company’s signature brand. It caters to upper-upscale business and leisure travelers. It accounts for ~26% of total rooms.
- Modern Essentials – Brands under this category accounted for ~36% of the total rooms. It includes Courtyard—upper midscale and Fairfield Inn & Suites—moderate price tier. The Protea brand expanded Marriott’s presence in Africa. We’ll discuss this in Part 9 in this series. It also includes SpringHill Suites—upper midscale.
- Extended Stay – This is meant for individuals who travel frequently and stay longer—usually more than five days and sometimes up to 30 days. It includes the Residence Inn—upscale, TownPlace Suites—moderately priced, and the Marriott Executive Apartments brand—luxury serviced apartments with five-star amenities.
- Destination entertainment – This includes two brands—Gaylord and Marriott Vacation Club. Gaylord is a convention-oriented hotel. It leads the group and meetings business. The Marriott Vacation Club was part of the timeshare segment that was spun off into Marriott Vacation Worldwide in 2011. We’ll discuss this more in Part 5.
- Luxury – This includes Ritz-Carlton. It’s the only service company to earn the Malcom Baldrige National Quality Award. It’s an award for performance excellence. The award is given by the President of the U.S. Marriott has won the award twice—the Bulgari Hotels & Resorts joint venture with an Italian jeweler and luxury goods designer Bulgari SpA and J.W. Marriott with high-end décor and furnishings and executive lounges.
- Lifestyle brands – This includes hotels with a distinct and unique style, design, and character. It includes Renaissance. Renaissance is a full-service brand for business travelers. It also includes Autograph Collection Hotels—luxury independent hotels and Moxy—the first brand under the economy segment introduced in 2014. Moxy caters to the needs of the growing Millennial generation. Click here for more information on Millennial travelers’ travel preferences. It includes EDITION—in partnership with hotel innovator Ian Schrager and AC Hotels. It’a joint venture with AC Hotels of Spain.
Click here to get an overview of the brands under each category. The brands are offered by Marriott (MAR) and its competitors—Hilton (HLT), Hyatt (H), Starwood (HOT), Wyndham (WYN).