Autograph Collection

To grow in the post-2008 economic downturn, Marriott, known for its rigid uniformity, was willing to relax this stipulation to draw independent unique hotels to its network of franchised properties.[2] In 2010, Marriott approached Richard Kessler, an independent hotelier and former CEO of Days Inn, to incorporate the seven Kessler boutique properties into its system, under a yet unnamed new brand.[3]

In 2006, Kessler had dropped the Westin brand affiliation from his downtown Orlando hotel to operate independently.[4] Initially reluctant, Kessler came to an acceptable arrangement.[3] The hotels would operate autonomously, keeping their names and identities.[4] The Autograph Collection launched that year, with the Kessler properties forming the bulk of the hotel inventory.[3] This freedom may seem unfair to branded properties, sometimes subject to intransigent brand standards or extra fees, but the difference is that these independents bear the cost of creating their own brand identities from scratch.[5]

The new name highlighted not a brand, but a collection of hotels.[5] The Leading Hotels of the World, targeting high-end customers looking for unique hotel experiences, had long dominated this market.[6] Not displaying the Marriott branding or Marriott booking engine on the Autograph website, not only emphasized the unique experiences of these independent hotels,[7] but also shielded the hospitality giant's various brands from fallout should the venture fail.[4]

The selection included historical landmark buildings rejuvenated into the 21st century, but offering a hotel experience far different from a normal “cookie-cutter” property.[6] The collection sought hotels that possessed an element of authentic local flavor and cultural distinction to provide guests with an enriching stay. The experience itself, and service, replaced the traditional definitions of luxury, such as the number of bathroom fixtures and thread count of the bed sheets and drapes.[3] In addition to displaying hotels by location, guests could search the website by specifying unique preferences, such as culinary, historic exploration, arts, family, sports and urban.[7]

Over time, the growth emphasis shifted from adding existing properties to proposals and new builds that incorporated the desired features.[8] Financing for the latter projects could be more readily available to the owner, because lenders regard projects affiliated with a large hotel chain as less risky. In 1990, two-thirds of all hotels were independent, but today, less than 40 percent are independently owned and operated.[9] Historically, hotels were branded or independent, now the expanding soft brand category falls in the middle. In 2018, there were about 475,000 independent hotels, and only around 55,000 in the soft category, but the number is expected to grow as soft branding becomes more mainstream.[10]

Most independent hotels in strong market positions spurn offers to join a larger group.[9] Whereas advantageous in a buoyant economy, during a downturn, the backing from the diverse customer base of a big brand might be a savior.[11] Major soft brands launches were Ascend by Choice (2008), Autograph by Marriott (2010), Curio by Hilton (2014), Best Western Premier (2014), Unbound by Hyatt (2016), and Trademark by Wyndham (2017). Marriott continues to promote growth in its three soft brands, The Luxury Collection, Tribute Portfolio, and Autograph.[6]

To the guest, a soft brand hotel possesses the distinctive identity, design style, and regional flair of a leading independent property. To the hotelier, it accesses the global marketing channels, customer loyalty rewards program, staff training model, seamless back-of-house operational standards, and new technologies, provided by Marriott or its rivals.[6] These hotels are free to retain their own personality, and make their own decisions on features such as uniforms, cuisine, and furniture. Where significant renovations or operational changes are a prerequisite to joining the group, these can be a hurdle. Ongoing fees are 5 to 10 percent of room revenue.[9] Marriott does not disclose this percentage.[5] In addition, the major online travel booking sites charge 15 to 30 percent commission. However, larger companies like Marriott use their market power to negotiate the lowest rates from those agents.[9] Twelve months after a conversion to the Autograph Collection, independent hotels have experienced an average RevPAR percentage increase of 19.8 percent and an average RevPAR index percentage change of 12.5 percent.[5]

In January 2017, Autograph began the Independent Film Initiative at the Sundance Film Festival with the Autograph Collection Hotels & The Black List Sundance Social Space. The Annual Black List is a comprehensive list of strong screenplays that require financing. Autograph has its own indie film channel for hotel guests.[12] The Autograph Collection Short Film Award was created to discover new talent and accelerate the development of independent filmmakers.[13] Furthermore, Autograph provides a complimentary one-week hotel stay to chosen writers as an opportunity to develop their work.[14]

The Autograph Collection comprises a portfolio of 4- and 5-star properties that have ranged from a 15-room boutique hunting lodge in the Colorado mountains to the 3,400-room Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island, The Bahamas.[15]

As of June 30, 2020, the Autograph Collection consisted of 199 hotels in over 32 countries, with another 95 hotels with 16,941 rooms in its pipeline.[1]

• Autograph Collection Hotels
• 
  New York Palace, Budapest in Budapest, Hungary
• 
  Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada
• 
  The Historic Davenport in Spokane, Washington
• 
  Hotel Icon in Houston, Texas
• 
  Casa Monica Hotel in St. Augustine, Florida
• 
  Brown Palace Hotel in Denver, Colorado
• 
  Atlantis Paradise Island in Nassau, Bahamas
• 
  Scrub Island Resort, Spa & Marina in the British Virgin Islands
• 
  Domes of Elounda, Autograph Collection
• 
  The Current Iowa in Davenport, Iowa
• 
  Hotel Blackhawk in Davenport, Iowa