Exactly How Many Marriott Hotel Brands are There?
Marriott is one of the most famous hotel chains in the world. When people are looking for a hotel brand they trust to book accommodation for their vacation, they will often seek out a hotel owned by Marriott International as they are known for providing comfortable and often luxurious accommodation. This company was founded in Washington D.C. in 1927, although the headquarters for this company is now in Maryland. Since its beginnings, the company has massively expanded and is now known as Marriott International. This huge company includes many other brands that are divided into and operated by larger groups in accordance with the type of accommodation they offer. Here is some information about the main brands of Marriott International.
Marriot International is the parent company that incorporates the 30 Marriott Hotel brands that are divided into eight umbrella categories. These categories are Classic Luxury, Distinctive Luxury, Classic Premium, Distinctive Premium, Classic Select, Distinctive Select, Classic Longer Stays and Distinctive Longer Stays. Previously, Marriot International also had a subdivision called Great America Parks, which consisted of the theme parks in the United States. However, this part of the company no longer exists.
The three major groups within Marriot International are Classic Luxury, Distinctive Luxury, and Classic Premium. Within Classic Luxury, there are three brands. These are JW Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, and St. Regis. Named after the founder of Marriott International, John Willard Marriott, JW Marriot is a luxury hotel chain that offers a higher tier of accommodation than the traditional Marriott Hotels. An interesting fact is that the JW Marriott Marquis Hotel in Dubai was listed as the world’s tallest hotel in 2012 by the Guinness World Records. Marriot International initially acquire 49% interest in Ritz-Carlton in 1995 and the following year paid $331 million to buy out Ritz Carlton, Atlanta. By 1998, Marriot Hotels had a majority share in Ritz-Carlton. Further to the hotel side of this business, Ritz-Carlton has also expanded into the timeshare business. St. Regis Hotels & Resorts is a luxury hotel chain. This company is part of the Starwood hotel group that is owned by Marriot International. They consist of 62 hotels and resorts around the world.
Classic Premium includes four brands; Delta, Hotels, Marriott Hotels, Marriott Vacation Club, and Sheraton. Marriot Hotels is the flagship brand of Marriott International while Marriott Vacation Club is the primary timeshare brand of Marriott International. Delta Hotels is owned entirely by Marriott International and their four-star hotels are predominantly located in Canada. Sheraton Hotels and Resorts was purchased by Marriott in 2016, so this is one of the newer brands of Marriott International.
The Distinctive Luxury group consists of Bulgari Hotels & Resorts, Edition Hotels, The Luxury Collection, and W Hotels. Bulgari Hotels & Resorts is a joint venture between Marriot International and Bulgari Spa and these two companies joined forces in 2001. The Luxury Collection is part of the Starwood hotel chain which is owned entirely by Marriot International. Edition Hotels offer luxury accommodation in locations including New York, London, Barcelona, Miami Beach, Bangkok, Abu Dhabi, Times Square, Shanghai, Bodrum, Sanya, and West Hollywood. W Hotels is one of Marriot Internationals luxury chain of hotels and boasts 52 hotels in 25 countries.
The other subdivisions of Marriot International operate the remaining brands. Although these brands are smaller than those in the three main groups, their roles in the success of Marriott International are just as important. The Distinctive Premium group operates Autograph Collection, Design Hotels, Gaylord Hotels, Le Meridien, Renaissance Hotels, Tribute Portfolio, and Westin Hotels & Resorts. With the Classic Select group are Courtyard of Marriott, Fairfield Inn by Marriott, Four Points by Sheraton, Protea Hotels by Marriott, and SpringHill Suites by Marriott.
AC Hotels, Aloft Hotels, and Moxy Hotels are all part of the Distinctive Select group, while Marriott Executive Apartment, Residence Inn by Marriott, and TownePlace Suites form the Classic Longer Stays division. The final group is Distinctive Longer Stays. This consists predominantly of a company called Element Hotels and this is a brand that is still in development by Marriott International. Just like The Luxury Collection, Element Hotels is part of the Starwood Hotels company which is owned by Marriott International. In addition to Element Hotels, the Distinctive Longer Stay group also includes a range of long-stay facilities in various locations.
