Autograph Collection

Autograph Collection

Industry	Hospitality
Founded	2010
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Number of locations	199 hotels (June 30, 2020)[1]
Area served	Global
Parent	Marriott International
Website	www.autograph-hotels.marriott.com

Autograph Collection is a group of independent upper-upscale to luxury hotels within the Marriott International portfolio. The properties are independently owned and operated under the Autograph Collection name.

History[]

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]

Accommodations[]

Historical[]

		US	Non-US		Total
2010[16]	Properties	13			013
	Rooms	03,828			003,828
2011[17]	Properties	17	10		027
	Rooms	05,207	00898		006,105
2012[18]	Properties	24	13		037
	Rooms	06,609	01,404		008,013
2013[19]	Properties	32	24		056
	Rooms	08,410	03,053		011,463
2014[20]	Properties	44	31		075
	Rooms	10,082	07,428		017,510

From 2015[]

		North America	Europe	Middle E. & Africa	0Asia &0 Pacific	Caribbean Latin Am.		Total
2015[21]	Properties	055	30	001	003	006		00095
	Rooms	013,135	04,344	0446	0785	4,098		022,808
2016[22]	Properties	064	33	002	004	008		111
	Rooms	014,299	04,710	0532	001,195	4,203		024,939
2017[23]	Properties	078	38	003	007	009		135
	Rooms	017,107	05,403	001,102	001,895	4,313		029,820
2018[24]	Properties	095	46	008	008	009		166
	Rooms	020,218	06,466	001,738	002,167	4,313		034,902
2019[25]	Properties	108	53	009	009	013		192
	Rooms	022,463	07,165	001,906	002,364	3,751		037,649
2020[26]	Properties	123	54	7	12	13		209
	Rooms	025,449	06,468	001,640	003,245	3,751		040,553

Select properties[]

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]

Belgium[]

• Sapphire House in Antwerp (2022)

Brazil[]

• The Hotel & Spa do Vinho in Bento Gonçalves

British Virgin Islands[]

• The Scrub Island Resort, Spa & Marina in the British Virgin Islands^[27]

Canada[]

• Civic Hotel in Surrey, BC
• The Algonquin Resort St. Andrews By-The-Sea in St Andrews, New Brunswick
• The Kananaskis Mountain Lodge in Kananaskis Village, Alberta
• The Hotel Saskatchewan in Regina
• The Douglas, Vancouver
• Humaniti Hotel Montreal by Autograph Collection, Montreal

China[]

• The Shanhaitian Resort in Sanya

Colombia[]

• The Artisan D.C. Hotel in Bogota

Costa Rica[]

• The Hotel Punta Islita in Guanacaste
• El Mangroove, Gulf of Papagayo

Estonia[]

• The Hotel Telegraaf in Tallinn

France[]

• The Boscolo Exedra Nice in Nice
• The Hotel de Bourgtheroulde in Rouen
• The L'Hermitage Gantois in Lille
• La Caserne Chanzy Hotel & Spa in Reims

Georgia[]

• Paragraph Resort & Spa Shekvetili, Autograph Collection in Shekvetili

Germany[]

• The Hotel Elephant in Weimar
• The Hotel am Steinplatz in Berlin
• The Roomers in Munich
• The Hotel Gewandhaus Dresden Dresden
• Schloss Lieser in the Moselle region
• The Hotel Atlantic in Hamburg

Greece[]

• The Domes of Elounda in Crete
• The Domes Noruz Chania in Crete

Hungary[]

• The New York Palace, The Dedica Anthology in Budapest

Ireland[]

• Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin
• The Powerscourt Hotel in Wicklow

Israel[]

• The Publica Isrotel in Herzliya

Japan[]

• The Prince Sakura Tower Tokyo^[28]
• The Prince Kyoto Takaragaike
• Mesm Tokyo

Netherlands[]

• Hotel Nassau Breda in Breda

Panama[]

• The Buenaventura in Río Hato
• The Sortis Hotel in Panama City

Portugal[]

• The Fontecruz Lisboa in Lisbon

South Korea[]

• The Plaza in Seoul
• RYSE Hotel in Seoul

Spain[]

• The Ercilla de Bilbao Hotel in Bilbao
• The Cotton House Hotel in Barcelona
• The Eugénie De Montijo in Toledo
• The Hotel Circulo Grand Via in Madrid
• The Hotel Palacio del Carmen in Santiago de Compostela

Malaysia[]

• The Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur
• STRIPE Hotel Kuala Lumpur

Turkey[]

• The Sofa Istanbul in Istanbul
• The Orientbank in Istanbul

United Arab Emirates[]

• The Habtoor Grand Resort in Dubai
• The La Ville Hotel City Walk in Dubai
• The Lapita Resort in Dubai

United Kingdom[]

• The Bankside Hotel in London
• The Hotel Xenia in Kensington
• The Glasshouse in Edinburgh^[29]
• The Threadneedles Hotel in London^[30][31]
• The University Arms Hotel in Cambridge^[32]

United States[]

• The Hotel Adagio in San Francisco, California
• The Adolphus Hotel in Dallas, Texas,^[33]
• The Advenire in St. George, Utah
• The Algonquin Hotel Times Square in Manhattan, New York City, New York^[34]
• The Ambassador Hotel in Wichita, Kansas
• The Arrowhead Springs Hotel and Spa in Lake Arrowhead, California
• The Hotel at Avalon in Alpharetta, Georgia
• The Hotel Blackhawk in Davenport, Iowa^[35]
• The Blackstone in Chicago, Illinois
• The Blue Moon Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida
• The Grand Bohemian Hotel in Orlando, Florida
• The Brown Palace Hotel in Denver, Colorado
• The Casa Monica Hotel in St. Augustine, Florida
• The Castle Hotel in Orlando, Florida^[36]
• The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada^[30][37]
• The Hotel Chicago Downtown in Chicago, Illinois
• The Current Iowa in Davenport, Iowa^[38]
• The Historic Davenport in Spokane, Washington
• The Daytona in Daytona Beach, Fl. ^[39]
• Hotel Distil in Louisville, Kentucky
• The Draftsman in Charlottesville, Virginia^[40]
• The Hotel Duval in Tallahassee, Florida^[41]
• The Éilan Hotel & Spa in San Antonio, Texas,^[42]
• The Elliot Park Hotel in Minneapolis, Minnesota
• The Henry in Dearborn, Michigan^[43]
• The Hi-Lo Hotel in Portland, Oregon^[44]
• The Hotel Icon in Houston, Texas,^[42]
• The Industrialist Hotel in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• The Inn at Bay Harbor in Bay Harbor, Michigan
• The Koloa Landing Resort in Koloa, Hawaii
• The Laylow in Honolulu, Hawaii
• The Lexington Hotel in New York City^[45]
• The Mansion on Forsyth Park in Savannah, Georgia
• The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel in Kohala Coast, Hawaii
• The Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC
• The MC Hotel in Montclair, New Jersey
• The Metropolitan at The 9 in Cleveland, Ohio^[46]
• The Morrison House in Alexandria, Virginia^[47]
• The Hotel Northland in Green Bay, Wisconsin
• The Oaklander Hotel in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• The Paso Del Norte in El Paso, Texas
• The Pier South Resort in Imperial Beach, California^[30]
• The Press Hotel in Portland, Maine^[48]
• The Raphael Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri
• The Saint in New Orleans, Louisiana
• The StateView in Raleigh, North Carolina
• The Sienna Hotel in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
• The Triada in Palm Springs, California
• The Union Station Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee
• Westdrift Manhattan Beach, California
• The Warrior in Sioux City, Iowa

Gallery[]

• 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

References[]