As a result of growth via both within the company and through a variety of mergers and acquisitions, Marriott International, Incorporated is awash in brands — but exactly how many brands does Marriott have in its worldwide portfolio?
Confused About How Many Brands are Part of Marriott? You are Not Alone.
If you guessed that the Marriott portfolio has 29 brands, you may — or may not — be right. In fact, the correct answer is…
…it depends.
One look — or, more accurately, two looks — upon initially viewing the official Internet web site of Marriott International, Incorporated reveals 29 distinct brands in its portfolio, which include in alphabetical order:
- AC Hotels by Marriott
- Aloft Hotels
- Autograph Collection Hotels
- Courtyard by Marriott
- Delta Hotels
- Design Hotels
- EDITION
- Element by Westin
- Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott
- Four Points by Sheraton
- Gaylord Hotels
- JW Marriott
- Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts
- Marriott Executive Apartments
- Marriott Hotels & Resorts
- Marriott Vacation Club
- Moxy Hotels
- Protea Hotels
- Renaissance Hotels
- Residence Inn by Marriott
- Sheraton Hotels & Resorts
- St. Regis
- SpringHill Suites by Marriott
- The Luxury Collection
- The Ritz-Carlton
- TownePlace Suites by Marriott
- Tribute Portfolio Hotels & Resorts
- W Hotels & Resorts
- Westin Hotels & Resorts
When you navigate your cursor to the menu item at the top which proclaims Our Brands, you see those same 29 brands…
…which is actually more obvious, given the empty space at the bottom right.
That was easy. No confusion was involved. Marriott International, Incorporated has 29 brands in its “unparalleled collection.”
Not so fast.
Click here and and carefully count how many brands Marriott has; and you will find that you keep counting to 30.
How can that be possible?
Scroll down to the heading known as Distinctive Luxury…
…and you will find a brand known as Ritz-Carlton Reserve, which is separate from The Ritz-Carlton and offers “rare estates, set apart from the world, where heartfelt care is felt at every turn.”
Okay — so it is settled. Marriott International, Incorporated has 30 brands in its worldwide portfolio.
Not so fast.
Look carefully and you will notice that Ritz-Carlton Reserve does not participate in the Marriott Bonvoy frequent guest loyalty program.
All right — perhaps that complicates things a little bit; but that is not so bad.
Not so fast.
ExecuStay used to be a brand which was part of the portfolio of Marriott International, Incorporated — until it was sold to Oakwood Worldwide Corporate housing in April of 2012. That is not a big deal, as that is one fewer brand about which to think.
Not so fast.
You see, ExecuStay may no longer be a brand of Marriott for the past seven years — but you can still earn Marriott Bonvoy points when staying at one of their properties, as evidenced by the statement found at the bottom of this official Internet web site of Marriott:
ExecuStay, an Oakwood Worldwide brand, is the preferred corporate and temporary housing partner of Marriott International in the United States. This partnership allows Marriott to provide an option for those seeking furnished apartments for stays of a month or more. Marriott Bonvoy® members earn points for stays at any ExecuStay location in the U.S. Learn more at ExecuStay.com.
Although this is getting more and more complex, it is still manageable. After a while, there should be no confusion — right?!?
Not so fast.
Take a look at this official press release from Marriott on Friday, September 23, 2016, and you will notice that Bulgari Hotels & Resorts is one of what was announced as one of the “30 leading hotel brands sets new global standard for unrivaled travel experiences and expanded loyalty benefits”.
But wait — that was back in 2016. Marriott keeps claiming that its portfolio has only 29 brands — and none of the aforementioned images in this article has any trace, sight or evidence of Bulgari Hotels & Resorts; so it must no longer be a part of Marriott. Not a problem.
Not so fast.
According to this official press release from Marriott from Tuesday, February 13, 2001, Marriott International, Incorporated announced that it was forming a joint venture with Bulgari SpA “to launch a new luxury hotel brand, Bvlgari Hotels & Resorts. The new brand will be designed by Bulgari to leverage their striking Italian contemporary style and will offer the finest Italian cuisine, amenities and furnishings available.” That partnership still exists, as evidenced when searching for a hotel or resort property…
…and look carefully at the top right…
…notice in black — which viewers cannot miss — the encouragement to “select from 30 unique brands”. What is brand number 30?
Why, Bulgari Hotels & Resorts, of course!
Seeing that the two obviously boldest items when searching for a hotel or resort property are that statement and the Marriott Bonvoy logo, it would stand to reason for one to automatically assume that Bulgari Hotels & Resorts participates in the Marriott Bonvoy frequent guest loyalty program; and guests who stay at one of those properties will earn points and benefits. I mean, that would not be an absurd conclusion at which to arrive.
Not so fast.
Simply put, you cannot earn or redeem Marriott Bonvoy points by staying at Bulgari Hotels & Resorts…
…so now everything is sorted out by the number of brands which are officially included in the worldwide portfolio of Marriott International, Incorporated — as well as which ones you can and cannot earn and redeem Marriott Bonvoy points. Although it can all be quite confusing, all is well with the world.
Not so fast.
Homes & Villas by Marriott International — which is designed to compete directly with Airbnb — was announced in this official press release from Marriott International, Incorporated on Monday, April 29, 2019. Will this officially become another brand in the worldwide portfolio? At least guests will be able to earn and redeem Marriott Bonvoy points through when staying at properties which are part of the Homes & Villas by Marriott International collection; so that is a good option…
…so now everything is squared away — right?
Not so fast…
Summary
Please forgive me if any information in this article is incorrect, as sorting all of this out can get quite convoluted. It can all cause your head to spin — so if you are confused, do not feel bad…
…but everything is all clear now — right?
Not so fast…
Photograph ©2016 by Brian Cohen.
