http://www.hotelchatter.com/ Hotel Reviews, Hotel Ratings, Hotel Openings en-us Copyright 2008 - SFO Media 2009-11-24T08:35:22Z HotelChatter HotelChatter http://www.hotelchatter.com/images/hcwhite.jpg http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/Hotel%20Brands http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/11/12/10958/001 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/1425/autographbook.jpg" class="top"><p> The news is official: <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/marriott hotels"><b>Marriott Hotels</b></a> has unveiled a new brand, <b>The Autograph Collection</b>. <p>As we mentioned the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/11/10/84421/502/hotels/Could_You_Soon_Be_Sleeping_in_a_Marriott_Hotel_And_Not_Know_It_">other day</a>, this new collection will consist of independent hotels that will retain their individuality but have access to the Marriott reservations systems and guests can use and earn Marriott rewards points here. <p> Here's the official statement from Marriott's VP of brand management, Don Semmler. <blockquote><p> <p>"The Autograph Collection will take the innovative approach of grouping these iconic hotels according to the unique experience that guests are seeking whether it's a resort, historic hotel, boutique arts, or urban edge hotel in a dynamic gateway city. Each hotel will be highly unique and distinct with its juliana 2009-11-12T12:16:48-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/6/17/177/08090 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/1425/2009BER.jpg" class="top"><p> It's no secret that the economy has had a <i>massive</i> impact on the hotel industry. Hotel openings have been delayed; construction has been halted on properties in development; jobs have been lost; room rates have been slashed &#151; but the last several years also saw a boom in the introduction of new brands and a handful of entirely new, supposedly game-changing segments (the "budget chic" pack, for example). <p>Naturally, with the introduction of each new brand came a wave of hype and some big, <i>big</i> expansion plans &#151; and then came the recession. Needless to say, those big plans changed. <p>Here's a look at the current state of some of those newer brands &#151; a progress report, Jenna 2009-06-22T13:16:58-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2007/10/31/134746/33 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/admin/sofitella_review.jpg" class="imgborder"><p><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21516722/">The Financial Times</a> reports that Accor Hotels will be upgrading its <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/sofitel%20hotels"><b>Sofitel Hotel</b></a> brand to accommodate more luxury and business travellers.<p>Gilles Pélisson, chief executive of Accor, is hoping to tap into the luxury brand market first. Afterall Accor is French and so is Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Hermes, and Cartier, all luxury exports. Using these fashion brands as models, Accor will bring a new structure to the Sofitel brand.<blockquote><p>Mr Pélisson believes that some less inspiring venues have compromised the brand's image. Accor plans to hive off 35 such hotels into a new chain aimed mainly at business travellers, where they will trade under the Pullman name, a brand from the golden age of luxury train travel that juliana 2007-10-31T13:55:55-05:00 Search HotelChatter string http://www.hotelchatter.com/search/