HotelChatter

The beauty of the relationship is that we are allowed to retain our autonomy.

What Does It Take to Get/Be an Autograph Hotel?
The first thing we wanted to know was whether or not Marriott had any specific requirements that the hotel needed to fulfill in order to become an Autograph hotel. The Hotel Duval is currently classified by Autograph as Boutique Chic and we were curious if this meant a certain number of rooms or a particular design style or service.

But Bauer told us the collection's hotel categories are just there to make it help consumers decide which type of hotel experience they want. There's no specific room number requirement for boutique chic, he said, but rather, it creates an identifier for customers about this type of hotel.

"'Boutique Chic' is just great moniker for the design style of our hotel," Bauer said.

That design style includes different color palettes on each of the hotel's six floors, allowing you to choose your room/color based on your mood or personal preferences. Inside the rooms, there's also 37-inch flat-screen TVs, rainmaker showerheads and iPod docking stations.

Is the Autograph Authentic Or Is It Signed by Marriott?
Next, we wondered if a hotel's services and amenities got "Marriottized" when it became a part of the Autograph Collection. Specifically we asked, if the hotel was offering free WiFi before, would they still do it after being snapped up by Marriott who sometimes charges for this service? The answer? Yes, it's still free.

"The beauty of the relationship is that we are allowed to retain our autonomy," Bauer told us. "[The Marriott connection] is very subtle. You are not going to walk into any Autograph Collection hotel and immediately begin to identify it as a part of or affiliated with Marriott."

As for the Hotel Duval, free WiFi is found throughout the hotel, in the guestrooms and even in the 8th floor lounge which overlooks downtown Tallahassee.

About the only thing we see that's been "Marriottized" with the Hotel Duval is a web page for the hotel on the Autograph Collection's site where guests can learn about the hotel and make reservations. However, the Duval maintains its own website at HotelDuval.com. Bauer said it's a personal preference left up to the owners whether or not they want to keep their individual site. (Note: All Autograph hotels do show up in searches originated at Marriott.com.)

How Much is That Autograph Worth?
Lastly, we had to inquire about deals. Did the Duval have its own packages and deals or were these now run through the Marriott machine before being offered to guests? Bauer said that some deals are part of Marriott but the hotel still has their own packages and specials they run too.

For instance, the hotel is currently donating $10 of every hotel stay booked to the Audubon of Florida to help with the wildlife rescue from the Gulf oil spill.(Room rates this summer start at $99 a night and the proceeds will be donated through August 31.)

Admiring Other Autographs
As we mentioned, Marriott only has 11 hotels in their Autograph Collection but they promise to add more throughout the year. In addition to "Boutique Arts", "Iconic History" and "Boutique Chic" hotels, Autograph will be collecting some "Spa and Lodge" hotels as well as "Urban Edge" properties. We're excited to see who gets picked up next. But Bauer is just as excited about already having been picked.

"It's an affirmation of the job that we do everyday to be considered in the same breath as those other properties in the Autograph Collection," he said.

Thanks Marc for telling us all about Autograph! Now, readers: have you stayed in an Autograph Collection Hotel? What did you think? Tell us in comments below. And if you have any more questions about Autograph Collection, send 'em to us!