Starwood Hotels & Resorts has introduced Tribute Portfolio, the company’s 10th brand and second collection of independent hotels. Focusing on upper-upscale hotels, Tribute Portfolio will complement Starwood’s The Luxury Collection brand and further solidify Starwood as the world’s most global high-end hotel company. Upon debut, the collection features the iconic Royal Palm South Beach Miami and will soon open new hotels in Asheville, North Carolina; Nashville, Tennessee; Savannah, Georgia; and Charleston, South Carolina.
“With Starwood’s history of brand innovation, design leadership and our leading global high-end footprint, we believe Tribute Portfolio will be an exciting solution for hotel owners of distinct properties who wish to maintain their independent spirit, yet benefit from Starwood’s powerful distribution, loyalty and sales platforms,” said Adam Aron, Starwood’s Chief Executive Officer. “Our mission with Tribute Portfolio is very simple: bring great hotels in great destinations to our loyal SPG members, who make up more than half of all Starwood stays.”
Aron continued, “We recognise that independent hotels also attract guests who are not already affiliated with SPG. Tribute Portfolio will provide a clear opportunity for us to grow our SPG member base and deliver more loyal guests across all of our Starwood hotels worldwide.”
With a long runway to grow, Starwood expects 100 Tribute Portfolio hotels by 2020.
All properties will be located in high-demand destinations and markets where SPG members travel, but where Starwood has little or no footprint.
“Our SPG members constantly tell us they want more choices in more destinations, and we see Tribute Portfolio as a nod to our members who have been front and centre as we developed this brand,” said Mark Vondrasek, Starwood’s Senior Vice President, Distribution, Loyalty and Partnership Marketing. “They have told us they would like to stay with us whenever and wherever they can, and now we can reward them as they ‘Stay Independent’.”
According to a recent survey of SPG members conducted by Communispace in the SPG Advisory Community, 89 per cent said they are interested in staying in independent hotels, particularly for leisure travel and special occasion trips to unique destinations. Additionally, nearly 70 per cent of members said they have already stayed at an unbranded hotel property, representing a strong opportunity for the company. SPG members identified a diverse North American hotel wish-list that includes more Florida and Caribbean resorts as well as locations in California wine country, Las Vegas and boutique markets like Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina.
The list of ‘most wanted’ global destinations features alpine ski markets, African safari retreats, South-East Asia resorts and Northern Europe, especially the Nordic countries. Demand is also on the rise for more hotels in South America, led by Rio, São Paulo and Buenos Aires as well as across Asia in primary markets such as Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore.
As with Starwood’s other nine brands, SPG members will be able to earn and redeem Starpoints® at Tribute Portfolio hotels and enjoy in-hotel elite tier benefits, such as upgrades, welcome amenities, late check-out and more. In celebration of Starwood’s 10th brand, SPG is offering members up to 10,000 bonus points for stays at Tribute Portfolio hotels through 15 July 2015.
16 April 2015
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