MarriottInternational, Inc. (NYSE: MAR) announced at the American Lodging Investment Summit that seven iconic hotels from The Kessler Collection will be the first to join the Autograph Collection, the company's newest brand that features independent hotels and resorts from around the world representing upper-upscale and luxury properties with distinctive personalities.
All seven hotels are set to join the Autograph portfolio by the end of April.
The seven properties are:
- The El Monte Sagrado, Taos, N.M.
- The Grand Bohemian Hotel, Asheville, N.C.
- The Mansion on Forsyth Park, Savannah, Ga.
- The Bohemian Hotel Riverfront, Savannah, Ga.
- The Casa Monica Hotel, St. Augustine, Fla.
- The Grand Bohemian Hotel, Orlando, Fla.
- The Celebration Hotel, Orlando, Fla.
"We are thrilled to launch the Autograph Collection with such a distinguished group of hotels," said Arne Sorenson, president and chief operating officer for Marriott International. "Each Kessler property offers a truly unique guest experience and fits perfectly with the positioning of the Autograph Collection – independent hotels that represent an expansive range of categories for distinct life experiences in dynamic destinations."
Richard Kessler, chief executive officer – The Kessler Collection, said, "The Autograph Collection gives us a tremendous opportunity to leverage Marriott's industry leading global reservations system, and strong customer outreach through their ecommerce and sales and marketing platforms."
With plans to add more than 25 in 2010 with locations throughout the world, the Autograph Collection provides Marriott with another attractive platform for future global growth. Comprised of independent properties maintaining their own brand name and personality, the Autograph Collection hotels will be featured on Marriott.com and will participate in Marriott Rewards, Marriott International's award-winning guest loyalty program, where guests can earn points at more than 3,200 hotels in 68 countries.
Note: The statement about the number of new hotels to be added in 2010 and their locations is a forward-looking statement within the meaning of federal securities laws, not a historical fact, and is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including the depth and duration of the current recession; supply and demand changes for hotel rooms; competitive conditions in the lodging industry; relationships with clients and property owners; the availability of capital to finance hotel growth and refurbishment; and other risk factors identified in our most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q; any of which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by our statement. This statement is made as of the date of this press release, and the company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Marriott International , Inc. (NYSE: MAR) is a leading lodging company with more than 3,300 lodging properties in 68 countries and territories. Marriott International operates and franchises hotels under the Marriott, JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, Residence Inn, Courtyard, TownePlace Suites, Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites and Bulgari brand names; develops and operates vacation ownership resorts under the Marriott Vacation Club, The Ritz-Carlton Destination Club, The Ritz-Carlton Residences and Grand Residences by Marriott brands; operates Marriott Executive Apartments; provides furnished corporate housing through its Marriott ExecuStay division; and operates conference centers. The company is headquartered in Bethesda, Md., USA and had approximately 146,000 employees at 2008 year end. It is recognized by FORTUNE® as one of the best companies to work for, and by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as Partner of the Year since 2004. In fiscal year 2008, Marriott International reported sales from continuing operations of nearly $13 billion.