New Marriott brand Autograph Collection is to make its European debut with four properties in Spain.
The hotels will join the company’s Autograph Collection of independent properties as part of a recently announced joint venture with AC Hotels and its portfolio of properties with 9,100 rooms in Europe.
The joint venture also includes the launch of a new brand, AC Hotels by Marriott, which will initially be comprised of up to 86 rebranded AC Hotels in Spain, Italy and Portugal, plus the four hotels joining the Autograph Collection. The Autograph Collection hotels will be in Madrid, Granada and Baqueira.
The moves mean that Marriott is more than a quarter of the way to doubling the number of rooms open or signed in Europe by 2015, a goal announced last year. Marriott expects to have almost 40 hotels in the Autograph Collection worldwide by the end of the year.
Autograph Collection was launched a year ago and includes 14 hotels in four categories: Boutique Arts, Iconic Historic, Boutique Chic and Luxury Redefined. The hotels include the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, the Algonquin Hotel in New York and the Kessler Collection hotels, including properties hotels in Orlando and Savannah.
Marriott International president managing diector for Europe Amy McPherson said: “We are thrilled to expand our relationship with AC Hotels and to launch the Autograph Collection in Europe with such a dynamic and distinguished group of hotels.
“Each of these properties offers a truly unique guest experience and fits perfectly within the positioning of the Autograph Collection. As we continue our ambitious growth, we expect the Autograph Collection will be a very popular conversion brand in Europe given the region’s variety of iconic and independent hotel groups.”
Chief development officer Carlton Ervin added: “As part of the Autograph Collection, each hotel will be featured on Marriott.com and affiliated with our Marriott Rewards programme.
“As a member of the Autograph Collection, these hotels are able to tap into Marriott’s industry-leading global reservations system and powerful consumer outreach through its leading technology, and sales and marketing platforms that have helped build Marriott into one of the world’s premier hotel operators.”