Why Do Low-End Hotels Have High-End Brands Under Their Umbrellas?

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We’re all accustomed to hotel companies having a range of brands under the same corporate umbrella. Hilton Hotels owns the Waldorf Astoria and Hampton Inn brands and a bunch more. Marriott runs Fairfield Inns while also owning the St. Regis and Ritz Carlton brands and some moderate brands between the two ends. Even IHG, most known for the Holiday Inn brand, is named after Intercontinental Hotels and owns the Kimpton brand.

I can understand all of that, but I’m unable to explain why the lower-tier hotel brands try to keep a division of hotels consisting of properties that don’t fit within any of their other brands.

The Ascend Hotel Collection

While the name may not be familiar, you’ve undoubtedly seen other hotels run the parent company. The Ascend Collection is part of Choice Hotels, better known for EconoLodge, Sleep Inn, and Comfort Hotels. We were first introduced to the brand when staying at the Distrikt Hotel, which has since joined the Hilton Hotels Tapestry Collection.

We’ve also stayed at the Villa Montes Hotel near San Francisco Airport, which has also left the Ascend Collection. While the hotel has lost some of the goth/Buddhist vibes from our stay (Note from Sharon: Pity. That place was as quirky as hell. Love that.), we’d still gladly visit again if we needed a quick stay near the airport.

Neither of those hotels invoked anything to do with the Choice Hotels brand, and I doubt anyone staying even knew the hotels were part of the larger company.

With Choice taking over the Radisson Hotels Americas hotels, they also have Radisson Blu properties in their portfolio.

Registry, Dolce, TRYP, and Trademark Hotels

All four of the brands above are part of Wyndham Hotels. Most of Wyndham’s hotels are Travelodge, Super 8, Days Inn, Microtel, Baymont, Ramada and LaQuinta. I’d wager that none of those names make you think of a luxury hotel.

I bet you’d be surprised to learn that the chains have numerous properties throughout the U.S. and around the world.

While we’ve never stayed at a fancier Wyndham hotel brand, I’d like to visit one.

Hotel RL

I wasn’t familiar with this chain until some of the people on my business trip to Brooklyn in 2019 were assigned rooms at one of their properties.

The Hotel RL is a division of Red Lion Hotels, which is better known for its America’s Best Value Inn. As per the brand website:

Hotel RL is a collection of hotels designed for those who travel to connect and explore. With innovative spaces, stylish guestrooms, award-winning coffee and food you’ll love, our hotels offer an ideal resting place to recharge your curiosity.

Red Lion Hotels and the Hotel RL subsidiary were acquired by Sonesta in 2021.

Best Western Premier Collection

Best Western is known for its namesake collection of independent hotels worldwide. While most Best Western hotels are nothing special, a few earn a place in the Premier Collection.

BW Premier Collection^® by Best Western is our most exclusive collection of carefully-curated hotels, offering today’s traveler an inspired experience in luxury. Each hotel’s identity is unmistakably tied to its destination, providing an authentic boutique experience that reflects the unique personality of each locale. From the lobby to the room, every detail is thoughtfully considered. This experience is anything but expected; it is memorable, sophisticated and thoroughly superior.

This was another brand I had no idea existed, but the properties on the website look very nice.

Final Thought

After researching this post, I still can’t understand why hotel chains include hotels that are far from their target market. I can’t see someone who usually stays at an EconoLodge suddenly looking for a boutique hotel in San Francisco or someone who stays at the Americas Best Value Inn deciding to find a hip place to stay in Brooklyn with an awesome coffee bar in the lobby. But maybe that’s just me.

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