Buenos Hoteles

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GLOBAL REPORT—Hotel owners have an increasing amount of options when it comes to finding sponsorship and operating support. The surface-level decision of whether to become part of a franchise or remain independent is only the first step.

Several franchisors—realizing there is a significant amount of travelers who aren’t looking for the cookie-cutter experience—in recent years have introduced quasi-brand options, such as Marriott International’s Autograph Collection and Choice Hotels International’s Ascend Collection.

However, the soft brand strategy has been an option for quite some time. Representation companies like Preferred Hotel Group and Leading Hotels of the World offer sales-and-marketing support for a fraction of the cost of flying a flag.

There are several factors to consider when making these difficult decisions. The trick, experts said, is finding the right approach for each individual asset.

“There is a right approach for each property. Maybe more than one,” said Eva Hill, president of Britannia Pacific Properties, which recently deflagged a Palm Beach, Florida, hotel from the Ritz-Carlton system and chose to remain independent as the Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa. “In certain situations it makes sense to have a brand, and in this particular case, when faced with the fact that we’re going to be running the hotel, we decided independent was the best alternative.”