Marriott hotels offer a variety of categories and sub-brands, from classic luxury to longer stays. Exterior corridors, also known as motor inns or motels, are rooms with direct access to the outside, offering guests safety, convenience, and nostalgia. These hotels come in various forms and are categorized using the STR chain scale and its loyalty program.
Hotel brands like Marriott have 30 hotel brands in 131 countries, from luxury to economy. The Houston Marriott Energy Corridor is a stylish hotel near CityCentre and Houston Galleria, offering covered parking, on-site dining, fitness center, and outdoor pool. The trend towards including design aspects from the 60s, such as exterior corridors and room entrances, is moving away from being considered red flags.
Exterior-corridor hotels have a situational advantage during the COVID-19 pandemic by reducing touchpoints and avoiding elevator rides. The JW Marriott Hotel Rio de Janeiro offers a blend of luxury and comfort, while the Raleigh Marriott Crabtree Valley in North Carolina offers spacious guest rooms, casual dining, and state-of-the-art event space.
Morrison Hotels’ premium guest rooms and suites feature outstanding amenities and classic décor designed for comfort. As brand standards continue to evolve, exterior-corridor properties may become independents and down-branded.
In summary, Marriott hotels offer a diverse range of accommodations, including exterior corridors, motor inns, and motels, with a focus on safety, convenience, and nostalgia.
📹 I Stay In A Marriott Hotel – Not What I Was Expecting
Marriott is the largest hotel chain in the world by the number of available rooms. It has 31 brands with 8000 properties containing …
What is the organizational culture of Marriott International?
The fundamental principles that guide Marriott International’s operations remain consistent. These include a commitment to human capital, pursuit of excellence, adaptation to change, adherence to moral standards, and dedication to serving the global community. Membership in Marriott International entails a proud history and a thriving culture. Furthermore, the company provides the eSSENTIAL Accessibility assistive technology application, which serves to illustrate its dedication to fostering an inclusive environment.
Is The Marriott a horizontal or vertical?
Marriott International’s organizational structure is a matrix structure, focusing on vertical and horizontal levels to achieve its goals efficiently. The company maintains global uniformity by following its core values and diversifies its operations across different countries. Marriott’s management team adheres to corporate governance policies, with shareholders electing the board of directors to evaluate strategic plans and enhance stakeholders.
The company’s global strategic team is adopting sustainable strategies, focusing on preventing environmental degradation and creating a sustainable workplace. The UN Sustainable Development Department’s goals are followed by the strategic team. Marriott’s leaders prioritize community development and resiliency in their countries. They adopt a transformational leadership strategy to work responsibly and collaboratively, reducing environmental impact and climate risks. Empowerment is another important sustainable strategy adopted by the organization.
Unemployment among women, differently abled people, and frictional unemployment are major economic and global issues. The company is partnering with non-profit organizations to address these issues and contribute to the global economy. The transformational leadership strategy aims to work responsibly and collaboratively, reducing negative environmental impacts and climate risks.
What is the difference between Marriott and Marriott International?
Marriott International, Inc. The company is headed by David Marriott and Anthony Capuano, who serves as the Chief Executive Officer. Its portfolio includes Marriott Hotels and Resorts, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Le Méridien, Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, and Westin Hotels and Resorts.
What are the different levels of Marriott?
The membership structure encompasses a range of tiers, namely Silver Elite, Gold Elite, Platinum Elite, Titanium Elite, and Ambassador Elite. Each tier is associated with distinct benefits and annual qualifying spends.
Is Marriott centralized or decentralized?
Marriott’s organizational structure is characterized by a high degree of centralization, with the CEO and executive team holding significant authority over decision-making. This centralization helps maintain a consistent brand image and service quality across all properties. Marriott’s hybrid organizational structure, which includes a matrix structure, enables global uniformity and local diversification, while the regional structure allows the hotel chain to tailor operations to specific regional needs.
However, this structure can be complex, time-consuming, and lead to conflict between functional and divisional units. Additionally, the centralization of authority can stifle innovation and creativity.
What is the difference between Marriott and Marriott Bonvoy?
Marriott International, the parent company of the hotel chain, offers a rewards program called Marriott Bonvoy, which can be utilized to reserve accommodations at any Marriott International property. One may accrue Marriott Bonvoy points by utilizing a Marriott credit card, such as the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card.
Is Marriott considered high end?
Marriott International is a preeminent luxury hospitality brand, offering long-term value to owners through its status as a category leader, engagement with loyal consumers, and dedicated luxury expertise to support operational excellence.
What is the most luxurious Marriott brand?
Ritz-Carlton properties offer a contemporary design aesthetic that does not detract from the opulence of the surroundings. They are renowned for their exclusive club-level experience, which includes five daily food and beverage offerings. Join the readership of over 700, 000 individuals for the latest developments, comprehensive guidance, and privileged offers from TPG’s specialists. To receive newsletters, promotional content, and to consent to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, please register your details. You may unsubscribe at any time.
What is the positioning statement of Marriott hotels?
Marriott International, established in 1927 as a small root beer stand in Washington, D. C., has experienced immense growth due to its clear mission and vision statements. These statements guide all decisions within the company towards success, ensuring that Marriott remains competitive with excellent prices. By capturing their target market and building loyalty, Marriott has achieved remarkable success.
The company’s mission statement aims to enhance customers’ lives by creating and enabling unsurpassed vacation and leisure experiences, while its vision statement aims to be the world’s favorite travel company. Marriott’s mission and vision statements have allowed it to maintain consistent decisions, contributing to its status as one of the most successful companies in its field.
What system does Marriott use?
Marriott’s proprietary property management system, FS-PMS, is designed to meet the needs of their global hotels. Book4Time communicates with the FS-PMS system using the Micros 4700 standard, which defines communication methods and controls messages sent and received. The system allows for reservation queries, charge posting, revenue breakdown, and support for custom revenue buckets, tax buckets, and gratuity buckets.
It also allows for direct guest or group master folio access, instant feedback on charge success or failure, and revenue breakdowns for clarity. This system is designed to streamline operations and streamline operations.
📹 Why Airbnb Fails to Disrupt the Hotel Industry
Cost is the biggest barrier to scale in the hotel industry. It takes on average 2-3 years to build a hotel. The upfront cost for design, …
J.W. Marriott was founder of the Marriott Hotel chain. He was a Mormon. Hence the Book of Mormon is in the room. When I traveled 100% of the time (70s & 80s) the Marriott was the chain to stay at. A little upscale and always great service. We would stay at JW Marriott Resorts for vacations. Always nice.
As someone who works in a Marriott branded hotel… You’d be surprised how many people get their knickers in a twist at a twin room. The artwork is chosen locally, a lot of the hotels having refurbs are getting “interesting” paintings. The portrait of Mr Marriott is present in the lobby of every Marriott branded property worldwide, it’s mandatory! Most hotels are aimed at business (some, like mine, are leisure and very different), and the weekdays early breakfast is always busy until 8.30-9am. They’re also a very American brand, you can’t escape it no matter how hard you try.
So I’m from Washington DC area where Marriott hotels were first started and there are lots of them here. I also had the distinction of knowing the Marriott family as a kid growing up. The hotels are nice they’re mostly a business type hotel but most hotels in America are business type hotels they’re not really places you go to be entertained it’s where you go to sleep after a day of sight seeing. Also the animal heads on stodgy paintings is a super big trend right now in commercial art for businesses and hotels Will probably keep seeing it around for a few years before it finally dies out.
The coloured stitch on the pillowcase will be on all of the bedding. It denotes what size it is. Not entirely sure about different size pillowcases but it is to help housekeeping. When the laundry comes in and you have lots of bags full of folded laundry, you can easily see whether it’s a single, a double or king sheet by looking at the stitch colour. Probably all pillow cases are red as not to confuse them with a single sheet which look similar when folded and stacked on top of each other. How sad that I know this.
Definitely a business-oriented hotel, as are many Marriotts. I used to spend at least half the year in the US and often stayed in Marriott properties and was never disappointed. The luggage trolleys you saw are sometimes there for the convenience of guests, and sometimes ‘operated’ by staff. Personally, I’m not keen on atrium hotels as they can be noisy, and that filters into the room.
I always stay in marriotts. They are mostly always great. If you use points they are always at ” capacity” and you don’t always get what you want, and the room is always by an elevator. I do get upgrades, and those are usually nice. Try the Marriott in America, they are pretty nice. Love your articles!! Marriott is Mormon.
This reminded me of your article on your experience at the Hilton in Bournemouth (somewhere that I have stayed once), the person I was staying with said it’s not what she expected and here lies the problem. A Hilton or Marriot in a bigger city or even abroad would be THE 5* star hotel expected whereas in smaller cities they’d provide a 4* service. The fact that there are so many sub-brands within all these major Hotel chains that it makes it confusing on what anyone might expect. At least from my experience that is.
I always find Marriott hotels to be a decent option: they’ve never disappointed me (although I must say that one looked a little more dated). It is very much a business hotel chain, but that doesn’t bother me as they normally get all the basics right and deliver a higher standard of comfort compared to the budget chains. Crowne Plaza hotels are very similar, but they are slightly better in my opinion.
So happy you are in Portsmouth but can’t believe the bad luck that you’re here during this terrible storm! If there is any possible chance, please give Southsea a look. There’s the Castle, Canoe Lake, Two piers. Gunwharf Quays is very nice. It’s worth checking out but maybe not when it’s chucking it down outside. Also would be interested to see your opinion on The Royal Beach Best Weston Hotel. You like the old seaside hotels and I don’t think Ive seen you try a Best Weston yet.
Never have tried a Marriott in the UK, I have visited the one in Rotterdam, NL, multiple times. For the one in Rotterdam, clean and well maintained rooms, very friendly staff and a very good breakfast buffet with other items you can order prepared by a chef (included in the price). Hope you’ll someday find one that gives you a better experience! Thanks for the articles, grtz from Belgium
Wow, Marriotts are ubiquitous in the US where they originated. Ive stayed in many different ones at different price points. They renovate historical properties in some countries (stayed at a gorgeous Marriott in Bermuda that was an historical property). The run of the mill business oriented ones are usually pretty bland.
When it comes to quality, US & UK Marriotts are about the same. However with US Marriotts, the rooms are quite big especially if the Marriott is located in a downtown area of a city as these hotels are designed mainly for business travelers. Also many US Marriotts have smart TV’s that can be controlled by a tablet which also controls the climate control system & the lights. I recently stayed at the Marriott in Las Vegas & I have to say that the room quality is right up there with many of the mid tier resorts on the Strip like the MGM Grand & Caesars Palace even though it is located off Strip & you will likely need a car (or walk a long distance) to get over there.
Believe it or not, it was my ex-boyfriend that was responsible for getting tea service in every Marriott hotel in the world. It used to be Bigelow Tea. He also was the creator of the tea chest presented at restaurants. And In the US you know what to expect from Marriott hotel. You always feel safe booking one. it’s not five star but it’s more than adequate and always reliable.
I’ve stayed at this hotel a few times, once recently. I rate it highly, and I’ll be honest, I think you were nit picky. I like the understated quality of the hotel slot. it’s spacious with a funky feel in the dining and lounge areas. Little point if you don’t do a proper review of the breakfast close up, because that’s the kind of thing that we look out for with hotel reviews.
I don’t have a problem with a room overlooking an atrium. I’ve stayed in several hotels like that, including the Radisson in Berlin which had a huge cylindrical aquarium right at the centre and was several floors high. I say had because it exploded in December of last year, flooding the hotel and the surrounding area!
Why don’t people use the sink in the bathroom to wash their undies?, or run some water in the bath, little bit of shower wash, soap, or the likes, why would you use the kettle. Think someone just winding you up. Perhaps they’ve spent some time in prison, i’ve heard of prisoners cooking potato’s; and pasta in their kettles, making home brew etc. Washing their undies, never heard of it.😮😮😮😂😂😂.
The giveaway for the age/condition for me was the doors at 1:38 – very “functional”, reminded me of a retro office block. I thought the bathroom looked really good (apart from the cleaning). And just looking at the breakfast made me feel hungry. I like inward-facing courtyard rooms because you can people-watch the other guests and the hotel staff, but it depends what view you’re forgoing outside. Room phones are old but I miss them in, for example, Premier Inns – it just feels “weird” using a mobile to ring reception and the inevitable menu options are annoying.
Looks like any Marriot over here in the US, except: a) we’d have a coffee machine and not a kettle, and b) the artwork would be more generic (from my experience – trees, nature, shells on a beach, etc.). Do like the free breakfasts in the business hotels, although the fancier ones have gone to cafes where you have to pay. I’ll stick with the mid-level business hotels, best bang for your buck.
Thanks so much, Tim. It was very enjoyable to see inside a Marriott hotel. We have them all over America. Even one in my city, but I’ve never stayed in one. Yes, they have the Book of Mormon in all the rooms throughout the chain. The Marriott’s are well known in the latter-day saints community. (We greatly prefer to be called latter-day saints as opposed to Mormon. Mormon was a derisive term used by our enemies. Latter-day saints is part of the official name of the church.) 😀 I was surprised by how dark and dreary this hotel seemed. I would like it better if it was more cheery inside.
Only ever stayed a Marriot once (last year in Birmingham) and it had the world’s noisest air con, I literally thought somebody was digging up the road outside the hotel. The room was otherwise OK. I probably wouldn’t chose to stay there again to be honest. How about a review of one of the Leonardo hotels Tim?
One of the reason the large American hotel chains have added so many brands under their umbrella is so that each brand can have some consistency. Travelers know what they will get when they book that brand. The legacy brands in the portfolios such as Marriott, Hilton, Sheraton, Hyatt, Holiday Inn, etc. don’t have as much consistency. That hotel does seem fairly average for a Marriott. Marriotts tend to be larger hotels for business travelers and conventions, but do vary quite a lot from that model and in quality.
Marriott is usually my first choice (I travel a lot with work), always found them to be one of the better chains out there Not sure I would always stay for leisure purposes, since I prefer something a bit different in this context, nonetheless they are usually very decent. Great website and maybe try a Malmaison next…..
Many years ago, we were lost in the DisneyWorld area at 2am (plane was severely delayed and this was before cellphone GPS was a thing) trying to find our offsite hotel (don’t remember the name), and stopped by an open gas station to get directions. The guy told us, in heavily accented English, “Look for the Mario and turn there. The Mario! MARIO!! You can not miss it!” And being that we knew our hotel was really close to the Nickelodeon, we took off looking for a multi-story Luigi statue. We circled around for another 20+ minutes, until we suddenly saw looming up: The gigantic red Marriott sign to our left. To this day, I call it the Mario. Marriott is a good hotel. Unfortunately, the design choices tend to severely turn me off, and I avoid them if I can get a warmer, friendlier Hilton. But I don’t object to staying at one, as long as I ignore the furnishings and styling.
Timmy boy, bless ya cotton socks not everything is leather that looks leather! 😂 Hotels, unless 5* will not splash out on a leather headboards or furniture because it’s too expensive to replace or fix. Using your nose should help you if you really want to know if it’s leather 😉 Great informative article as always – thank you 👍
I first heard of the Marriott when I heard the World Trade Centre had one on its complex which is sadly none existent obviously. I think it’s is a nice hotel very attractive. I like the strange photo aswell it makes it look as if The Marriott has a sense of humour. The outside looks nice but it does look as if Holby City Hospital had a refurbished lol.
Yes. He was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. (The “Mormon Church” is a nickname that has been given to us, but it is kind of offensive to us because it is used by people in a derogatory way😉) That is a copy of The Book of Mormon in the nightstand. The Bible is the Old and New Testaments of Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon is Another Testament of Jesus Christ. All of the Marriott chains have a copy in the hotel rooms. You can actually take it, free of charge, or ask the front desk for an unused copy for free. Great hotel chain!
Looks Decent Deffo a Business Hotel I’m trying to think is there one at LHR T4 if so that and the Hilton next to the Premier Inn Might be why I see so many nice Cars, I am a Car Guy so Business/Nice Hotels get my Car Side out. I do know the Shuttle Bus Hotel Hoppa Stopped outside one and there was Black Like Mercedes Minibuses assumingly For Bussiness and First Passengers. I did also see Black BMW’s and my personal highlight as it’s my Dream Car a Red F-Type Jag drive past. But What I gathered was the Marriott I think or Hilton although I did see both were for the People who would be flying up front in the Premium Cabins not the back like me and my family. Hence they got Charters and not have to walk to the free Train that takes you between T4 and T2&3 and then T5 ie The TFL and Heathrow Express
Thoughts Tim. Looked like you walked through an open fire door on your way to your room. Another thing you might want to start checking is the Portable Electrical Appliance certification on stuff like Kettles, hairdryers, TV, etc. There should be a label on each power cord confirming that each has been checked and that it is current. These would give an insight as to how a place is run.
How much was your stay Tim ? It was kind of blah except for the budgie Horatio Nelson pic !? & the curlies, shudder 😝 The Marriot in Toronto is more upscale .If you go back to Pompey, there’s a big old Hotel called, The Queens Hotel in Southsea, opposite the seafront that might be fun to checkout..Or Spitbank Fort Hotel, which is in one of the old sea fortresses out on the solent between Pompey & the Ise of Wight. Southsea is the older prettier part of Portsmouth, especially Old Portsmouth & Spice Island area. .I grew up there but now live in Toronto – which I really hope you Gaby, Holly & Thumper come and visit one day! Love your website 🩵🩷.Best wishes 😊
I stayed in Montreal’s most iconic Marriott Chateau champlain a while ago. The windows are big and the hotel looks like a cheese grater. It cost me an arm and a leg for that hotel (160 Euros), I needed a place near Bonaventure. You have seen the book of Mormons there, because the chain belongs to a family of mormons. Normally, breakfast is not free at Marriott / Sheraton, so Marriott is not my choice normally.
The Marriott Hotels in the USA are not nearly as nice as this one. In fact they suck, do not remove trash or wet towels daily. The shower/bath tub drain was so clogged with hair, I had water up to my knees. I complained at main desk and was told they had a shortage in staff. Total bull 💩! The only hotel I have stayed at in the USA that was decent was Hilton. The Four Seasons is very nice but very expensive.
Definitely always ask to NOT have a interconnecting room- safety 1st. (Side note: So strange that bibles are in hotels any longer.) I personally don’t mind two double beds as it gives you an option if one is not great and you can’t change the room. Marriott brand has many franchise locations so that can contribute to quality issues; no matter the brand. Perhaps something to add to your reviews – franchise vs OG… ? It could be interesting?
I have to say the website is useless. If i wanted to look at professionally taken pictures of burgers and bedrooms, I’d look on a stock photo site. I check a hotel’s website to see what the rooms are like, what food service is available, accessibility, that kind of thing. What I got wasn’t even advertising. Oh, apparently that entrance space is called a “Greatroom”. An Americanisation of the baronial hall kind of Great Room from the early Middle Ages, minus the style, comfort or sense of home.
Looks a nice hotel to stay in. Couldn’t find any faults with it from your article. Never have stayed in a Merriott Hotel, but will consider going by this article. What’s all this about knickers being boiled in a kettle. I’m in house keeping and never have I come across this yet. I’m hoping it just a silly rumour or I wouldn’t want to have a drink in a hotel room again.
Its just a upscale hotel chain. Stayed at marriotts, hiltons, radisons etc all the time during my time as a mid level manager at the very large logistics company I can not name due to an NDA. Just some feedback: I loved your family holiday stuff. With your wife, “the teenager and the baby”. Gaby is just awesome. Holy takes is pretty well for their “embarresing” parents. I slowly reach your age and those articles with your family gives me a lot of insight on what to expect going on vacation with a potential future family. Would love to see more of content like this. The first all inclusive vacation on menorca looked so nice. My parents always took me and my two smaler siblings on road trips using a vw passart with a huge tent an all our bikes on the roof. Not because we where poor and could not afford something else. My dad was a doctor. I am completly traumatised by that. Imagine being a pubacent teen, also realy large who had to sit between his younger siblings during a drive to norway or france. In a blody passart for that matter. Back then there where no mobilephones and we had like one cassete for that hole trip. And after finaly arriving at your destination you had to build a huge giant tent with like 300 nails in the middle of the night. Probably during rain. Dont know why my parents did that to them selfes. I refused to go with them after my 15th birthday. My brother even said: Yeah, leave me at the next truck stop like you promissed. I find my own way home. He travelled to france on his own for a few month.
Pls can you try club lounges in different hotels. I use the executive club rooms in hotels that have them when i stay with my family and like to see how they compare . The crowne plaza club lounge (paid supplement) leeds used to offer 2 hours of inclusive spirits canapes beers and wines but post covid stopped giving spirits but extended for half an hour. Club lounges are a vital part of my stays.
I went on a drinking weekend with my boss and found the bible in the bedside table and opened it up and read “they love to boast about drinking”. I was amazed that the bible just let me know it knew me. A few years later I went looking for God and I found out he was real and that Jesus really did die for my sins and that demons were real and that God answers prayers. Isaiah 5:22 What sorrow for those who are heroes at drinking wine and boast about all the alcohol they can hold. … Woe to them who are mighty to drink wine and to the men …
The Bibles are distributed to hotels by Gideon International starting in 1908, they began placing the Bibles in hotel rooms near to their area and then it became a tradition spreading across the world. Now if you find a Bible in a reasonably newer hotel they probably purchased the Bibles themselves. The practice has started to fall out of fashion in the last decade or so.
I dont understand the idea of washing the underweare in the kettle, are they boiling their undergarments? Why is the sink in the bathroom not a better option? is this an English thing? I’m Canadian and I’ve never heard of that, but I’ll make sure to have vinegar to clean the kettle if needed when I’ll come visit UK.
Marriott and J.W. Marriott Hotels are in different tier. Marriots mostly like this in the article and I have been once in J.W Marriot Hotel. I came a cross with one of the former Barcelona fc player. The steak restaurant in the hotel have like 100 different red wine selection also their sky jazz lounge have a proper Steinway and sons piano. Incredible hotel to be honest. They said: some of executive of the rooms bullet and missile proof.
I know exactly where that hotel is I used to live in Portsmouth before moving to Blackpool it’s basically on the outskirts of Cosham / M275 & A3 Motorway roundabout and you said it looks similar to a hospital …well just a stone throw away their is the QA, Queen Alexandra Hospital just up the road I’ve known that hotel to be there since 1996 could be Earler only because thats when i moved to Portsmouth, from Leeds W Yorkshire, I think and its been cleaned up late 2018 ish, but yea you are correct it’s business style hotel not really used for leisure
It didn’t seem up to their standards. I can’t really put a finger on it, but it did remind me of the hotels that are by Marriott. The less expensive ones owned by Marriott but are not Marriotts. You’re a “better man than I” in that I would have not stayed there after what was found in the tub. That really grossed me out. I hope I make sense.
Those doors to the adjoining room next door are horrible as they let the noise of the neighbours through and if they smoke, despite it probably being against the hotel rules, you’ll get that coming through too .I don’t see the point in them and they,if they insist on having them, shouldn’t rent them out to those not needing them although I suppose a massive discount might encourage me.I’d say Marriott are an upmarket chain and sort of on par with Hilton.
When I did my degree, I found out that the Giddeons made an agreement with hotels to place the New Testaments in the rooms. The hotels do not pay for them. The Marriot chain is the only hotel with The Book of Mormon. If you travel to Israel, some hotels have Biblical verses from The Torah (Old Testament), although that practice is dying out.
I thought it looked pretty decent. You didn’t say how much it cost, though? 🤷♀️. Definitely a business vibe about it and looked similar to a Hilton or something along those lines. I’d have been happy to stay there…at the right price. I wonder if the red stitching on the pillows is something to do with laundry, a marker for that particular hotel perhaps?
Hey Tim! Since a few weeks I look your articles and I must say that I like all of them from the first minute I saw them. May I ask you a question? Do you have to ask for taking articles in these hotels and are they prepared for your visit and do they usually know that in advance? I really impressed by your articles and therefore I follow you since the first article when I recognize your website. I hope to see many, many more of your articles and would be glad to get an answer by you. I´m looking forward and wish you all the best. Many greetings from a german follower…
I stayed at a Marriot in Dubrovnik. It was the Sheraton which is owned by Marriot. A relatively new hotel and was beautiful. Very spacious and sparkling clean. That Marriot here looks OK and yes def designed for visitors on business. I didn’t like the bathroom very much. All bathrooms these days should have a walk in shower.
I’m the same i stayed in a hotel on my own for work reasons when was working away from home they gave me a double room so i had two double beds i could have had someone stay with me and not had to pay because work paid for the room for 4 nights the only thing was the bathroom was not in the room i had to go across the landing to use the toilet and shower meaning walking past 4 rooms to get there and no breakfast included because they don’t serve breakfast
It was a nice hotel this Marriots in Portsmouth. I loved your room window looking out to an inside dining area! The room was pleasant apart from The Budgie in Uniform 🤣that would of freaked me out! And also the book of Mormons scary! The bed didnt look as bad as the Shanghai La. Thought the bathroom looked fine. And free brekkie! Like you said it was a nice Hotel. I caught your testing live chat for a few moments & it broke off! that was funny!
Try the Bournemouth Highcliff Marriott Hotel sometime, but be sure to stay in one of the renovated rooms overlooking the sea. You’ll read a lot of mixed reviews, but usually it is from those staying in non-renovated rooms that don’t overlook the sea who have complaints. It’s a truly wonderful Marriott that isn’t one of the typical Marriott business hotels. During October, I stayed there for two nights before a cruise out of Southampton and loved it. Headed back in August for another two nights before another cruise.
Our local Sheraton was built in the 60s or 70s and features rooms that look into the center of the hotel, where there’s a courtyard restaurant and a pool and hot tub. I always thought that was neat. It was a popular design choice in those days. National Lampoon’s Vacation from ‘83 features a motel like that. Btw—you used to be able to go out onto the balconies, haha
1:00 its like the windows should be outside and not face over the bar and lobby. 1:30 the guy looks happy to see you. 2:00 in the mirror the picture looks like pennywise a bit. Did you cover it over? I would as well as the mirrors. 7:20 did you do a mirror test? No Space, leave the place. Thank you Tim.
I’ve stayed at this hotel once when visiting the area to see the Mary Rose, also had a room that overlooked the foyer area. Think the colour scheme internally is the same as it was many years ago, looked ok and a reasonable standard but hair in the bath that’s a no no. The big open foyer/reception are reminded me of the Premier Inn at T2/T3 Heathrow Airport, I stayed there a couple of weeks ago in one of the refurbished rooms the standards are getting better all the time.
I try and hit up a Hilton or Marriott if I’m not sure of the quality of alternatives. Have to say I prefer Hiltons for the most part, and they’re usually a little bit cheaper for something in the same basic sort of quality class of hotel. The bright spot of these is the breakfasts and bar facilities are generally superior to the usual budget fare. In addition to mostly finding Hilton cheaper they dish out plenty of loyalty points which means it’s pretty easy to rack up free stays.
Would recommend checking out the Bournemouth Marriott hotel. Targeted at leisure and they’ve had recent refurbishment, and in my opinion is much nicer than the nearby Hilton. Stayed for the first time in the summer and it was a great experience. Believe they’re adding a spa facility which will be great when finished.
0:00 Intro 1:22 Hotel Operating Model 2:19 Seasonal Business 3:11 Main Hotel Categories 3:38 Hilton (Overview, Portfolio, Performance) 4:55 Marriott (Overview, Portfolio, Performance) 5:44 IHG (Overview, Portfolio, Performance) 6:14 Hyatt (Overview, Portfolio, Performance) 7:01 Wyndham (Overview, Portfolio, Performance) 7:50 Rise of Airbnb & Industry Response 13:02 Supply-side Innovation 15:09 Outperforming at Scale 16:38 Why Hotels Don’t Fear Airbnb 17:12 The Traditional Owner-Operated Model 19:52 Misconceptions & Historical Tradition 22:46 Relic of the Past 24:24 The Platforms of Future Past 25:09 Quantity is not Quality
That Marriott guy nailed it. At one point maybe AirBNB was a threat when it was someone’s house, a personal unit where you were staying and it had its charm so you put up with the lack of service. But now most AirBNBs are purpose built, soulless units which still have inadequate service compared to a hotel. And now they aren’t even cheaper than the hotels with their absurd cleaning fees.
The magic of the airBnB model died the moment people shifted from using it as a way to get a little extra value out of a vacation home or duplex and started seeing it as a primary source of revenue. It was pretty cheap and homey initially. Once people got into making it a full-time source of income they just became property managers with usually zero of the skills and experience someone in hospitality would normally need to get anywhere near the master keyring.
I was in Mexico few months ago and had a host come in and steal my stuff while i was away. Then he tried to Airbnb saying i stole stuff. Huge nightmare and what ensues was literally dozens of calls to Airbnb explaining the situation to numerous reps in the phillipines and now dealing with multiple insurence adjusters. It’s been 3 months, my stuff is still stolen and the claims are still pending being arbitrated by a 3rd party insurance company. Never again.
Airbnb is much more of a threat to the housing/rental market than it is to the hotel market, and by that I mean a threat to the people who rely those markets for residential accommodation, rather than being a threat to investors merely seeking to make a profit. There are plenty of career landlords buying houses to put on Airbnb and depriving owner-occupiers or tenants from access to those houses, because having Airbnb guests in the house for 60% of the time is often more profitable than having a tenant in there for 100% of the time. Even during the pandemic and its lockdowns, when travel restrictions meant that the tourist market ostensibly dried up (the theoretical risk of renting out your property on Airbnb), in reality all that happened was that the tourists who were now stuck required extended stays and many Airbnb landlords were easily able to pivot into temporarily providing residential accommodation in order to keep revenue coming in at the rate of market rent (or near to it) for a tenancy. Then, once there were more short-term guests available, they could easily return to high-value short-term guests. The threat of Airbnb is that it’s increasingly forcing long-term tenants and prospective home buyers to compete with the higher cash holdings and spending capacity of tourists on holiday when it comes to who gets to stay in a given house. This wouldn’t be such a problem if houses were plentiful and buyers/tenants could just look elsewhere, but many of the hottest destinations are in the middle of a housing crisis, and Airbnb is exacerbating the issue by removing houses from the residential for tourists who could otherwise be staying at high-density hotels designed and zoned specifically to cater for and accommodate them.
Super interesting – as a woman who often travels alone for work or to visit friends, I prefer staying in a hotel (usually mid- or upscale) over Airbnb for safety reasons… especially if I’m overseas. Hotels have cameras, security guards, and 24hr concierge/staff if there’s a medical emergency. While staying at an upscale boutique hotel in London, I realized the added benefit of just being friendly and greeting the concierge every morning (same man and woman duo worked the desk every morning) – my schedule changed one day and they asked me if I was ok when they saw me later; they realized my “normal” schedule and checked to make sure I was still checked in when they didn’t see me; they were going to send someone check on me if they didn’t see me at some point that day. I really appreciated their concern/service. I also heard enough Airbnb horror stories (there don’t need to be a lot to make one worry) to make me worry about who has access to an Airbnb property, whether there are illicit cameras, and if there are allergy concerns (pets, cleaning products, laundry detergent, fabric fillers…etc). That said, I have stayed in Airbnbs in the past, but with friends – never alone.
Video pretty much nailed it in the last 3 minutes or so: airBnB was popular because you used to be able to rent a room or apt or guest house or whatever for often 1/2 or 1/3 of what a midrange or even a cheap hotel would be. Well supply and demand is a bitch. Hosts realize this and raise their prices. Hotels realize this and find ways to offer cheaper rooms. The result is an AirBnB is rare cheaper these days unless your renting a sketch room in someone’s house or apt. Yeah they’ve got that market, but let them. That’s fine.
It’s funny because I made that exact same argument when I was in hospitality. They were assured that Airbnb would be a huge threat to boutique hotels. I understood how they were more vulnerable because of the type of guests, but like many silicon valley hype companies, a lot of their valuation comes from skirting rules and profitability until they are no longer able to. There’s definitely a place for an AirBnB. In fact I can see them really playing into the extended stay market by teaming up with apartment complexes that have excess inventory. Not everyone is going to want a permanent address when your work is remote.
All I know is Airbnb is no longer “cheap” or affordable. I’m going on a trip in about 3 weeks to a major west coast city. I did heavy comparisons on hotels and airbnbs in the area and there were actually pretty comparable. I’m not sure about the whole economics of it, but Airbnb has definitely gotten more expensive over the years. Especially those services fees and cleaning fees. I’d say the playing field is pretty even these days..
The last 6 ABB experiences I’ve had were horrible; from bait and switches, to properties that literally don’t exist, to booking an ABB only to find out it belongs to an unsuspecting family, and having to walk 2.7 miles to the nearest hotel…I’m 1000% finished with ABB. The prices can be much higher too, when you see all the tacked on fees.
Airbnb was supposed to be a way for people having a spare room, like a guest room or the old bedroom of your kid now in college campus, make some money on the side. It turned quickly into people renting their whole side houses at the same price as many motels for a few days instead of months, messing with, say, people wanting to go to college in another town.
I used to love airbnb but over the years the quality has gone down. What used to be a rent my house while im gone and feeling at home is now investors trying to make a quick buck with ikea furniture and missing things like paper towels and ghosting tenants when you text the hosts until like 5 hours later. The prices also used to be so much better than hotels which is why people used them more. But now hosts are charging 100$ cleaning fees for a 2 day stay where you wont even be in the room most of the time and higher rental prices. Now i only use airbnb if our travel party prefer a house bc the group is big or if its like a ski trip
My friends had a 2 bedroom apartment in downtown Nashville for around 2200 a month. It got jacked up to 5,700 a month. They forced everyone out to turn it into an Air BnB style hotel. The “apartment building” is now 95% Air BnB usage. That’s a hotel, not an apartment building. This in turn messed with all the pricing algorithms used to price other apartments in the area.
i worked in a hotel last summer and let me tell you: people are still definitely willing to pay for overpriced hotel rooms. why? well the customer service is a big part of it, people at the front desk and staff that cleans and tends to the room is sometimes overlooked but it can for sure make or break a stay. we were consistently fully booked on saturdays with rooms double the price they should be, only because of the services offered
Traveled to Europe recently and drove across the country. We wanted to stay in AirBnb’s but after cleaning fees for a 1-2 night stay in different locations, it was less expensive for me and my mates to get two rooms in 4 star hotels. Plus it’s reliable, click, book, chick-in, and you know you’ll have a clean bed and fresh towels.
I lived in downtown Austin and they were building a high rise condo unit next to my apartment. The construction crew told me it was built exclusively for real estate investors to rent out as airBNB properties. In this sense, airBNB is just a marketing platform with many solo hotel operators (the condo owners who are now owner-operators). There can be no price advantage over a traditional hotel bc these are not extra rooms being rented out, these are literally new building being built to compete with hotels.
Airbnb’s greatest enemy is themselves; terrible hosts, inconsistencies, and all the other infamous problems that they have (especially spycams). There is no way any of these things happen in a big chain hotel and guests don’t have to worry about anything when they arrive, the hotels have a name and reputation to uphold. Not to mention they usually have membership programs or included credit card points. The only way I see Airbnb as a good alternative is when it’s somewhere you’re already quite familiar with.
My experiences with Airbnb last summer: the host (some days after CONFIRMING the reservation) decided to increase price, and asked me if I agree. I did not obiously, as it has been a done deal in my head, and they just canceleed. Airbnb support: we have no power over hosts, we can only fine them… I used to work in a hostel (not even hotel) and if for some reason we could not host someone we had to provide them with nearest accomodation (with no extra charge) in the same or better standard + taxi to move them there…
I used to stay at Airbnb’s religiously before the pandemic. There are so many reasons why I absolutely refused to stay at an Airbnb today. First and foremost, driving up rent cost in local markets doesn’t sit right with me. Local should not have to suffer because I am on a trip. Second reason, their customer service is the worst I have dealt with with any company, ever. They have no respect for their consumers. If an issue comes up of any kind, they will always always side with the host because they are interested in keeping their money rather than address issues. I’ve had countless horror stories happen to me and friends. Bear in mind that I refuse to stay at any place that was below 4.95.. Once had a scorpion in an apartment, a lizard, a host post fake pictures of their view, a host barge into the home while I was in the shower, bed bugs, I could go on. The hospitality industry requires training and experience, and many people do not naturally have this talent. Especially when they are motivated by money rather than being an actual host. Airbnb used to be a way to experience local living at a lower cost. These days, the prices are no longer lower. I’d much rather stay at a five-star hotel and have all the amenities, safety, and daily cleaning it offers. With Airbnb, you never know what could go wrong. It’s a huge risk, and I’d much rather have the security of a hotel. The fees are atrocious, and so are the rules. It’s also incredibly misleading when you have no idea what the cost of a place is from your initial search.
I find Airbnb useful when there’s a need to travel in large groups. Most of my Airbnb bookings are for groups of 10+ people which is a lot more convenient than being separated in hotel rooms. My experience with it has been positive so far (likely because I only book from verified hosts with good ratings). That said, I still prefer hotels for smaller groups because it’s cheaper.
They actually disrupted hotel industry for a while during the 1st -3rd year of air bnb start. But because of the poor quality assurance and absurd variations to deal with (from both sides), people gradually went back to hotels. For existing air bnbs, the rise in the use of social media meant they get most of their bookings direct nowadays. I give Airbnb another 5 years and they will be gone or morph into other entities Dealing with other business
I’m probably in the minority here but I hate Airbnb I love hotels I love the anonymity of hotels I love that they come in and they clean up for you I love that it’s easy and simple to check in to check out I don’t have to worry about stuff for the most part. And I like that they are convenient and you can always find a room. There’s something about sleeping in somebody’s home that just bothers me if I don’t know you personally or if this is not a cabin I don’t wanna be in someone’s home sorry.
Honestly I see Airbnbs as a great alternative to low cost motels or co-ops. They also work wonderfully in small areas where the local inns or hotels aren’t well maintained. Just having it be an option is great in itself. The main issue I have with Airbnbs is usually in big cities or destinations the insane amount of rules hosts can impose on you are ridiculous and it truly ends up feeling like you’re an unwelcome guest there instead of someone who’s paying actual freaking money to be there. It’s worth to spend an extra 100 bucks on a hotel room to actually feel comfortable being there instead of being on edge all the time.
The main difference between AirBnB compare to Hotel franchise is, you could sleep at Marriott in Delhi, Madrid, Tokyo, or New York and get the same experience from room type, cleanliness, and services. Meanwhile in AirBnB, even in the same place but different home, some people get a dirty shoebox, others might get a luxury apartment room. That’s the reason why franchise Hotel didn’t really concern “if AirBnB will make them bankrupt”
Taking a degree Hospitality/Hotel Management in Indonesia. The ammount of effort needed to make a hotel “work” is insane, especially nowadays with tech being introduced into the industry. This article reminded me of a progrem where we had seminars from Executive managers from startups, to marketers, to CEOs of restaurants, and even a GM from Westin Surabaya. One of the first seminars was from a manager of RedDoorz, similar to AirBnB, much better of course. To put into perspective, they turned Singapores Golden Dragon, one of the worse hotels in the world, into a much more livable hotel @ 80SGD a night. The differences between AirBnB and RedDoorz is that AirBnB feels like paying to stay at someones house, while RedDoorz would atleast have the common courtesy to make sure it’s a good enough house to pass off as a hotel room, even making actual hotels themselves. AirBnBs was leading in the Asset-Light, Tech-Heavy hotel, but they simply couldn’t bring the momentum to take it to the very top. I also want to note that I didn’t hear any words regarding “inspection” when describing the business model of AirBnB is enough to make me NOT want to book. No wonder it was just ignored by most big corporations.
I’ve done quite a few cross-country trips and always think I’ll use some airbnbs but almost never do. They are often more expensive anyway, and with a hotel, you don’t have to worry about not finding the location, paying for parking, the key-code not working or completing the host’s check-out list. Airbnb is great for a unique experience but not when you just need somewhere to sleep or work.
Some of the reasons I think people would rather pick a hotel is because the huge amount of rewards tied to hotels and airlines with credit cards and loyalty programs, also so many employers will give you a discount on hotels as perk if you need to travel, Airbnb discounts are not so much. Personally I enjoy the convenience of having a bar, restaurant, club and room service all in one building rather than having to drive around or order in.
my boyfriend and i travel frequently and almost always choose airbnbs. yes, there are fees, but we usually find that the final cost of our airbnbs is about the same as a hotel. we love finding unique places to stay, as it makes our trips so much more memorable. we also really value having a kitchen and a good amount of privacy. the one exception that we’ve consistently found is that airbnbs in cities just can’t beat the prices of hotels.
There are two main reasons I have no interest in Airbnb: 1) I am disabled and 2) I am female. With a traditional hotel, there are requirements to be accessible. I can book rooms that will fit my wheelchair, and I can sue them (extreme, but allowed) if they do not meet the standards laid out for them by law. With Airbnb, it’s just someone’s house. What do I do if that host has lied about the amount of accessibility? How do I hold them accountable? Number two is difficult. Having read so many stories of hosts (read: male hosts) on Airbnb hiding cameras in places, of them hanging around the rooms/houses they’re letting out…I’m not comfortable with that. While I don’t believe that this is every place on Airbnb, it’s difficult to know which ones are going to be a problem. You’re putting your safety and your vulnerability in a stranger’s hands. I fully acknowledge that there are women who travel using Airbnbs and are absolutely fine, but I am just not that type of person. I don’t trust individual randomers like that. Especially as I’m in a wheelchair – if something went wrong, I basically have no way to fight back. This sounds extremely doom and gloom, and I know that. And people (women) are attacked in hotels, too. But at least a hotel has a corporation behind it: there’s other people working in that hotel who aren’t attacking me and would help me. There’s constantly someone there. There’s higher security for who works there and where they work. There’s more accountability if something went wrong.
I work for a company similar to Airbnb and just want on vacation and stayed in a hotel. I’ve heard so many horror stories about Airbnbs and I don’t want to worry about it when I’m on vacation. I just want to go in and have a clean room with toiletries, and I want my bed made everyday. I don’t want to worry about my room not being clean or a rude host.
One friend of mine found that her Airbnb also housed the host’s male relative and none of the doors had locks… she found a dead rat too, and reported it, and the owner kicked her out afterwards! Had to find a hotel to live in. Another friend of mine used Airbnb for the first time during an internship in a different state. He and his roommates were also kicked out for no reason, and the host tried to charge them the next month’s rent and a cleaning fee on top of the deposits they’d already paid. When they didn’t pay and rented a different Airbnb after being forced out of the old one, the old host got them banned from the app. He ended up flying home early after the worst summer of his life. I think I’ll stick to a hotel…
One company that wasn’t mentioned here, but is very relevant to the topic: VRBO. VRBO (and the vacation rental business in general) has existed for a long time, and Airbnb’s business model is FAR closer to theirs than it ever has been to hotels. Airbnb has also done more to disrupt that business than it has to disrupt the hotel business, and VRBO has become a lot more like Airbnb- to the point where they are essentially direct competitors now.
My grandmother and aunt were charged 400$ for wine that was “missing” at an air bnb. Neither drink alcohol at all. When they arrived the sink had dirty dishes in it and the place wasn’t clean. When they brought this to the owner’s attention and told him that they don’t drink… the owner told them the only person staying there was his brother in law and he wouldn’t have done it. Likewise, I stayed at a place was dirty, didn’t have enough towels and wash cloths, had a broken hot tub and then accused me of stealing a fake plant and breaking the hot tub that was already broken…. even after I brought all of this to their attention. Air bnb didn’t make me pay for anything, but did pay to fix the hot tub for the owner… luckily I took photos of most everything when we arrived because of how poorly maintained the place was. It was nothing like the photos. Still air bnb took care of everything and wouldn’t let me leave them a bad review because they felt that maintenence items weren’t fair to judge the place on… nevermind that they lied and tried to hit me with an 800$ bill for their old, broken hot tub that smelled like mold. I deleted my account after that and will NEVER use air bnb again. Total scam.
The one thing I really enjoy about AirBnB that I think hotels can’t offer is the experience of renting out an entire apartment with a couple of friends for an affordable price that can be split between the occupants. You can all be together in a hostel room, but it’s not as comfortable as being in a real apartment, and budget hotels usually only have 2-bed rooms.
Living in South America for 8 years or so, I’ve used a lot of airBNB and hotels both when exploring here as well as returning home. AirBNB in the US is bleeding itself now, imo. It is SO expensive. Last time in the US was last summer, bouncing around the TN/NC/SC area, the cheapest AirBNB came out to $150 a night (own structure, A/C, kitchen, washer, wi-fi requisites). The price cited is lower per night, but once all the fees are compounded it’s tough. The AirBNB we noted as cheapest was nothing special at all. It was in a town near other cooler towns to visit and had our checklist above. Year prior went to visit family in Phoenix, Arizona. In JULY. It’s 110 out. Used to be able to get a nice place for <$100/night, lower if extended stay. Last time? 1BR nothing special was $150. For every owner that goes out of their way to hook up a guest with food and entertainment recommendations, beer and water in the fridge and things to make us feel at home - and we've had plenty - there have been spartan places that looked better in pics than live, have almost no additional amenities (adaptors for power outlets being a simple one), mediocre at best bedding. I guess in some places we've been, we do live like a local. It seems like every entity in the US capable of leeching a couple bucks off AirBNB is out to bleed the customer. And it IS a US thing. I've rented a 2br, 2ba full kitchen, wifi, washer/drier right across the street from Copacabana, Post 2 in Rio for less than any AirBNB we've visited in our last two trips to the US. Factoring in both what the place has and where the place is, nothing we've done in the US is comparable. Visiting places in 2019 like Spain/Portugal, stayed in place places in Madrid, Astorga, Porto and Lisbon for under $80. Compared to $150+, for Phoenix, in 110F July. Meanwhile last summer when visiting Asheville, NC, stayed at a swell hotel, comfy King Size bed, walking distance of the breweries for like $110-115 a night. The money we saved over two nights in lodgings covered a good amount of quality local barley soda. Further using 3rd Party Websites like Hotels.com, every 10th night, I get an 11th free. I get rewarded for continually using the product. I've never had a hotel cancel last minute - had several instances with AirBNB hosts. When visiting the US, the only reason I can see to rent an AirBNB in most places now is if we're staying for more than 3-4 nights, need to do laundry and a kitchen will cut down on other expenses as we hit a supermarket and do our own meals. SO any extended vacation covering more than a single location will see us alternate a mix of the two.