The hotel industry has long been shaped by mergers and acquisitions, with Marriott’s 2016 acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts standing as a landmark event. It created the world’s largest hotel group, sparking debates about brand overlap and the sustainability of managing a vast portfolio.
Nearly a decade later, in 2025, the effects of this pivotal merger continue to reshape the global hospitality industry. What began as a singular massive consolidation has evolved into an industry-wide pattern, with other major players following suit to remain competitive.
However, in doing so, they face a critical strategic challenge: managing increasingly bloated brand portfolios without confusing consumers or diluting brand equity.
This article revisits the original concerns about brand consolidation, examines Marriott’s evolution since the merger, and assesses which brands remain at risk or have thrived.
Marriott’s Mega-Merger
Photo credit: Marriott http://www.marriott.com/marriott-brands.mi
On September 23, 2016, the hospitality industry witnessed a transformative moment when Marriott completed its long-anticipated merger with Starwood Hotels & Resorts.
This deal created the world's largest hotel group—a hospitality behemoth comprising approximately 5,700 hotels and 1.1 million rooms worldwide. The merger united Marriott's 19 brands with Starwood's 11, resulting in a portfolio of 30 distinct brands.
This unprecedented scale offered opportunities for global dominance but also posed challenges in managing brand identity and customer perception.
Contrary to industry speculation, the company did not drastically reduce its number of brands. Instead, Marriott made strategic moves to streamline and enhance its portfolio while maintaining most of its brand identities.
As of 2025, Marriott International operates 37 hotel and timeshare brands across more than 9,300 properties with approximately 1.7 million rooms in 144 countries.
This expansion demonstrates growth rather than significant brand consolidation in the years following the merger. Here's an overview of what has happened regarding brand consolidation and portfolio management since the merger.
Portfolio Evolution and Strategic Focus
Photo credit: The Ritz Carlton http://www.ritzcarlton.com/
Marriott focused on refining its portfolio through categorization, new brand introductions, and targeted acquisitions, while keeping most of its legacy Marriott and Starwood brands intact.
The company continues to organize its brands into classic and distinctive categories, further segmented into luxury, premium, select, and longer stay tiers to clarify offerings for customers and owners. Key developments include:
- City Express by Marriott: Acquired in 2023, this midscale brand added approximately 17,500 rooms, primarily in Latin America, and has since expanded into the U.S., Canada, and other regions like Nicaragua and Bolivia.
- StudioRes: Launched in 2023 as a midscale extended-stay brand for the U.S. and Canada, with 35 properties in the pipeline by 2024.
- Four Points Flex by Sheraton: Introduced in 2023 as a conversion-friendly midscale brand in Europe, Middle East, Africa (EMEA), and Asia Pacific (APEC), with 28 open properties by 2024.
- CitizenM Acquisition: In April 2025, Marriott acquired the lifestyle brand CitizenM for $355 million, adding 36 hotels to its portfolio, further diversifying its offerings in the lifestyle segment.
These additions suggest that Marriott has prioritized growth and diversification over aggressive brand elimination, leveraging its scale to compete in varied market segments.
Brand Consolidation Outcomes
Photo credit: Bulgari http://www.bulgarihotels.com/en_US/
While the company hasn’t publicly discontinued many of the 30 brands from the 2016 merger, it has implemented subtle shifts. By focusing on conversions, soft brand growth, and targeted acquisitions, Marriot has successfully enhanced the diversity of its portfolio.
The following outlines the status of key brands flagged for potential consolidation.
- Bulgari: The Bulgari Hotels brand remains active within Marriott’s luxury portfolio, with properties like The Bulgari Hotel Tokyo opening in 2023. There is no evidence of it being folded into The Luxury Collection, though its growth remains limited due to its niche positioning.
- EDITION: Far from being consolidated, EDITION has expanded, with new openings like The Jeddah EDITION in 2024 and a pipeline of additional properties. Its lifestyle focus aligns with Marriott’s strategy to capture younger, experience-driven travelers, ruling out a merger with W Hotels for now.
- Luxury Collection and Autograph Collection: Both soft brands continue to thrive independently, with The Luxury Collection entering new markets like Germany (Koenigshof, Munich) and Autograph Collection representing 30% of global conversion rooms signed in 2022. No merger has occurred, as their distinct identities serve different owner and guest needs.
- Renaissance: Renaissance remains a key upper-upscale brand, with no indication of being merged into Le Meridien. Marriott continues to open new Renaissance properties, such as in vibrant urban destinations, maintaining its focus on local culture and creativity.
- Tribute Portfolio: This soft brand has not been folded into Autograph Collection and continues to grow, representing a significant portion of conversion deals alongside Autograph and The Luxury Collection. By 2023, collection brands (including Tribute Portfolio) accounted for 29% of global conversion rooms signed.
- Delta: Acquired in 2015, Delta Hotels has been retained as a distinct brand, particularly strong in Canada, with no reports of its properties being fully rebranded into Courtyard or Marriott. It continues to serve the premium segment with a focus on simplicity and efficiency.
- Four Points by Sheraton: Rather than being absorbed into Courtyard, Four Points has been revitalized with the launch of Four Points Flex by Sheraton in 2023, targeting midscale conversions in EMEA and APEC. This suggests Marriott sees value in maintaining and adapting the brand.
Additionally, Marriott has aggressively pursued conversions, with 25% of room openings in 2023 and over 30% in 2024 coming from converting existing properties to Marriott brands.
For instance, the success of soft brands like Autograph Collection and Tribute Portfolio provides flexibility to integrate independent or underperforming properties without forcing them into rigid brand standards, reducing the need to eliminate brands.
In 2024, Marriott announced its largest organizational restructuring in a decade, targeting $90 million in annual cost savings starting in 2025. While not directly tied to brand elimination, this suggests a focus on operational efficiency, which could involve repositioning weaker properties.
Industry Trends, Strategy, and Challenges
Photo credit: W Hotels http://www.starwoodhotels.com/whotels/
The speculated trend toward brand rationalization, as seen with AccorHotels’ ibis extensions and TUI’s focus on its core brand, has not fully materialized for Marriott.
Instead, it has leaned into its scale as a competitive advantage, supported by its Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program, which grew to 219 million members by 2024.
The program’s strength helps unify the portfolio, mitigating customer confusion by allowing guests to earn and redeem points across all brands, from luxury (e.g., St. Regis) to midscale (e.g., City Express).
Marriott’s focus on luxury and midscale segments also reflects industry trends. In 2024, the company signed a record 61 luxury hotel deals, expanding brands like W Hotels and St. Regis, while simultaneously growing its midscale presence to capture middle-class travelers.
This dual strategy suggests Marriott is less concerned with reducing brands and more focused on tailoring its portfolio to diverse market demands. However, despite avoiding large-scale consolidation, Marriott has faced challenges:
- Brand Overlap: Some overlap persists, particularly in the premium and upper-upscale segments (e.g., Renaissance vs. Le Meridien), which could dilute marketing efforts. However, Marriott’s tiered categorization and focus on conversions appear to manage this effectively.
- Owner Concerns: Post-merger, some hotel owners expressed concerns about increased competition among Marriott brands and potential rebranding costs. For instance, a Renaissance property was reportedly offered a conversion to Delta, perceived as a downgrade, requiring significant capital expenditure.
- Cultural Integration: Integrating Starwood’s progressive culture with Marriott’s more structured approach has been challenging, with some owners noting Marriott’s rigidity in negotiations.
Hotel Consolidation: Key Takeaways
Photo credit: JW Marriott http://www.marriott.com/jw-marriott/travel.mi
Contrary to speculation in 2016, Marriott has not significantly reduced its 30-brand portfolio but has instead grown it, adding brands like City Express, StudioRes, Four Points Flex, and CitizenM.
Strategic conversions, soft brand growth, and a robust loyalty program have allowed Marriott to maintain its diverse portfolio without major consolidations.
While some brands like Bulgari and EDITION remain niche, they continue to operate, and no major brands from the original 30 have been publicly discontinued.
Marriott’s strategy focuses on leveraging its scale, expanding into high-growth segments, and enhancing operational efficiency, positioning it to thrive in a competitive hospitality landscape. For the latest details on Marriott’s brand portfolio, visit Marriott’s official website.
