Preferred Hotel Group has moved from a multi-branded business model to one master brand, Preferred Hotels and Resorts.
The move has seen Preferred axe Preferred Boutique, Summit Hotels and Resorts, Sterling Hotels, Sterling Design, and Summit Serviced Residences in favour of five new collections, Legend, LVX, Lifestyle, Connect, and Preferred Residences.
Preferred President and CEO, Lindsey Ueberroth, said the move is about leveraging the strong heritage of the Preferred name, and the corporate rebrand represents the company’s commitment to a new consumer-focused approach that is designed to elevate core awareness of the brand, drive strategic growth of its portfolio, and improve market share for its member hotels by making it easier for travellers to identify the singular hospitality experience that meets their needs and life and style preferences for each occasion.
“In a time when seemingly every hotel company is introducing new brands that target specific demographics, we are doing the opposite by transitioning from a house of brands to a branded house,” she said.
“Driven by evolving consumer expectations and changing travel trends, our new brand architecture creates stronger clarity for the Preferred Hotels and Resorts brand within the marketplace and allows us to elevate and focus attention on our world-class collection of independent hotels and resorts,” Ueberroth said.
Effective last week (Mar 5), all of the company’s 650 member hotels and resorts are represented by the Preferred Hotels and Resorts brand.
Ueberroth said understanding that travelers have different objectives for each individual trip, each property has been aligned with one of five new collections – Legend, LVX, Lifestyle, Connect, and Preferred Residences – which provide a more intuitive way for consumers to search, consider, and book their lodging based on the type of luxury experience they are seeking.
She said each collection is defined by a fixed set of criteria across 10 categories, which, in addition to experience, focus on critical service standards, physical facilities, and awards and recognition.
“Today’s travel consumer is not one-dimensional, so it is no longer strategic for us to imply that there is only one definition of luxury,” she said.
“By defining hotels based on experiences versus brands or stars, we are creating stronger positioning for our member hotels and expanding their opportunities to reach more guests.”
The Preferred brand was originally established in 1968 by a group of hoteliers as a referral organization for hotels called Preferred Hotels Association. Now in its 11th year of ownership by the Ueberroth Family, it is the world’s largest independent hotel brand with 250 associates based in nearly 40 cities across the globe.