Hilton Worldwide, which debuted its Curio group of independently-run hotels in 2014, on Monday announced its second "soft brand" called Tapestry Collection by Hilton.
The world's second-largest hotel company after Marriott International has signed letters of intent for seven hotels to join the Tapestry Collection, including properties in Chicago and Nashville, as well as two in Indianapolis. Hilton will add its first hotel to the new brand, the hotel company's 14th, by September.
Tapestry Collection properties will be "original upscale hotels that cater to guests seeking reliability and value in their independent hotel choices," Hilton said in a statement Monday.
The new badge will compete in the upscale sector, which includes brands like Choice Hotels' Ascend Collection, InterContinental Hotels Group's Hotel Indigo and Even Hotels, Marriott's Residence Inn and Springhill Suites, and Hilton's own Hilton Garden Inn and Homewood Suites.
Hilton Worldwide global head of Curio and Tapestry Mark Nogal, who declined to identify the hotels that have committed to joining Tapestry, said the brand stemmed from the fact that many of the hotel owners who approached Hilton for potential Curio hotels "didn't quite fit." He expects most of the hotels will be existing or converted full-service properties, though didn't rule out new-build or adaptive reuse sites.
"There's a white space we see," Nogal said in an interview at the Americas Lodging Investment Summit in Los Angeles, referring to the fact that soft brands such as Curio, as well as Marriott International's Autograph Collection and Tribute Portfolio all compete in the sector where Tapestry will compete. "The hotels will retain their identity. We're just coming in and giving that validation a lift."
Hilton debuted its Curio group of upper-upscale independent hotels in 2014 and has since added 30 hotels to that collection, including the Highland Dallas, the Ames Boston Hotel and Florida's Diplomat Beach Resort.