Starwood Hotels & Resorts will join the likes of Marriott International and Hilton Worldwide by launching a non-branded collection of properties.
The hotelier, whose brands include Sheraton, W and Aloft, said on its earnings call Tuesday that it is planning a "collection brand" whose amenities will put its properties between Starwood's Luxury Collection and its "design" hotels.
Starwood, the No. 3 publicly traded U.S. hotelier behind Marriott and Hilton, started talks with some of its developer partners late last year, CEO Frits van Paasschen said on Tuesday's call. He didn't disclose the name of the collection or further details in terms of timing, but did say the company was "well along" in the process of adding or converting some hotels.
Non-branded properties, or "soft" branding, is gaining in popularity as the major hoteliers reach the geographic limits of their existing brands within some of the world's most visited cities. Marriott debuted its Autograph Collection of independent properties in 2010 and has since added more than 80 properties worldwide, including New York's Algonquin, Las Vegas's Cosmopolitan and, more recently, the Bahamas' Atlantis Paradise Island.
Meanwhile, Hilton last year debuted its Curio group, which includes properties such as the SLS Las Vegas Hotel & Casino and the Highland Dallas.