The 100-strong brand was launched just six years ago and has been growing by 15-20% a year. Much of the growth so far has been in the US, but Europe is a key focus for the coming years according to Julius Robinson, Autograph Collection’s vice president.
He said: “There’s a really good environment for hotel development at the moment and we’re really excited about the level of interest in this brand; the pace will not be slowing.”
There are 30 Autograph properties in Europe at the moment, which is set to grow to 50 by 2018.
Autograph is working with the Roomers group in Germany, including a new 130-room hotel in Baden Baden and Roomers Munich, which will have 290 rooms, a Japanese restaurant and spa.
Other openings in Europe will include Breda, a key city in Holland, where a hotel is being created out of two old palaces and a church. “It bridges the corporate gap for people who want offices in Brussels and Amsterdam as it’s a good distance from both,” Robinson explained.
For 2017, Autograph has already signed hotels due to open in Eze in the South of France and Greece’s Peloponnese, while in 2018, there will be hotels in Paris, Antwerp and Reims.
Robinson said the brand’s website would be redesigned this year to “help consumers navigate” the breadth of hotels that were now part of the collection.
“Consumers are starting to ask us more about who we are so we will dial up brand presence for Autograph this year,” Robinson explained.
“Some of the hotels we are including are created by true preservationists and are projects which are rehabilitating or even launching new areas. Our motto is ‘Exactly Like Nothing Else’ and the hotels we feature really are falling into line with that,” he added.
Higher agent engagement will also be sought as the brand continues to grow.
“We need the agent community more than ever as we grow this brand and we will be looking to launch a high-end programme for them this year in Europe – we hope they will help us share the message with their customers,” Robinson said.
Autograph Collection sits under Marriott’s Luxury and Lifestyle division alongside Ritz-Carlton, Edition, Bulgari, JW Marriott, Renaissance Hotels, AC Hotels and Moxy Hotels.
The whole division is expected to grow to 650 hotels by the end of 2016 and accounts for a quarter of Marriott’s system-wide current development pipeline, with future plans calling for more than 250 additional projects in the division over the next several years.
