Curio, Hilton's 11th addition to the Hilton Worldwide brand portfolio, is combining individual hotels that wouldn't normally fit into the Hilton brands such as Embassy Suites, Waldorf or Conrad.
"These are rare, statement hotels that have their own following. There has been huge demand for these types of properties" said Chris Nassetta, Chief Executive ahead of the brand launch.
Launching under the 'a delight to discover, impossible to forget' banner the brand is targeting four and five star luxury boutique and lifestyle resort properties to join the collection. The brand will use it's scale and scope and the Hilton Honours loyalty program which has around 40 million members to drive occupancy in addition to other distribution channels. Fees for owners to tap into program benefits and the Hilton reservation system are so far undisclosed. The SLS Las Vegas is the biggest name attached to the collection, with deals in Doha and Dubai expected imminently. There are already comparisons being made with Marriott's Autograph Collection brand which successfully pioneered big brand support for individual and independent hotels, whilst Hilton licked its wounds following the espionage lawsuit and the removal of Hilton's then Denizen boutique hotel brand - a successful legal action brought by Starwood Hotels and Resorts, which included a two year boutique hotel non-compete brand 'ban' which expired last year. Curio is just one of two lifestyle brands being launched by Hilton - the next is a unnamed brand expected to target tech-savvy travellers.
www.curiocollection.com
schrager.jpg)
