Following an extensive review of its business and ongoing shifts in the travel landscape, Design Hotels is excited to announce the launch of a new Affiliation Model. Scheduled to roll out this Summer, the new offering presents an exciting opportunity for existing and new properties in the Design Hotels portfolio to fully tap into Marriott International’s powerful global distribution channel and the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program, while simultaneously maintaining the independent spirit in which Design Hotels was conceived.

Designed to be a more productive and highly-competitive business solution for the full Design Hotels portfolio, the Affiliation Model will provide member hotels with the power and reach of parent company Marriott International, while allowing Design Hotels’ independent nature to flourish. This pioneering strategy — developed after a careful, in-depth study of the marketplace — moves far beyond the offerings of competitors’ plans and clearly sets Design Hotels apart in the industry. Having liaised with owners and member hotels to better understand the shifting needs of hotel businesses across the globe, the Design Hotels Affiliation Model has been specifically curated to meet the needs and unique commercial support required by most of the Berlin-based company’s portfolio.

A key component of the Affiliation Model is Marriott Bonvoy, the hospitality industry’s most powerful loyalty program membership base, with more than 160 million members. By fully connecting member properties to Marriott’s powerful global distribution channel and loyalty program, the new Affiliation Model will allow hotels to gain a competitive advantage through economies of scale, in addition to being a great driver of business.

Additional key elements for the new Affiliation Model include:

  • Member properties associated with Design Hotels will be able to tap into many of the benefits of Marriott International easily while still receiving the Sales & Marketing services currently offered by Design Hotels
  • The plan will provide access to Marriott’s booking engine and Marriott Bonvoy
  • The program will be rolled out across the entire Design Hotels portfolio starting from June 2022 to create a consistent and effective approach

    With this new business model, Design Hotels and its portfolio of over 300 hotels are creating a new and important chapter in the hospitality industry. Based on initial feedback, this new model will be more suitable for the unique type of owner and hotel that thrive within its member community.

About Design Hotels

Design Hotels™ represents and markets a curated selection of over 300 independent hotels in more than 60 countries across the globe. More than a collection of hotels, the company is a collection of stories. Each property reflects the ideas of a visionary hotelier, an "Original", someone with a passion for genuine hospitality, cultural authenticity, thought-provoking design and architecture. Each "Original" stands for the individual, aesthetic and service-driven experience that his or her hotel provides.

In 2017, Design Hotels™ launched Further, a traveling laboratory for experiential hospitality that transforms hotels across the globe into temporal hubs of thematic exploration. The mission behind Further aligns with the values of the future-facing Promad, a new generation of traveler embracing progressive travel and global nomadism. First identified by Design Hotels™ in collaboration with leading futures consultancy The Future Laboratory, the purpose-driven, self-actualizing Promadic movement is set to shape the future of hospitality.

Founded by Claus Sendlinger in 1993, Design Hotels™ offers its members insightful travel industry knowledge, from market trend consultancy to international sales representation. The company has its headquarters in Berlin and branches in London, Los Angeles, New York and Singapore. In 2019, Design Hotels™ joined forces with Marriott Bonvoy, enabling its member hotels to have both a greater and more selective reach while offering its Community the benefit of the industry's leading loyalty program.

Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is based in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, and encompasses a portfolio of nearly 8,000 properties under 30 leading brands spanning 139 countries and territories. Marriott operates and franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts all around the world. The company offers Marriott Bonvoy®, its highly-awarded travel program. For more information, please visit our website at www.marriott.com, and for the latest company news, visit www.marriottnewscenter.com. In addition, connect with us on Facebook and @MarriottIntl on Twitter and Instagram.