Marriott International seems to add an Autograph Collection hotel member every week. There are three new hotel members of Autograph Collection making news this week. Autograph Collection Hotels add Dubai, Palm Springs and Portland, Maine.
Triada Palm Springs has a 75-year history as a desert resort getaway for the Hollywood set. The Spanish Colonial Revival architecture of the property was known as the Ambassador Hotel from 1948 to 1972 when the widow of actor Alan Ladd purchased the hotel and renamed it Alan Ladd’s Spanish Inn. In 1982 the name was shortened to The Spanish Inn after Sue Carol Ladd died.
In 2012 the hotel was purchased and remodeled by Pacifica Host Hotels. Each of the 56 guest rooms in three hotel wings is unique and many offer kitchens. Beds with 300 thread-count linens, 42-inch TVs, free Wi-Fi and Keurig coffee makers bring the hotel to 21st century comfort.
Habtoor Grand Beach Resort & Spa in Dubai
The first Autograph Collection property in the Middle East is Habtoor Grand Beach Resort & Spa in Dubai. The hotel offers private beach access in its location next to the Dubai Marina and Jumeirah Beach. The 446-room 5-star hotel is Marriott Rewards category 8 at 40,000 points per reward night.
The Press Hotel, Portland Maine
The Press Hotel will open May 2015 in the former Portland Press Herald building. The interior design is focused on print and words with newspaper content incorporated into various aspects of the design. 110 guest rooms are inspired by a 1920s writer’s office including a vintage-style journalist desk and playful newsroom references. The lobby bar is called The Inkwell.
Room rates starting at $299 seems ambitious to me. It has been almost 20 years since I lived in Maine, but I doubt the main tourist season from Independence Day to Labor Day has changed. I will be interested to see what the room rates are next March 2016. I’ll bet they are well below $300 per night.
Marriott is growing Autograph Collection quickly with 80 hotels and expanding. Last week there was a city council meeting in Menlo Park where details of a $100 million new build 11-story 250-room luxury hotel beside Highway 101 in the San Francisco Bay Area was described as an Autograph Collection hotel member with rooms starting at $400 per night. This is a development proposal that is still months away from ground breaking.
The city council liked the proposal and the projected hotel tax revenue. I can see Menlo Park fetching $400 per night, even for a hotel by Highway 101. Four Seasons Palo Alto makes the freeway location work for a luxury hotel.
Of course, being California, development hurdles are immense.
Council members said they were impressed with the proposal but encouraged Bohannon’s team to explore a design that won’t endanger birds from flying into glass buildings.
Menlo Gateway project gets council’s enthusiastic blessing – March 11, 2015 – San Jose Mercury News
Sources:
The Press Hotel Portland Maine
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