Every One of Marriott's 30 Hotel Brands, Explained

Now that Marriott International is on track to complete its acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts on Sept. 23, the company will be formally inheriting 11 new brands to add to its existing 19. Here's a look at how Marriott and Starwood have respectively positioned each one of those 30 brands up to this point, as well as our take on how they really operate in the current hospitality landscape. Note: Global footprint numbers and quoted takes from Marriott and Starwood come from each company's respective 2015 annual reports, reflecting property and room numbers as of Dec. 30, 2015. Luxury St. Regis Global Footprint: 36 hotels; 8,100 rooms Starwood Take: "St. Regis is for connoisseurs who desire the finest expressions of luxury. They provide flawless and bespoke service to high-end leisure and business travelers." Skift Take: Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson has said both The Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis are very strong and unique verticals with enough space in the luxury segment for them to succeed, independent of each other. For that reason, it's pretty likely this brand will remain well after the merger. Ritz-Carlton Global Footprint: 96 hotels; 27,131 rooms Marriott Take: "A luxury hospitality brand where the genuine care and comfort of guests is the highest mission" and they can "enjoy a warm, relaxed, yet refined ambience." Skift Take: As noted above, it's highly doubtful The Ritz-Carlton brand is going anywhere. The brand was also ranked No. 1 in J.D. Power's annual Hotel Guest Satisfaction rankings for this year. But, as with many luxury brands, St. Regis included, it faces a challenge in breaking out of the stereotypical perceptions of old luxury and being perceived as something more modern, contemporary, and relevant to today's luxury travelers. Bulgari Hotels & Resorts Global Footprint: 3 hotels; 202 rooms Marriott Take: "Bulgari Hotels & Resorts, developed in partnership with jeweler and luxury goods designer Bulgari Spa, is a collection of sophisticated, intimate luxury properties located in exclusive destinations. With properties in London, Milan, and Bali and food and beverage outlets in Tokyo, premium individuality is the rule -- no detail is too small, no experience too grand." Skift Take: This is still a very small luxury brand, size-wise, when you compare it to St. Regis or The Ritz-Carlton, or even Edition, for that matter. But the Bulgari name certainly has a cache that we're pretty certa