/PRZWT/Recently, Marriott International announced that the total number of its Marriott by Marriott hotels in operation and under construction in China has reached 150, setting a new record and highlighting the brand's strong growth in the curated services sector. Before this, the brand had just completed its first brand renewal launch since entering the Greater China region.
It is worth mentioning that David Marriott, the Chairman of the Board of Marriott International, specially participated in the "Simple Beauty, Free in the Maple Scenery - Brand Lounge and Fireside Chat" event held in Hangzhou during his latest trip to China. Not long ago, the refreshed product design of Marriott by Marriott was also unveiled in Hangzhou. The recent frequent moves by Marriott by Marriott are sufficient to demonstrate to the outside world the group's high regard for the brand's development in the Greater China region.
Tracing the origin and innovation lead to a brand renewal that is highly desirable
The Marriott by Marriott originated from the Marriott family's Maple Manor located at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains. This place, far from the hustle and bustle, was where Mr. And Mrs. JW Marriott enjoyed a pure life and entertained guests. Just as Mr. David Marriott shared, this estate holds so many wonderful memories of the family. Even now, around his son's birthday every year, he takes him to the farm, rides an off-road motorcycle and plays freely in the mud, enjoying happy times.
Since its debut in the Greater China region in 2017, the brand has been committed to implementing its products with the core concept of "natural and simple beauty". As a consumer and industry observer, to be fair, over the past eight years, the brand image of "simplicity" has been deeply associated with Marriott by Marriott, to the extent that it often leads people to ask, "Where is the living atmosphere of the Marriott by Marriott Estate? Can there be a bit more feeling?"
The most outstanding design stories often stem from sincere emotional connections. After eight years in China, Marriott by Marriott has undergone a "long-awaited renewal" : returning to the origin of the brand, it has inspired and innovated by tracing back to its roots, integrating a simple, pure and nature-friendly lifestyle philosophy into design details, deepening the connection between the brand and the historical heritage of the Marriott family, and responding to the demands of Chinese consumers with a warm and comfortable stay experience. This not only gives Wan Hao Wan Feng a sense of story, but also fills people with imagination about "the beauty of simplicity, freely in the maple scenery", which can be said to be a brand renewal journey that is highly desirable.
One of the spatial designs is based on the prototype of Wanfeng Manor, extracting core design elements and nourishing rebirth with the aesthetics of the manor.
Continuing the design concept of "Natural and simple beauty" of the Marriott by Marriott brand, the new product retains its modern feel and simple design language. On this basis, it strengthens the brand imprint, reinterprets it with the aesthetics of the estate and the natural elements of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and creates a warmer space.
The purity and serenity of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the gently flowing Laphannok River, towering trees and lush green grass - these affable elements from nature are precisely the healing methods to soothe people's hearts. Integrating the natural imagery of the Blue Ridge Mountains into the design details can enable busy modern people to experience "natural tranquility" here. For instance, on the basis of continuing the blue and wood tones inspired by the Blue Ridge Mountains, the estate green and earth tones are further integrated, making the space as a whole retain a simple and elegant temperament, while adding a touch of warmth and comfort, and highlighting the texture more.
The laid-back style of manor life has also been magnified in the new design, especially in the application of materials and design details, which are all manifestations of natural inspiration. For instance, by choosing the texture of natural wood veneer and setting up green plants, the natural atmosphere of the estate life is conveyed. Meanwhile, the daily life elements of Wanfeng Manor are extracted to create unique scenes. For instance, the barn door is designed as a distinctive decoration for the elevator hall, and the background wall at the front desk is inspired by the "view upon opening the window" to showcase the natural charm of the Blue Ridge Mountains. These ingenious design ideas, on the basis of enriching the visual experience of the space, are presented in a brand-new artistic way to realize the realization of the manor's life scene.
Secondly, the functional configuration integrates "maple scenery" with spatial functions, taking into account both business travel and leisure, and enhancing the brand's experience and adaptability.
Based on the increasingly individualized and diverse consumption insights of customer demands, more and more brands, when upgrading and rejuvenating, will follow the principle of shifting from a traditional business-oriented approach to a space function configuration that also takes into account business and leisure, in order to better attract and serve new customer groups. This brand renewal focuses on the four core needs of living, namely office work, sleep, bathing and service. By upgrading and refreshing the three Spaces of the living room, dining room and guest room, Marriott by Marriott aims to create an experience that combines efficiency and concentration with ease and comfort.
On the one hand, the renovated lobby public area combines modern simplicity with the charm of an manor, offering a dynamic and multi-scene switching spatial experience. For instance, the newly added Wanfeng Living Room integrates multiple functions such as office meetings, leisure socializing and retail. The fireplace and artistic furnishings that highlight the brand's characteristics create a pleasant atmosphere for gatherings. The Juyi Long table provides a convenient and comfortable ideal place for efficient office work and sharing and communication. The private negotiation space is flexibly adapted to diverse needs such as socializing, communication and small meetings. Worry-free Grocery Store carefully selects business trip essentials, local snacks and emergency supplies to replenish all your travel needs at any time.
On the other hand, the renovated guest rooms continue the "beauty of natural simplicity", achieving an upgrade in both aesthetics and functionality. The natural-textured walls, the wood-veneered TV wall with fireplace imagery and the freehand decorative paintings depicting the outline of the Blue Ridge Mountains all highlight the beauty of nature and a relaxed and carefree atmosphere. In response to the fast-paced work demands of business and travel guests, the guest rooms introduce the concept of "free office", specially equipped with ergonomic chairs and eye-protecting lamps. The desks can be optionally equipped with electric lifting functions and wireless charging to create a focused and efficient free office experience. The bathroom in the guest room adopts a layout design that combines glass partitions with solid walls, enhancing privacy and optimizing the guest experience. Among them, the bathing system has been upgraded to an embedded operation panel, which not only improves the aesthetic appeal of the space but also makes the bathing process more intuitive and convenient.
The renovated Marriott by Marriott Hotel not only enhances the overall brand experience but also improves the adaptability of the space to various scenarios and the operational efficiency of the space. For instance, Wanfeng Restaurant adopts a concealed open stall layout, ingeniously dividing the food pick-up area from the dining area, enhancing the efficiency of the circulation and the order of the space. During peak dining hours, it can also be connected to the Wanfeng Living Room for use, further enhancing the floor efficiency and space utilization rate. By further optimizing the space utilization, not only is the integration and flexible switching of different functional areas achieved, but also space can be better exchanged for time to improve operational efficiency.
Thirdly, the service details, the considerate details interpret the sincere and warm hospitality of Marriott Wanfeng, and have the emotional value of "surprise".
No one dares to deny that emotions are reshaping the logic of consumption, and emotional consumption itself is becoming a kind of functional consumption. Emotional value has become the collective pursuit of the new generation of consumers. Maidian believes that the evolution direction of hotel services might be to provide emotional value.
Regular visits to the Marriott family for relaxation and vacation have become a tradition. It has also become a social stage where they entertain relatives and friends, employees, business partners, and even social celebrities. The author has no way of learning more about the service details in Wanfeng Manor. However, it must be said that one of the service details of this brand renewal has truly brought an emotional value of "unexpected surprise" - the Blue Maple Mountain Essential Oil Fragrance sign, an arrival welcome experience inspired by the vegetation of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Two fragrance types accompany guests to immerse themselves in a peaceful dream or enjoy the efficient and focused time during the journey. The welcome gift basket carefully selects high-quality honey products and snacks with local characteristics, conveying full sincerity and warm hospitality through a taste experience.
Hotel services are becoming increasingly competitive, which inevitably gives Marriott by Marriott a refreshing and refined feel. To be honest, the launch of the essential oil fragrance label and the welcome gift basket has truly refreshed my perception of its brand. It gives me a refreshing sense of self-breakthrough and a pleasant surprise from the service." Some travel bloggers have pointed out that the emotional value provided by minimalism is not only about meeting the requirements of visual "emptiness" and "scarcity", but also about remeasuring the relationship between people and objects, space and self. Sometimes, a small object may just become the carrier of young people's emotions and feelings.
Each generation of young people has its own way of expressing emotional values. According to a survey by Nandu Bay Finance Society, the post-80s generation prefers stress-relieving toys and giant snacks, and when consuming, they place the greatest emphasis on practical usage needs. The post-90s generation mainly consumes for relaxation. Over 90% of the post-90s are more willing to purchase physical goods such as fragrances and dolls. The post-2000s generation pays more attention to social needs and is more willing to pay for trendy toys, potted plants, virtual experiences and other aspects. Among them, 76.47% spent 5,000 to 10,000 yuan on emotional consumption in the past year. From this perspective, the brand renewal of Marriott by Marriott has found a forward-looking and youthful communication approach in the service aspect.
How to create a model of selected service hotel investment?
Marriott International, which adheres to a steady development approach, emphasizes "the durability of design templates and the universality of design concepts" at the level of product upgrading and replacement to prevent a certain degree of cognitive confusion regarding brand consistency caused by overly rapid product launches. Therefore, in the minds of many investors, the renewal of the brands under Marriott is particularly worth looking forward to.
Maidian learned that as the first brand renewal release in eight years, Marriott by Marriott not only conducted extensive consumer research during the product upgrade process but also fully collected the concerns and upgrade suggestions of investors. Judging from the feedback from investors, it not only enhances the quality and quantity of the consumer experience but also fully considers the investment returns, and is hailed as a "new model for investment in select-service hotel brands". What methodology lies behind this?
The first is cost optimization, improving quality and quantity without raising prices, and controlling investment costs well.
The most distinctive feature of the new product of Marriott by Marriott in terms of investment lies in "improving quality and quantity without increasing price". Even after the upgrade, it still maintains a single room cost of 178,000 yuan. Behind this, a deep analysis of the core pain points is needed, and they should be precisely matched with the cost input - for the parts related to user experience, one should dare to invest more. The parts involving standard procedures and resource integration should be reasonably optimized.
For instance, taking IT and fire protection as examples, their presentation of the consumer experience is far less intuitive or frequent than that of design appearance, food taste, and bedding comfort. Once problems arise, they may cause significant losses, such as information security and privacy, life and property safety, etc. All these must be strictly required to a high standard during the hotel's preparation stage, and even more investment should be made when necessary to prevent potential risks. In addition, for the parts that can generate sustainable value in the future, investment should also be reasonably increased. As for the decoration cost, it can rely on the group's supply chain advantages and reduce the input cost through various means such as using environmentally friendly materials and shortening the supply cycle. For example, after the renovation, the fabric sofas and other furniture in the guest rooms of Marriott by Marriott can be flexibly moved, which is convenient for guests to use and better conforms to the conditions of different properties, which can accelerate the overall construction progress and reduce the procurement cost.
It is worth noting that this generation of consumers are only willing to pay for "core values". As a select-service hotel brand, Marriott by Marriott, on the basis of limited-service hotels, carefully selects some service facilities and experience projects that are valuable to guests and have indirect value output to the hotel to refine the design template. At the same time, maintain the flexibility of the design template to adapt to different property conditions, and rationally plan the optional and standard modules to better optimize the investment cost.
Secondly, long-term revenue. A healthy customer base structure and reasonable business strategies bring about long-term and stable hotel revenue.
The evolution of today's consumer demands has long determined that hotels need a healthy customer base structure in order to have a long-term revenue model. There are two important approaches behind this. One is the iteration of the product itself. The new product of Marriott by Marriott, which combines spatial aesthetics, efficient office work and comfortable life, has already laid a good foundation for attracting a diverse customer base. Second, it is the result of channel optimization. Among them, direct sales to members have become a key force to resist or offset the increasingly rising distribution costs of OTA. Relying on the global membership scale of 249 million members of Marriott Bonvoy, Marriott by Marriott is striving to build a healthy customer source structure with members as the main force.
At the same time, those who are professionals in the hotel industry all understand that hotels are a long-term business. Brands that adhere to long-termism and understand refined operation are more likely to have the characteristic of long-term returns. Reasonable pricing and optimized business strategies to pursue long-term returns are also the brand values that the brand renewal of Marriott by Marriott aims to convey to investors.
Thirdly, precise site selection, with precise matching of customer groups, brands and business districts, enhances the success rate of hotel investment.
The unchanging golden rule for hotel investment is "location!" Location! "Location!" . From the perspective of project expansion results, a good site selection determines a 70% success rate of hotel project investment. Once the site selection is wrong, the success rate of a project turning the tables through later operation is extremely low.
At the brand renewal launch event, the Marriott by Marriott brand particularly emphasized the importance of precise site selection, demanding strict screening and multiple rounds of review and confirmation for each investment project. It suggested that investors make precise site selections based on the property's location, conditions, rental costs, etc. At the same time, the brand should be selected based on the actual customer base of the business district where the project is located, rather than simply looking at the business terms and franchise benefits offered by the brand. In addition, Marriott by Marriott will also incorporate relevant regulations such as distance protection into the contract - to ensure and enhance the success rate and return rate of each investment in Marriott by Marriott Hotels.
Some investors have stated that the addition of the word "Marriott" will urge the Marriott by Marriott brand to adhere to the site selection standards and maintain its development pace as required by the group, which is of great benefit to hotel investment.
The competition among top brands is intense, and the value of "Marriott" continues to rise
The current Chinese market is witnessing an investment boom in select-service hotels, with intense competition among leading brands. Especially the rapid and large-scale development of domestic brands has forced international brands to accelerate their development.
As one of the driving brands for the group's growth in China, Marriott by Marriott has accurately seized the opportunities in the curated services market. The scale of its openings and contracts has steadily increased, and its development pace has been continuously accelerating. Since the opening of the 50th hotel in 2024, the number of opened hotels has increased by more than 50% in just over a year, and it is planned to add more than 50 hotels in the next two years. In the first seven months of 2025 alone, the number of newly signed hotels increased by 75% year-on-year, and they will successively settle in core locations of first-tier cities such as Xuhui District in Shanghai, Beijing Capital Airport, and Qianhai District in Shenzhen.
The project display of Marriott by Sheraton hotels is as follows: Sheraton by Sheraton Shanghai Dishui Lake, Sheraton by Sheraton Shanghai Hongqiao, Sheraton by Sheraton Chengdu Tianfu Square, Sheraton by Sheraton Hangzhou Yuhang, Sheraton by Sheraton Hangzhou Zhentang, and Sheraton by Sheraton Hangzhou Gongshu. Source: Marriott International
Nowadays, with the brand's Chinese name refreshed to "Marriott by Marriott", the outside world is speculating whether the addition of the two characters "Marriott" will accelerate the brand's scale expansion.
We can clearly see that the increasingly fierce market competition is accelerating the trend of survival of the fittest, the strong getting stronger, and the winner-takes-all, as well as the industry reshuffle. In every niche field, if a brand's signing volume or store opening volume fails to rank among the top three in the industry, it is basically very difficult for this brand to achieve long-term and sustainable scale growth. The mid-range market has fully verified this assertion. Therefore, brands must strive to become leaders in their niche markets, and this requires you to do every aspect well and excellently to make your brand competitive." Yu Guogang, Chief Development Officer of Marriott International Greater China, emphasized that this renewal has strengthened the brand's competitiveness in the curated services sector. The new brand name "Marriott by Marriott" highlights the group's systematic empowerment of hotels.
Tian Qingyao, Executive Vice President of Customer Strategy for Marriott International Greater China, emphasized that as a global brand, adhering to long-termism, the renewal of "Marriott by Marriott" must not only maintain the competitiveness of its business model in the market but also leverage the collective strength of the group to empower and ensure the brand's quality development.
Maidian Analysis believes that, like other select-service hotel brands within the group, Marriott by Marriott's rapid development in the Greater China region is primarily attributed to the result of the brand's localized product upgrade (by reducing costs, optimizing operating costs, etc., making its business model more suitable for hotel investment). More importantly, it comes from systematic empowerment of the group in areas such as product research and development innovation, member contributions, and supply chain procurement. The value of the two characters "Marriott" for the "Marriott Wanfeng" brand is not merely a simple brand endorsement, but also an empowerment and support from the group. Moreover, as the group's localization strategy continues to deepen, its value is still on the rise.
For instance, in promoting localization to a deeper and more substantive extent, Marriott International has opened up franchising for 14 brands, including Marriott by Marriott and Maple Leaf Hotels. The franchise support model encompasses multiple dimensions such as pre-positioning strategies, consultation and advice on booking channels and pricing, member resources, information technology, sales resource support, revenue management consultation, brand marketing, operation and training.
At present, the total number of Marriott by Marriott hotels in operation and under construction in China has reached 150. From the perspective of brand distribution, the brand is continuously accelerating its layout in emerging cities with strong business demands and popular tourist destinations, including hidden small cities such as Yangshuo in Guangxi, Yining in Xinjiang, Xinzhou in Shanxi, and Qiandao Lake in Hangzhou, bringing the beauty of simplicity and nature to more destinations. In the future, Marriott by Marriott will continue to expand the breadth and depth of its presence in China, covering transportation hubs, new urban development areas, and emerging tourist and vacation hotspots, seeking new growth.
Conclusion
As a curated service brand under the world's largest hotel group, Marriott by Marriott has attracted much attention since its entry into China.
Over the past eight years, no international brand has been constantly "urged for updates" in the Chinese market like Fairfield by Marriott: regretting that it gave up the core brand asset of "Marriott" when naming in Chinese, it has always been expected to "add Marriott before Wanfeng". When upgrading and iteration become an industry trend, it is once again urged to "when will a new version be released?" After the mid-to-high-end market entered the era of a thousand stores, it was once again asked, "When can we accelerate our development in scale?"
For the first brand renewal, Marriott by Marriott responded one by one and verified those "unexpected" decision-making wisdoms with its development results. It took it eight years to prove to the market that in China, when everyone is fixating on trends, speed and scale, "simplicity" can be an advantage and "stability" can be a barrier.
Industry insiders say that in the highly competitive Chinese market, if one cannot understand Marriott by Marriott, they cannot understand the second half of the Chinese hotel market. After the brand renewal, Marriott by Marriott is not flamboyant but very resilient and even more worth looking forward to!
