NEW YORK—Long before there was a Marriott hotel in sight, and even before there was a NYC subway system, The Seville Hotel was doing business here on Madison Ave., offering a unique experience to travelers who began flocking to the then-“high-rise” luxury building near Madison Square Park after it opened its doors in 1904.
Having stood the test of time, the 317-room property, now known as The Carlton, marked its 98th anniversary this year by becoming a member of Marriott International’s Autograph Collection, joining its older sister, the 100-year-old Algonquin a few blocks away, and doubling the collection’s presence in the city.
Owned by the Wolfson Group and managed by Gemstone Hotels & Resorts, LLC, The Carlton is one of almost three-dozen independent hotels that have embraced the Marriott endeavor since it was launched in 2010.
Membership in Autograph Collection gives independent hotels—many with unique attributes— access to Marriott’s global sales and marketing channels, including the Marriott Rewards loyalty program and presence on Marriott.com, while being able to retain their individual identities. Proprietary elements include its own website, which does not feature Marriott branding beyond the URL, and an in-room magazine that’s also available online at the website.
According to Kip Vreeland, VP/Brand for Autograph Collection, even if obscured, the Marriott connection remains an advantage over the competitive set in this Manhattan area, which has seen a recent surge in hotels, particularly independents.
“The beauty here is the Marriott Rewards customer can stay [at The Carlton]and redeem their points like with any Marriott brand hotel and none of those other hotels coming in are Marriott-branded hotels,” he said. “It’s a benefit to the hotel and to the customer.”
Vreeland said Autograph Collection has gained momentum, more than doubling its footprint over the past year. “We’re international, we’re global. We have hotels in Italy and Spain, Prague and Budapest, and we’re opening a hotel in Brazil in March as well,” he said. The property slated to give the Collection its South American debut is the 128-room Hotel & Spa do Vinho in Bento Gonçalve. Also recently joining the Collection was Union Station, a historic hotel in Nashville, TN.
Vreeland said the concept’s growth has been driven by the results the hotels are experiencing. “The lift is pretty dramatic and it’s very quick. And the owners all talk to each other. They know what’s going on in other hotels and they want a piece of that and they call us. So, it’s a very busy, active pipeline,” he said.
Marriott also is scouting for properties, Vreeland indicated. “The strategy is to be proactive as well as reactive. We do have target hotels, target portfolios and some one-offs,” he said, noting such hotels that join Autograph Collection are in the upper-upscale and luxury segments.
Amanda Altree, senior director/marketing, considers Autograph Collection “a wonderful challenge for a marketer because there is no thread of sameness that runs through any of these hotels. What we try to do is celebrate that independence. That’s going to be our unifying theme.”
The Carlton, which is housed in a Beaux Arts building, recently completed a multimillion-dollar renovation. Architect David Rockwell and his firm, Rockwell Group, worked on the lobby, facade, restaurant, meeting rooms and guestrooms. According to Senior Associate Hilli Wuerz, the renovation yielded some hidden surprises. “On the first floor, under the sheet rock, we discovered this Tiffany-style dome. Now, it is one of the highlights of the property,” she said. Another surprise was the discovery of mosaic tiles on the floors, hidden for years by carpeting. Wuerz said Rockwell Group was able to pair the historical elements with contemporary design, such as a water wall in the two-story lobby.
Gemstone Principal Jeff McIntyre said it was his company that recommended Wolfson Group have The Carlton join Autograph Collection.
“The neighborhood has changed dramatically over the past three years. Hotel supply has gone off the charts here, and these new hotels were coming right at us because we’ve been so successful here. We saw this as an opportunity to maintain the identity of The Carlton—it’s a unique asset—but still affiliate with the most powerful [hotel]brand on the planet without destroying that identity. It was a unique moment in time.”
That “moment” actually became some 18 months of discussion and working together with Marriott to determine that “it was absolutely the right thing to do,” McIntyre added, acknowledging Gemstone had anticipated some challenges from Marriott, known for its stringent standards and often cookie-cutter product.
“They are the best at it, so for us, in this funky hotel with its own personality from the way we create guest experiences to the way it’s designed— we had a lot of concern. [But] Marriott identified they weren’t going to be able to attract hotels like us playing the game that they’re used to and one they’re successful at. So they let us go—the way we operate, the standards we have, the physical nature of the property—they accepted that.”
The Carlton does adhere to all major Marriott standards, e.g., life saving, Rewards programs, etc. “There’s no problems with that. It’s a good thing,” said McIntyre. “That’s what Autograph is about.”
