PHOENIX—The suspense is over.
Trump Hotels has dubbed its new lodging brand Scion and debuted plans for the fledgling property concept here on opening night of The Lodging Conference.
During a reception at the Arizona Biltmore where the conference is running for three days, Trump Hotels’ President/CEO Eric Danziger provided a brief introduction to the lifestyle brand, which will be wrangled by EVP/New Brands and Innovation Kathleen Chiechi Flores.
Scion grew out of what lodging industry veteran Danziger saw as a need for the future of the hotel arm of The Trump Organization, which he joined last year.
He told Hotel Business he stressed to EVPs Ivanka, Eric and Donald Trump Jr. that while the company’s seminal luxury hotel brand would enjoy growth in the five-star segment, opportunities would be limited. He felt an alternative was needed to capture market share outside the five-star tier, noting it could bring in owners and developers who could expand the company’s footprint in a different segment.
Positioned for upper-upscale, the brand is expected to grow primarily via conversions, with adaptive reuse and new-construction as part of the mix.
Scion is taking cues from the “we economy,” according to Flores, and is focusing on connectivity and community, interlacing each hotel with its respective neighborhood.
The target market for Scion is a “traveler with purpose,” and, as with many lifestyle brands, is looking to capture business based on psychographics, not demographics.
The Scion brand will not be franchised.
Trump Hotels will manage the Scion hotels.
For more on Scion, turn to Hotel Business‘ Oct. 7 issue for exclusive interviews with Trump Hotels’ executives.
—Stefani C. O’Connor