It seems like every hotel aspires to be distinctive this week – and I mean a completely different brand.
Over the past few days, we’ve seen some beloved hotels change their flags, and now we know something else: The iconic Arizona Biltmore has retired the Waldorf Astoria flag and quietly transitioned to Hilton’s LXR brand.
There have been a lot of rumors lately that the Arizona Biltmore is getting a big makeover, including the suggestion that the hotel may be leaving the Hilton for good.
Now the hotel – which dates back to 1929 – has rebranded online, confirming the change, although Hilton has yet to issue an official statement.
Because Hilton loyalists with a soft spot for Arizona sunshine, this move is good news as the resort will remain part of the Hilton Honors family. This is in contrast to what has happened recently Conrad New York Midtown, who left Hilton for Marriott and changed its name to The Luxury Collection Hotel Manhattan Midtown.
There’s much to speculate about why this iconic Arizona hotel switched brands. A key reason may be that the LXR brand values the independent nature of certain hotels and gives properties more freedom and flexibility to create property-specific experiences business compared to a brand like Waldorf Astoria, which has more structured, even rigid, brand standards.
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Hilton herself defines LXR as “a carefully curated collection of independent and spirited luxury properties”, where “each member of the collection has its own pedigree, story and personality full of its own charm, imbued with unique local characteristics.” And it’s safe to say that the Arizona Biltmore, with its years of history, Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired design, and Arizona-centric ethos, easily fits right into that collection.
On the opposite end of the reflective spectrum, other major brand changes have seen two independent properties, The Resort at Pelican Hill in California and Turtle Bay Resort in Hawaii, signed a contract with Marriotthas access to its massive loyalty program, Marriott Bonvoy, and the name recognition of its new brands, St. Regis and Ritz-Carlton.
TPG reached out to Arizona Biltmore for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
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