Hyatt Launches The Unbound Collection of Hotels

Starwood has Tribute Portfolio, and now Hyatt has The Unbound Collection — a brand consisting of new and existing upscale hotels around around the world. The idea is similar to the Tribute Portfolio in that properties will maintain their individual name and character, with Hyatt providing management, marketing and loyalty program support (which it does with the four hotels that have already been announced).

Current Unbound Collection properties include:

• The Driskill Hotel in Austin, Texas (Rates start at $249 or 20,000 points)
• Hôtel du Louvre in Paris, France (Rates start at €239 or 20,000 points)
• Carmelo Resort & Spa in Carmelo, Uruguay (Rates start at $260 — not currently bookable with points)
• Coco Palms Resort in Kauai, Hawaii (Available beginning spring 2018)

All of the properties above are already part of Hyatt's portfolio, so they're simply being moved to the new brand as part of this announcement. The first three can be booked now — Coco Palms is undergoing a renovation and won't open until spring 2018 at the earliest.

Hyatt's CEO Mark Hoplamazian introduced the new brand in a YouTube video this morning. I'll transcribe the fairly dull video here so you don't have to watch it yourself (adding in some bolding to highlight the interesting bits), but here's the link just in case you want to see it.

Hi, I'm Mark Hoplamazian, President and CEO of Hyatt. Today I'm excited to share a new addition to our portfolio of brands — the Unbound Collection by Hyatt. It's a collection of stays, not just hotels. It's about the experience of travel, and it will include new and existing upper-upscale and luxury properties that will provide guests and owners with the freedom to be themselves. And we're taking a new approach to the collection hotel category. Here's what I mean — today's travelers are craving authentic adventures beyond just having a quality product. The Unbound Collection by Hyatt gives us a new way to grow our offerings beyond traditional hotel stays in destinations that we know our guests love. Properties you'll find in the collection could be historic gems or contemporary trendsetters, but each will offer access to bold new adventures and a pathway to truly one-of-a-kind experiences that tap into a rich social currency. Each location will maintain the distinct character and name, but will also gain powerful affiliation with our trusted master brand, robust operational and marketing resources and of course our award-winning customer loyalty program. Take, for instance, the Driskill in Austin, which is a part of this new brand. The Driskill was built way back in 1886, so the historic hotel holds 130 years of interesting stories, not to mention multiple reports of a ghost. And it's those colorful stories that we are encouraging our guests to explore and share on their visits. So I hope to see you on your way to new adventures soon, and I can't wait to hear your stories.

Because the four current properties have been part of the Hyatt chain for some time, this announcement doesn't really affect consumers right now. However, The Unbound Collection will enable Hyatt to add more unique hotels around the world, and because properties won't necessarily require a rebranding or renovation before joining, the brand makes Hyatt management an easier sell for hotel owners that wouldn't otherwise be interested in joining a large global chain.

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