hospitalitystyle.com

(March 2011) posted on Mon Mar 07, 2011 EST

Four Spanish hotels joining upper-upscale/luxury group

Marriott International Inc. said its Autograph Collection will make its debut in Europe in May, with addition of four hotels in Spain. Those properties, part of a joint venture between AC Hotels and Marriott, are:

* The 50-key AC Santo Mauro, Madrid, Spain, which is housed in a late 19^th-century building that was once home to a duke.

* The 50-key AC Palacio del Retiro, Madrid, Spain, another former noble residence.

* The 75-key AC Palacio de Santa Paula, Granada, Spain, which occupies a former convent.

* The 1-2-key AC Baqueira Hotel & Spa, Baqueira, Spain, which is located in a major ski resort.

“Each of these properties offers a truly unique guest experience and fits perfectly within the positioning of the Autograph Collection,” said Amy McPherson, president and managing director of Marriott International in Europe. “As we continue our ambitious growth, we expect the Autograph Collection will be a very popular conversion brand in Europe given the region's variety of iconic and independent hotel groups.”

In addition to the four Autograph Collection locales in Spain, the AC/Marriott joint venture involves the launch of a new brand, AC Hotels by Marriott, which will initially be comprised of up to 86 rebranded AC Hotels in Spain, Italy and Portugal.

Marriott's Autograph Collection is a portfolio of distinct, independent hotels and resorts representing upper-upscale and luxury properties Member hotels include the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, the Algonquin Hotel in New York and the Kessler Collection hotels.