Independent-Focused Hotel Managers Add More Soft Brands as Segment Grows

Third-party hotel management companies with a focus on boutique and lifestyle properties are noticing an uptick in soft-branded hotels seeking their services.

According to The Highland Group's Boutique Hotel Report, soft-brand collection supply has increased 19% over the past decade. Kim Bardoul, partner and consultant at the Highland Group, said out of the 69,500 soft-brand collection rooms in the U.S., there are an estimated 58% affiliated with a management company.

"Whenever these types of properties get together under a management umbrella, it provides them with a larger platform for customized marketing, reservation tools and that identity that makes you different and unique from the traditional hotel," she said. "The management expertise of these companies are really honing in on what it takes to keep a hotel individual. More and more, I think you're going to find those soft-brand collections going to those management companies to help them compete."