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Most regional UK Marriott hotels to rebrand as Delta this autumn – what’s going on?

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Whilst there has been no formal announcement, Marriott International is switching most of its UK regional Marriott hotels to its Delta brand over the next three months.

Marriott International treats Delta Hotels as a ‘conversion’ brand, like Hilton’s DoubleTree or IHG’s voco. A ‘conversion’ brand has very few brand requirements, allowing hotels to defect from competitors with minimal investment.

It isn’t meant to be used for conversions within the same company ….

Most regional UK Marriott hotels to rebrand as Delta

Which Marriott hotels are converting to Delta?

Here is the list of Marriott-branded hotels outside London and their status. Marriott has confirmed the accuracy of this.

Regional UK Marriott hotels converting to Delta imminently:

City hotels:

  • Aberdeen
  • Bexleyheath
  • Birmingham
  • Bristol (City)
  • Durham
  • Edinburgh
  • Huntingdon
  • Liverpool
  • Manchester Airport
  • Newcastle MetroCentre
  • Northampton
  • Peterborough
  • Preston
  • Slough (Heathrow / Windsor)
  • Swansea
  • Swindon
  • Waltham Abbey
  • York
Most regional UK Marriott hotels to rebrand as Delta

Country club hotels:

  • Breadsall Priory
  • Forest of Arden
  • St Pierre
  • Tudor Park
  • Worsley Park

Regional UK Marriott hotels which are remaining:

City hotels:

  • Bournemouth
  • Bristol (Royal)
  • Cardiff
  • Glasgow
  • Leeds
  • Leicester
  • Manchester V&A
  • Portsmouth

Country club hotels:

  • Hanbury Manor
  • Lingfield Park

All of the London hotels are staying with the Marriott brand.

Where are there currently Delta Hotels?

There are already a handful of Delta Hotels in the UK, converted from other brands such as QHotels. These are:

  • Cheltenham Chase (ex QHotels)
  • Cheshunt (ex Marriott)
  • Milton Keynes (ex Hilton)
  • Nottingham Belfry (ex QHotels, below)
  • Telford (ex independent)
  • Warwick (ex Hilton, top image above)
Most regional UK Marriott hotels to rebrand as Delta

Why is this happening?

Good question.

Clearly, if you look at the hotels which are remaining, they are primarily ‘bigger city’ properties.

This doesn’t explain why Birmingham, Durham, Edinburgh and Liverpool have failed to make the cut, or why Bournemouth, Leicester and Portsmouth stay.

I get a feeling that it is a mix of:

  • The Marriott brand wanting to sharpen up its positioning in the UK, which explains the loss of the country clubs and some of the second tier properties
  • The Marriott brand downgrading some hotels which no longer meet its standards in terms of room quality, facilities etc
  • Marriott International potentially laying the groundwork for future UK expansion by clearing the way for new, better Marriott-branded hotels in some cities
  • Marriott International wanting to get some momentum behind the Delta brand, which is well behind target in terms of the number of UK openings – it is now seven years since the chain was acquired and conversion brands are meant to grow quickly

One thing that is interesting looking at the hotel list above is how few Marriott-branded hotels have opened in the UK in the last 20 years. Have any of the hotels listed above been built in this century? (EDIT: the comments say that Leicester opened in 2006.)

It isn’t clear why so many hotels have agreed to swap brands, given that the Delta Hotels name is less well known. It is possible that they were offered a sharp reduction in brand fees, and switching a large number of hotels at once will help establish the brand more quickly.

Is there a downside to staying at a Delta Hotel after the conversion?

Over time we can potentially expect the Delta properties to move away from Marriott standards in areas such as room service, room refurbishment etc.

In terms of Marriott Bonvoy benefits, little will change. You still earn points at the same rate, and it shouldn’t impact redemption pricing.

In terms of breakfast benefit, the rule is the same. Platinum and Titanium members of Marriott Bonvoy receive free breakfast if they choose it as their welcome amenity.

In terms of timing, the transitions will start in August, September or October depending on the hotel. I would assume that most hotels will remain open throughout given that the changes will be primarily cosmetic in the short term.

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Category

Marriott Bonvoy

Comments (91)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Moley says:
    22 Aug22 August 15:01

    Portsmouth hotel is right next to IBM U.K. HQ and is the hotel of choice for their corporate visitors. It has had a fair chunk of money spent on it to upgrade it ahead of a Village opening pre-pandemic.

    • Tariq says:
      22 Aug22 August 16:57

      I was there about 12 months ago, and it looked like they were in the process of decommissioning the pool. It actually looked like a pretty good facility. The gym definitely looked like it needed to have some money spent on it as well; the equipment was ancient and in some cases rusty…!

      • tw33ty says:
        22 Aug22 August 17:38

        Funny you should say that about the pool. Cardiff done the same with their pool not so long ago.

    • Mike P says:
      23 Aug23 August 09:44

      I stayed at the Portsmouth Marriott a few years ago. It was an OK property back then. Decent location near to Port Solent.

      Surprised they’re getting rid of pools, although I guess they cost money to heat.

  • His Holyness says:
    22 Aug22 August 16:05

    “It isn’t meant to be used for conversions within the same company …..” says who? What matters if if they’re going from managed to franchised?

    DT has been used that way by Hilton all over Europe, especially in the UK. Many former Hilton now DT were managed, then sold off and franchised.

    Moreover, there is no exclusivity in DT being the only conversion brand, Hilton, LXR, Curio, Canopy are very much open to conversion which the vast majority of the LXR and Curio portfolio being conversions.

    Only Hampton seems to be new build in Europe.

    • Save East Coast Rewards says:
      22 Aug22 August 19:05

      Curio is not a conversion brand, it’s a brand for independent hotels to keep their own identity while having a connection to Hilton.

      P.S. does anyone know what’s happening to the Lincoln Plaza, the Curio hotel near Canary Wharf the Hilton website now claims it’s reopening in 2024!

      Using the Lincoln Plaza as an example the main branding of the hotel was Lincoln Plaza and a small Curio plaque near the door and a Hilton Honors check in sign.

      I know at least one hotel ‘converted’ away from DoubleTree to Curio. The Alexandra in Barcelona used to be a DoubleTree but when Curio came along they switched to that to emphasise their own brand more.

  • Tiger of ham says:
    22 Aug22 August 16:55

    Not to sound thick. What is a conversion hotel brand.

    • Rob says:
      22 Aug22 August 17:11

      Hotel brands come with a long list of features that all hotels in the brand must have. These run from the obvious (minimum room sizes, stuff that must be in a room, requirement for aircon) to esoteric stuff (Kimpton hotels must have flavoured water in the fridge in the gym, for example).

      This creates a barrier for hotels who want to swap, because it may be expensive to make the changes required to meet the standards of your new brand.

      A ‘conversion’ brand, on the other hand, has no standards. You can take down your old sign on Friday and put up a new sign on Saturday without spending a penny on anything else. There is a vague quality requirement but if a hotel feels premium enough it is in.

      This is why DoubleTree gives out chocolate chip cookies when you check in. There is nothing, literally nothing, else about the chain which is consistent.

      • Distichon says:
        22 Aug22 August 18:07

        Curious, are those requirements publicly available or internal-only? I’d find it interesting purely from a curiosity point of view, to see what brands focus on, but I could see them being guarded by brands to not give customers litigation fodder…

      • Tiger of ham says:
        22 Aug22 August 22:14

        Interesting. Thanks for the insight.

  • DJ says:
    22 Aug22 August 17:15

    Is Autograph also a conversion brand too? Just thought the University Arms was a little different to other Marriott hotels I have stayed.

    • Rob says:
      22 Aug22 August 18:06

      No, Autograph is for independent hotels which want to remain independent but also want to benefit from an established marketing system. Marriott sells room for them, they agree to Bonvoy rules. Marriott does not manage the hotel.

      • Jordan D says:
        22 Aug22 August 22:16

        What’s the difference between Autograph and Luxury Collection? All effectively independently minded hotels under the Bonvoy umbrella.

        • Rob says:
          22 Aug22 August 22:32

          Luxury Collection hotels are managed by Marriott. The GM and potentially another few top people will be Marriott employees (I think).

  • Jason says:
    22 Aug22 August 17:48

    I am currently staying at the Delta RG Naxos in scilly, currently bing refurb..booked 2 rooms on points 30k a night. upgraded us to a suite and family room, (titanium member ) breakfast for all 5 of us. It’s a fairly good redemption in the current climate !

  • PAL says:
    22 Aug22 August 18:03

    Bexleyhealth is dire. Not even sure Travel Lodge standards

  • Lady London says:
    22 Aug22 August 19:29

    Sounds like parcelling up for a sale, maybe in 3 years or so

  • Gina Kremer says:
    22 Aug22 August 22:28

    Stayed in Durham Marriott last night, which is converting to Delta on 3 October. Nice large room, good bed, but the hotel generally needs a refurb and there was not a single bar of soap to be had in the entire hotel (“supply chain issues”).

    • tw33ty says:
      22 Aug22 August 22:40

      The Marriott at Durham is dire.

      The indigo almost across the road is excellent.

      • Chas says:
        22 Aug22 August 22:55

        Had a lovely stay at The Indigo Durham last year as a Spire. Two rooms booked, and whilst neither were upgraded (hotel was full) we were given 4 free drinks vouchers which we swapped for cocktails. Enquired whether they had any crisps / nuts, and were given various bags on the house. Decent meal at MPW’s steakhouse, albeit not cheap. Breakfast was good too if I remember correctly, although my head was a little fuzzy by that stage….

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