Super helpful breakdown here. The Relais & Chateaux call-out is spot on tho, stayed at one in France and the dining alone was worth the trip. I've always wondered why some hotels felt more curated than others and now it makes sense. Honestly never thought about booking direct befor but makes total sense to support independent spots over the commission monsters.
Thank you! The other reason to book with the hotel is for the more direct relationship it gives you with the hotel. You're not coming in through a third party. And in the case of the big OTAs like Booking, the hotel doesn't have to give them those fat commissions that are often bigger than the standard commissions travel agents get (and deserve).
Incredibly interesting and useful information! This email will be saved for future reference. And the final line about booking directly with the hotels...my #1 travel mantra!
Fascinating reframe of what constitutes handwriting beyond just pen and paper. The Tarvika Stone B h-rune example perfectly illustrates how idiosyncracy persists even in constrained mediums. Reminds me of how calligraphers adapt their style based on brush versus nib. The medium shapes but doesn't erase individuality. That point about Fötr's consistent punctuation practise being a handwritng signature really drives home how even mechanical precision contains personl choices.
Great work as always. However, it's not quite as clear as that...and each have a different level of standardization. For instance, Firmdale, Groupo Habita, Proper are all ALSO Design Hotels. The Autograph Collection of Marriott are OWNED by Marriott. Design Hotels are independently owned, even though the brand of Design Hotels as a marketing arm is OWNED by Marriott. Small issues, but to us, they are big differences! Leading Hotels have strict standardized guidelines, others are more flexible and allow for more local personality etc.
John, thank you. We got so deep in the weeds on this one and debated the fine points again and again -- including whether or not to include that Firmdale, Proper, and Habita are all in Design Hotels, whose Marriott connection isn't the same as Autograph and Luxury Collection. I'll update the Marriott section because this is an important caveat. As for the collections having varying degrees of standards, we noted that they all have different criteria, but we decided to leave it at that. - Pavia
Super helpful breakdown here. The Relais & Chateaux call-out is spot on tho, stayed at one in France and the dining alone was worth the trip. I've always wondered why some hotels felt more curated than others and now it makes sense. Honestly never thought about booking direct befor but makes total sense to support independent spots over the commission monsters.
Thank you! The other reason to book with the hotel is for the more direct relationship it gives you with the hotel. You're not coming in through a third party. And in the case of the big OTAs like Booking, the hotel doesn't have to give them those fat commissions that are often bigger than the standard commissions travel agents get (and deserve).
Incredibly interesting and useful information! This email will be saved for future reference. And the final line about booking directly with the hotels...my #1 travel mantra!
Thank you!
Fascinating reframe of what constitutes handwriting beyond just pen and paper. The Tarvika Stone B h-rune example perfectly illustrates how idiosyncracy persists even in constrained mediums. Reminds me of how calligraphers adapt their style based on brush versus nib. The medium shapes but doesn't erase individuality. That point about Fötr's consistent punctuation practise being a handwritng signature really drives home how even mechanical precision contains personl choices.
Great work as always. However, it's not quite as clear as that...and each have a different level of standardization. For instance, Firmdale, Groupo Habita, Proper are all ALSO Design Hotels. The Autograph Collection of Marriott are OWNED by Marriott. Design Hotels are independently owned, even though the brand of Design Hotels as a marketing arm is OWNED by Marriott. Small issues, but to us, they are big differences! Leading Hotels have strict standardized guidelines, others are more flexible and allow for more local personality etc.
John, thank you. We got so deep in the weeds on this one and debated the fine points again and again -- including whether or not to include that Firmdale, Proper, and Habita are all in Design Hotels, whose Marriott connection isn't the same as Autograph and Luxury Collection. I'll update the Marriott section because this is an important caveat. As for the collections having varying degrees of standards, we noted that they all have different criteria, but we decided to leave it at that. - Pavia
DOING THE WORK! This was fascinating and so helpful — even for us pros! Bravo.
That's the best possible praise! Thank you!
Thanks for this post - so helpful!
You're very welcome! Thank you for taking the time to comment.