Latest news with #Trailborn
Skift
09-07-2025
- Business
- Skift
Marriott Seeks Trademark for New Brand: 'Outdoor Collection'
The most likely use for proposed new brand Outdoor Collection by Marriott Bonvoy would be to house its recent brand additions, Postcard Cabins and Trailborn. But documents suggest that Marriott has a larger ambition in the great outdoors. Marriott has filed 12 trademark applications worldwide since April for a new brand called "Outdoor Collection by Marriott Bonvoy," signaling the hotel giant's push into outdoor recreation. Last December, the company said it had "plans to launch an outdoor-focused collection in 2025." Separately, franchise disclosure documents posted recently on Marriott's site for developers make several references to outdoor hospitality and detail a brand called "Outdoor Collection by Marriott Bonvoy," stating that "one or more brands ... may operate"
Travel Daily News
13-06-2025
- Business
- Travel Daily News
Castle Peak Holdings raises $315m to expand Trailborn brand in the U.S.
Castle Peak Holdings closes $315m. fund to expand Trailborn hospitality brand, focusing on upscale experiences in iconic U.S. outdoor destinations. NEW YORK – Castle Peak Holdings, the investment firm behind the Trailborn hospitality brands, announced the successful close of its second vehicle with total committed capital of $315 million raised over a 4 month period. The firm's recent acquisition of Snow King Resort in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, marks the first investment of this new vehicle and expands Castle Peak's portfolio of hotels and resorts in iconic outdoor destinations across the United States. Launched in 2021 by two Goldman Sachs alums, Castle Peak designed a unique playbook to create and scale niche real estate platforms. This playbook, which is premised on fundamental supply demand imbalances, deep sector specialization, and a 'one at a time' approach, combines real estate value creation with platform value creation to deliver outsized investment outcomes. Trailborn is the first embodiment of Castle Peak's playbook and the singular focus of the firm today. Trailborn brings a new level of hospitality to extraordinary outdoor destinations where it doesn't currently exist with lively, elevated hotels designed to help travelers rediscover the beauty of America. Each property offers a guided experience, led by passionate local experts who curate recommendations, excursions, and essential amenities for an unforgettable stay. 'Closing this vehicle is a testament to the durability of our model and the belief that exceptional outcomes come from doing the hard work ourselves – strategically, creatively, and operationally,' said Ben Weinberg, co-founder and co-CEO of Castle Peak Holdings. 'We're a team of deep sector specialists, and we believe our relentless, singular focus positions us for success in this type of environment.' 'Where and how people travel is evolving, but what drives them to do so isn't – the desire to create lifelong memories with those they love. We're tapping into this by building brands that unlock extraordinary adventures in iconic outdoor destinations,' said Mike Weiss, co-founder and co-CEO of Castle Peak Holdings. 'We're energized by the level of excitement Trailborn has continued to receive from both investors and guests alike. This new infusion of capital will allow us to continue to scale Trailborn's approach to experiencing the great outdoors and deliver customers what they've been searching for.' Since launching, Trailborn has seen rapid momentum, earning a loyal following from travelers seeking meaningful connection in nature without sacrificing quality or experience. In 2024, Trailborn entered into a long-term agreement with Marriott to add Trailborn's portfolio to Marriott's system. Additionally, in just over a year, Trailborn has opened five distinct properties, including Trailborn Rocky Mountains & Trailborn Rocky Mountains Outpost in Estes Park, Colorado; Trailborn Highlands in North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains; Trailborn Surf & Sound in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina; and most recently, Trailborn Grand Canyon in Williams, Arizona. Trailborn has additional properties debuting in Mendocino, California, and Jackson Hole, Wyoming, within the next year.
Hospitality Net
09-06-2025
- Business
- Hospitality Net
Why Hotels Should Adopt a Multi-Channel Digital Approach in 2025 and Beyond
The hospitality industry and the macro environment have been more volatile in the last few years than at any time in the past 10-15 years. I anticipate this will continue due to inflation, higher capital costs, fluctuating demand, disruptions from AI, tariff woes, etc. This is why I think hotels should adopt a digital approach of multichannel distribution for both S&M and branding control, as well as scaling and capital levers. Here's the breakdown: 1. Direct It's 2025. Every hotel should have its own direct channel, period. It means having your own differentiated content and voice, guest data (first-party), and a higher margin on the bottom line. It also means more control and flexibility over your sales and marketing strategies. For example, hotels may get less budgeted traffic from OTAs than expected, as OTAs have their own priorities (the 'black box' algorithms). With the direct channel, hotels can strategically promote special offers. More importantly, a hotel can leverage the direct channel to build a brand and stand out from the competition in the long term. A brand well built sells itself and fosters deeper, longer-lasting relationships with customers. The biggest advantage of merchants on Amazon is the brand (and trust) built off Amazon. Similarly, hotels branded thoughtfully may potentially be invited to well-established branded hotel networks to further grow on steroids. Just like how Trailborn partnered with Marriott or Small Luxury Hotels (SLH) partnered with Hilton in 2024. They were win-win situations. Source: Travel Media Group 2. OTA OTAs emerged from the ashes of the dot-com bubble as their business model proved valid and sustainable. Their growth accelerated further after 9/11 and 2008 as hotels turned to OTAs during uncertain times for risk and cash flow management, reaping the benefits of "free" marketing without upfront spending. Hotels, as high-asset investments, naturally lean toward opening up more inventory to OTAs to save on overhead in order to survive first in a macro environment with uncertainty or even headwinds. In 2025 and the foreseeable future, with tighter liquidity and more expensive capital, OTAs provide a solid cushion to scale with a controlled cash flow. OTAs can also help hotels reach a specific psychological segment of travelers that hotels can't reach from their direct channels. This segment of travelers tends to be loyal to the OTA brands and prioritize an intuitive, convenient, and smooth end-to-end 'pipe' experience over price and other factors, just like Amazon shoppers. Therefore, for this 'OTA-minded' segment, OTAs can be a great referral or acquisition channel with reasonable CAC (customer acquisition costs). Hotels should strategically convert those guests into long-term repeat customers who book direct by building a deeper relationship with top-notch in-stay and post-stay 'room delivery' services. The old dichotomy of 'direct vs. OTA' is giving way to a more strategic and nuanced approach where both channels play a role in a comprehensive distribution strategy. Source: Travel Media Group 3. Metasearch (mainly Google Hotels) On the direct side, hotels had been losing some share to OTAs because an individual property's website simply couldn't meet travelers' lodging 'discovery' needs the way OTAs could. Metasearch, especially Google Hotels, has been playing a critical role as a lodging aggregator but still allows travelers to book direct, levelling the playing field between direct and OTAs. As an SEM/SEO consultant in the hospitality industry, I vividly remember how groundbreaking it was when Google introduced the 'local 3-Pack' directly in search results nearly a decade ago. Since then, when travelers search for hotel-related queries on Google, they see a map-style feature displaying the top hotel listings instead of 10 blue links. Clicking on these listings directs them to Google Hotels, which aggregates price, inventory, location, brands, everything. It was a game changer because it perfectly dovetailed Google's search and metasearch platforms and better aligned with travelers' lodging search behaviors. The cherry on top is that hotels can now list their sites on Google Hotels for free, leveraging the Free Booking Link (FBL) feature rolled out in 2021 to capture direct bookings. Source: Travel Media Group 4. Marriott and Hilton are evolving into end-to-end distribution channels In fact, I think that's a huge trend that's transforming the industry. By the end of 2024, Marriott and Hilton had worldwide property counts of more than 9,000 and 8,000, respectively, reflecting CAGRs of 4.9% and 6.3% over the past five years. They also both reached 200+ million global loyalty members—a remarkable increase of 43% and 94% from 2019. Acquisitions and strategic partnerships, alongside natural room growth, will continue to supercharge Marriott's and Hilton's portfolio growth in an efficient, scalable, and adaptable way. I believe that by continuing to expand their branded hotel networks, they will reach a point where network effects will emerge further to enhance the intuitiveness and convenience of this 'end-to-end' booking experience, starting and completing a booking journey directly within the Marriott and Hilton apps. Branded and even boutique hotels should make their scaling and growth decisions with these two 'emerging' distribution channels in mind. About Travel Media Group (TMG) Travel Media Group (TMG) is a hospitality marketing partner for brands, hotel management groups, and individual properties. Services include custom social media marketing, professional review response, online reputation management, and more. TMG is responsible for elevating our hotel partners' online presence while helping hotels manage real-time guest feedback. Travel Media Group is a business that is a part of the Dominion Enterprises Family.
