What is The Ritz Carlton Reserve Brand?

Photo Courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company

With recent news of the second Ritz Carlton Reserve property set to open in December 2012 as the Dorado Beach, a Ritz Carlton Reserve in Puerto Rico, the question is: What is the Ritz Carlton Reserve Brand?

The announcement of the brand came in 2007, when it was described as:

A departure for Ritz-Carlton in size and scope, The Reserve brand will feature signature, one-of-a-kind boutique resorts located in choice settings, each with a distinctive personality and sense of place... The Reserve brand will be distinguished from other award-winning Ritz-Carlton resorts by offering guests' exotic, hand-selected "hideaway" destinations; a relaxed, casually elegant atmosphere; and an even greater level of individualized service through a higher staff to guest ratio. (source)

In short, this is a brand extension of smaller hotels (around 100 rooms), distinct destinations, and higher level of service. Today's description has not changed much, although there is a bigger emphasis on sustainability. The brand currently has one hotel in operation, The Phulay Bay A Ritz Carlton Reserve in Krabi, Thailand. Two other future developments have been announced: one in Binh Dinh, Vietnam and a second in Los Cabos, Mexico.

Interesting to note is that each property will have its individual name + logo , and will simply attach "A Ritz Carlton Reserve" at the end of it. From a customer point of view, this highlights the hotel's individuality, personality, and services.

For hotel owners/developers, does this mean that there is a lower management fee compared to a typical Ritz Carlton given the discreet Ritz branding? Not a lot of information available on the Marriott Development site about this.

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