Brand is everything in business.
So why would a company risk diluting its brand?
Simple.
In the quest for higher profit margins, it's easy to look for alternative revenue streams. Mondavi, clearly a strong wine brand in the '70s, launched the Woodbridge label as a way to appeal to budget-conscious wine drinkers.
Although it clearly reads Woodbridge on the label, it's still part of the Mondavi family, which had spent years building a reputation as one of Napa Valley's premier wineries.
Enter Marriott and its Fairfield label. On a recent business trip to Indianapolis, I booked a room at the Fairfield, assuming because it was a Marriott that I would have the expected luxuries (wireless Internet, a restaurant, airport shuttle service). The Marriott was a little bit outside the city, as most hotels were booked due to the Solheim Cup.
Yes, there was wireless. But it was not working. Luckily, the side-burned, teen-aged kid at the front desk found me an old-fashioned connector that tapped me into the free signal.
The room itself was OK, but there was a hot tub in the middle of the room surrounded by two large mirrors. All of a sudden I felt like I was in an hourly-rate motel, not a Marriott.
After looking through the guest guide, I found, to my hungry dismay, that there was no restaurant. To eat, I had to navigate, by foot, over a six-lane highway to a Longhorns (which was actually pretty good). But I wasn't sure it was worth risking my life.
The complimentary airport shuttle that was listed was not complimentary. Instead, the side-burned, teen-age kid at the front desk reserved me a cab at 7:30, when I asked for 8:15. No biggie. But it was not free, as advertised.
I could live without an ironing board and got by without the in-house restaurant. And heck, who am I to complain when you see what's going on in the world?
This is just a small rant to warn fellow travelers when booking Marriott. There are several tiers, like a glass of Mondavi.
Be careful what you ask for. A glass of Mondavi at the Marriott may just mean you're drinking a glass of Woodbridge in a hotel room with a hot tub.
Brand is everything. If you have one, protect it.