Compact guest-room hotel brand Yotel will be available for booking in Hilton Worldwide's distribution channels later this year under the terms of a new agreement, the companies announced Thursday.
Under the arrangement, U.K.-based Yotel will join the newly formed Select by Hilton brand but continue to independently manage and license its brand in 23 hotels across 10 countries.
Hilton EVP and chief development officer Christian Charnaux said in a statement the agreement bolsters the network effects of Hilton by "connecting a beloved independent brand like Yotel into the powerful Hilton Honors network and commercial distribution system, while preserving what makes the brand unique.” The Hilton Honors loyalty program has nearly 250 million members.
Soft brands or collection brands aren't a new concept in the hotel world—Hilton already has half a dozen, including Curio Collection and Tapestry Collection. Those collections, however, typically are made up of individual independent properties. The Yotel deal is different, bringing a fully independent hotel group with an established guest-member program—and properties in New York, Tokyo, Amsterdam and Singapore—into the Hilton network under a collection brand.
“Hilton brings unmatched global distribution and loyalty scale to our brand and business,” Yotel CEO Phil Andreopoulos said in a statement. “Yotel’s relationship with Hilton allows us to expand our reach while staying true to who we are.”
The first Yotel hotels are expected to be available to book through Hilton channels later this year, according to the company.