A Comprehensive Guide to North American Hotel Brands by Class, Service Level, & Parent Company
- Jai B. Patel
- Jun 22
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 30
Hotel professionals place a property with three quick labels: its service level, its class, and its parent company. The labels sound simple, but service level in particular is hard to confirm from public sources. This guide brings the three together for the major brand families operating in North America.
This is a general reference. The brands listed typically operate at the service level and class shown, but exceptions and outliers exist, and a specific property can sit above or below its brand's usual position. We group the list by service level first, then by class, then by company.
GUIDANCE*
Class follows STR's chain scale, the industry standard, which has six branded tiers: Luxury, Upper Upscale, Upscale, Upper Midscale, Midscale, and Economy. STR does not publish an ultra-luxury tier, so we add Ultra Luxury as a curated split at the top of the Luxury tier. Service level describes the operating model: full-service, select-service, extended-stay, and economy or limited-service.
Collection and soft brands, such as Autograph, Curio, Tribute, Tapestry, Ascend, and WorldHotels, and lifestyle brands, such as W, Andaz, Kimpton, and Moxy, vary by property, so their placement reflects the brand's typical position rather than every hotel.
FULL-SERVICE
Full-service hotels offer on-site dining, room service, and meeting or banquet space, along with broader amenities. They concentrate in the higher classes.
Ultra Luxury
Aman: Aman
LVMH: Cheval Blanc, Belmond
Four Seasons: Four Seasons
Marriott: The Ritz-Carlton, Ritz-Carlton Reserve, St. Regis, Bulgari
Hilton: Waldorf Astoria, LXR
Hyatt: Park Hyatt, Alila
IHG: Six Senses, Regent
Accor: Raffles, Orient Express, Faena, Sofitel Legend
Mandarin Oriental: Mandarin Oriental
Rosewood: Rosewood
Capella: Capella
Kerzner: One&Only
Luxury
Marriott: JW Marriott, The Luxury Collection, W Hotels, EDITION
Hilton: Conrad, NoMad
Hyatt: Andaz, Miraval, Impression by Secrets, Zoëtry
IHG: InterContinental, Vignette Collection, Kimpton
Accor: Fairmont, Sofitel, SO/, Delano, SLS, Mondrian
Choice: Radisson Collection
Best Western: WorldHotels Luxury
Upper Upscale
Marriott: Marriott Hotels, Sheraton, Westin, Le Méridien, Renaissance, Autograph Collection, Delta Hotels by Marriott, Gaylord Hotels, Tribute Portfolio
Hilton: Hilton Hotels and Resorts, Signia by Hilton, Curio Collection, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites by Hilton, Canopy by Hilton
Hyatt: Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Hyatt, Thompson Hotels, Destination by Hyatt, The Unbound Collection by Hyatt, JdV by Hyatt, Dream Hotels
IHG: Crowne Plaza, HUALUXE
Accor: Pullman, Swissôtel, Mövenpick, MGallery, 21c Museum Hotels
Wyndham: Wyndham Grand, Dolce by Wyndham
Sonesta: Royal Sonesta, The James
Best Western: WorldHotels Elite, WorldHotels Distinctive
Choice: Radisson Blu
Margaritaville: Margaritaville Hotels and Resorts
Upscale
Choice: Radisson
IHG: voco
Sonesta: Sonesta Hotels and Resorts
Wyndham: Wyndham Hotels and Resorts
Margaritaville: Compass by Margaritaville
Accor: Novotel
SELECT-SERVICE
Select-service hotels offer limited food and beverage and fewer amenities, often a breakfast and a small market. Lifestyle and collection brands in this group vary by property.
Upper Upscale
Hilton: Tapestry Collection, Graduate by Hilton
IHG: Hotel Indigo
Upscale
Marriott: Courtyard by Marriott, Four Points by Sheraton, SpringHill Suites, AC Hotels, Aloft, Moxy
Hilton: Hilton Garden Inn, Tempo by Hilton, Motto by Hilton
Hyatt: Hyatt Place, Hyatt Centric, Caption by Hyatt
IHG: Holiday Inn, EVEN Hotels
Choice: Cambria, Ascend Hotel Collection
Best Western: Aiden, Sadie, Vīb, GLō, Best Western Premier
Sonesta: Sonesta Select
Wyndham: TRYP by Wyndham, Trademark Collection by Wyndham, Wyndham Garden
Accor: Mama Shelter, TRIBE
LIMITED-SERVICE
Economy and limited-service hotels offer budget rooms with minimal amenities, at the lowest class.
Upper Midscale
Marriott: Fairfield by Marriott
Hilton: Hampton by Hilton
IHG: Holiday Inn Express
Choice: Comfort, Comfort Suites, Clarion Pointe, Country Inn & Suites by Radisson
Wyndham: Wingate by Wyndham
Best Western: Best Western Plus
Accor: Mercure
Midscale
Choice: Quality Inn, Sleep Inn, Clarion
IHG: Garner, avid
Wyndham: La Quinta, Baymont by Wyndham, AmericInn by Wyndham, Ramada by Wyndham
Hilton: Tru by Hilton
Best Western: Best Western
Sonesta: Red Lion Hotels, Red Lion Inn & Suites
Accor: ibis, ibis Styles
Economy
Wyndham: Days Inn, Super 8, Travelodge, Howard Johnson, Microtel by Wyndham
Choice: Econo Lodge, Rodeway Inn
G6: Motel 6
Red Roof: Red Roof Inn, Red Roof PLUS+
Hilton: Spark by Hilton
Sonesta: Americas Best Value Inn, Canadas Best Value Inn, Knights Inn, Signature Inn, GuestHouse, Country Hearth Inn & Suites
Accor: ibis budget, greet
EXTENDED-STAY
Extended-stay hotels provide residential-style rooms with kitchens for longer stays, and they span several classes.
Upscale
Marriott: Residence Inn by Marriott, Element
Hilton: Homewood Suites by Hilton
Hyatt: Hyatt House
IHG: Atwell Suites
Sonesta: Sonesta ES Suites
Upper Midscale
Marriott: TownePlace Suites
Hilton: Home2 Suites by Hilton, LivSmart Studios by Hilton
IHG: Staybridge Suites
Hyatt: Hyatt Studios
Choice: MainStay Suites
Accor: Adagio
Extended Stay America: Extended Stay America Premier Suites
Midscale
IHG: Candlewood Suites
Sonesta: Sonesta Simply Suites
Best Western: Executive Residency by Best Western
Wyndham: Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham, WaterWalk by Wyndham
Extended Stay America: Extended Stay America Suites
Economy
Best Western: SureStay Plus
Choice: WoodSpring Suites, Suburban Studios
G6: Studio 6
Red Roof: HomeTowne Studios by Red Roof
Extended Stay America: Extended Stay America, Studio Plus
*Please note that brand portfolios change as companies launch, acquire, and retire brands, so confirm current details for any specific decision, and refer to STR's most recent chain scale for class. Where a brand sits on a class boundary, reasonable analysts will place it differently.