A year after announcing its acquisition of Mr & Mrs Smith, Hyatt has begun integrating the boutique hotel platform’s properties into its systems.
Hyatt acquired London-based Mr & Mrs Smith, which bills itself as a “travel club for hotel lovers,” for 53 million British pounds.
Starting April 24, guests are able to search for and book Mr & Mrs Smith properties via Hyatt’s website and mobile app, with World of Hyatt members able to earn and redeem points on Mr & Mrs Smith bookings.
Approximately 700 Mr & Mrs Smith member properties are initially available to book via Hyatt channels, with more to follow in the coming months.
Mr & Mrs Smith is not a commissionable product, but Hyatt said it “is something that we’re continuing to evaluate,” said Laurie Blair, Hyatt’s vice president of global marketing during a virtual media briefing.
Blair said Mr & Mrs Smith inventory expands Hyatt’s reach to several additional destinations, including Croatia, Fiji and the British Virgin Islands.
Launched in 2003, Mr & Mrs Smith has a collection of around 1,500 hand-picked and anonymously reviewed hotels and villas. A portion of these properties will remain separate from Hyatt due to conflicts from other brand affiliations or geographic overlap.
According to Marion Barrere, director of curation for Mr & Mrs Smith, the brand plans to retain its existing curation standards, which she characterized as “really high.”
“It’s not about just being luxurious,” says Barrere. “It’s a lot of things that we’re looking for, from extraordinary settings to incredible service to beautiful design, plus that ‘je ne sais quoi’ that makes a property truly special. Curation sits at the heart of our business.”