Just curious. Will the Starwood hotels be rebranded as Marriott or a subsidiary like Starwood by Marriott?
Marriott currently claims 19 brands. That includes Marriott Vacation Club, but not The Ritz-Carlton Destination Club or Grand Residences by Marriott. If you count those two, Marriott has 21 brands.
Starwood currently claims 11 brands.
Marriott is already touting a combined company with "30 Leading Brands."
Chances are the corporate Starwood name will go away (there are no hotels with giant Starwood signs on them). But St. Regis, Luxury Collection, Tribute Portfolio, Le Méridien, Design Hotels, W Hotels, Westin, Sheraton, Four Points, Aloft, and Element will give Marriott more brands to franchise.
I could see Tribute Portfolio merged into Autograph Collection. But a downtown with a Westin, Sheraton, Le Méridien, Marriott, and Renaissance is likely to still have those hotels branded the same way after the merger closes.