Marriott International has signed a five hotel deal that will considerably strengthen its presence in the Austrian hotel market, and launch its Four Points Flex by Sheraton into the country.
An agreement with local company Verkehrsbuero Hospitality will deliver additional branded inventory under Marriott’s AC Hotels, Four Points Flex by Sheraton, and Tribute Portfolio brands. In total, the properties will add more than 1,100 rooms to Marriott’s offering in the country, where it currently has 21 hotels operating.
A shift to international brands
The additions will all be conversions of existing hotels, currently trading under Verkehrsbuero’s own Austria Trend Hotels branding. The strategic step by the company will shift more of its hotel inventory to international brand coverage. Currently, the business has 16 hotels under Austria Trend, of which 11 are concentrated in Vienna, with additional properties in Salzburg, Graz and Innsbruck.
Verkehrsbuero is Austria’s leading travel and tourism group, with annual revenues of more than EUR500m. It operates dozens of travel agencies across the country, providing leisure travellers with advice, tours and bookings. In addition to its hotels, it also operates two campsites, and a hostel in Vienna. An events division operates a number of major venues around Vienna, hosting conferences and leisure gatherings.
Verkehrsbuero is familiar working with internationally branded hotels, as it already operates three hotels in Austria in partnership with Hilton. These are the Hotel Astoria Vienna, which is a Curio Collection property, plus two recent conversions to Hilton’s new economy brand, Spark by Hilton Vienna Donaustadt and Spark by Hilton Vienna Messe Prater. The company also partners with Radisson, operating the Radisson Blu Hotel Altstadt in Salzburg, and hotels in Linz and Vienna under the Radisson Individuals brand.
By the end of 2025, it is expected the first two properties will have already transitioned to their new identities. Austria Trend Hotel beim Theresianum and Austria Trend Hotel Salzburg Messe will become Four Points Flex by Sheraton properties. They will be followed in 2026 by the conversion of Austria Trend Hotel Anatol becoming Four Points Flex by Sheraton Vienna Mariahilf.
More substantial works are planned at the Austria Trend Hotel Ananas, the country’s largest hotel with 522 rooms in central Vienna. The property will be divided to create two co-located hotels, Four Points Flex by Sheraton Vienna Naschmarkt and AC Hotel by Marriott Vienna Naschmarkt. Finally, the historic Parkhotel Schonbrunn is set to become a listing under Marriott’s Tribute Portfolio, a collection brand that celebrates landmark properties with unique charm.
Building momentum for the Four Points Flex brand
For Marriott, the deal is an important driver of growth for its Four Points Flex by Sheraton brand, developed with flexible brand standards specifically to encourage conversions across EMEA. The brand is positioned as an affordable midscale segment offering, adding to the breadth of the Marriott group offering.
Already the brand is making major inroads, with multi property deals agreed in Denmark with Core Hospitality, and in the UK with Resident Hotels. And in Japan, an agreement with investor KKR is expected to see 14 hotels switch to the new brand.
