The Brand Gravity Index — Syrasota Working Paper No. 1

Abstract

This paper introduces the Brand Gravity Index, a measurement framework for hotel brand strength that resolves into three audience-specific views: Guest Gravity, Capital Gravity, and a synthesized Total Gravity. Brands are scored on ten dimensions and ranked within STR chain-scale tiers, with reputation operating as a floor and trajectory as a directional multiplier. The first edition covers 134 Americas hotel brands.

The framework's argument is that conventional brand-strength instruments — awareness studies, satisfaction surveys, owner-sentiment polls, single-number composites — each measure one dimension of pull while implicitly claiming to measure the whole. The 2026 rankings, presented in Section 3, demonstrate that this conflation has obscured a structural divergence between recognition and favor in several of the field's most familiar names.

§ 1

Introduction

Hotel owners have long sensed that certain brands contribute strategic weight to a property while others consume it. The industry has lacked the vocabulary to articulate this distinction at the level of measurement, and the absence of a vocabulary has produced an absence of rigor. The Brand Gravity Index proposes both.

The Index quantifies the strategic weight a hotel brand exerts in the marketplace — the pull it generates on rate, on distribution, on owner valuation, and on guest perception, independently of any specific property or transaction. Two flags with identical operational metrics can produce dramatically different outcomes for an asset because they exert different gravities on the audiences that determine its long-run trajectory. Sophisticated capital has priced this distinction informally for decades. The framework presented here is an attempt to price it formally.

The argument depends on a single conceptual move. Gravity is not one thing. A brand exerts one kind of pull on the traveling public and another on the capital that builds and trades hotels, and the two can diverge substantially. The Index therefore resolves into three views — Guest Gravity, Capital Gravity, and a synthesized Total Gravity — each drawing on a family of dimensions scored relative to chain-scale norms rather than against the entire field. A brand may rank very differently across the three, and the divergence is itself the diagnostic finding the framework is built to surface.

Within each view, brands are positioned across four strategic quadrants — True Gravity, Latent Gravity, Decaying Gravity, and Sub-Gravitational — defined by the intersection of scale-relative performance and brand awareness. A trajectory vector accompanies each brand to capture not only present position but directional movement. Section 2 sets out the visualization that organizes this; Section 3 presents the rankings within each tier-bracket; Section 4 documents the methodology.

§ 2

The Brand Gravity Quadrant

Figure 1 maps the Americas hotel brand universe by scale-relative performance and brand awareness. Dot size reflects Total Gravity; vectors indicate directional movement. The four quadrants distinguish brands that are strong and known (True Gravity) from those strong but quiet (Latent), those known but fading (Decaying), and those modest on both dimensions (Sub-Gravitational). The plot is intended as orientation; the ranked tables in Section 3 contain the diagnostic detail.

Figure 1. Americas hotel brand universe, scale-relative performance × awareness, 2026 edition.

Traditional

Lifestyle

Soft brand / Collection

Rising trajectory

Declining trajectory

Brand position reflects 2026 cross-sectional scoring; vector direction and length reflect three-year trailing trajectory with forward pipeline weighting. Brands below the five-property Americas threshold are excluded.

§ 3

Rankings within tier-brackets

Brands compete on structurally different terms by chain scale, so the field is divided into three brackets — each combining two adjacent STR chain-scale tiers — and ranked within each. The three views below correspond to the three audiences the framework is built to measure. Within each view, the rankings should be read against the brand's bracket peers; cross-bracket comparisons are not interpretable.

Total Gravitysynthesized Guest Gravityguest-facing Capital Gravityowner-facing

Total Gravity is an equal-weight synthesis of the Guest and Capital views.

Luxury & Upper Upscale

The prestige tiers, ranked together — where cultural presence, accolades, and desirability carry the most weight.

№	Brand	Score	Trj.
1	Four Seasons	95	↑︎
2	Ritz-Carlton	93	↑︎
3	JW Marriott	78	↑︎
4	St. Regis	76	→︎
5	Waldorf Astoria	75	↑︎
6	Fairmont	73	→︎
7	Edition	72	⇑︎
8	Grand Hyatt	72	↑︎
9	1 Hotels	71	⇑︎
10	Luxury Collection	71	→︎
11	Mandarin Oriental	69	↑︎
12	Aman	68	↑︎
13	InterContinental	67	→︎
14	Kimpton	67	↑︎
15	Gaylord	64	↑︎
16	Park Hyatt	64	↑︎
17	Rosewood	64	↑︎
18	Nobu Hotels	63	↑︎
19	Hilton Hotels	62	→︎
20	Hyatt Regency	62	→︎
21	Westin	62	↓︎
22	Ace Hotel	61	↑︎
23	Sofitel	61	→︎
24	Autograph	59	↑︎
25	Thompson	59	⇑︎
26	Canopy by Hilton	58	⇑︎
27	Graduate Hotels	58	⇑︎
28	LXR	58	⇑︎
29	Marriott Hotels	58	↓︎
30	Curio Collection	57	↑︎
31	Andaz	55	↑︎
32	Hotel Indigo	55	↑︎
33	Hyatt Centric	55	↑︎
34	The Hoxton	55	⇑︎
35	The Standard	55	↑︎
36	Embassy Suites	54	↓︎
37	Unbound Collection	54	↑︎
38	21c Museum	53	↑︎
39	Renaissance	53	↓︎
40	Conrad	50	↓︎
41	Radisson Blu	50	↑︎
42	Dream Hotels	49	↑︎
43	Le Méridien	48	↓︎
44	W Hotels	48	→︎
45	Wyndham Grand	47	→︎
46	Destination by Hyatt	44	↑︎
47	JdV	42	↑︎
48	Radisson RED	42	↑︎
49	Tapestry Collection	42	↑︎
50	Tribute Portfolio	39	↑︎
51	Vignette Collection	37	⇑︎
52	Sheraton	30	⇓︎

Upscale & Upper Midscale

The workhorses of branded travel — where reputation, value, and consistency increasingly define gravity.

№	Brand	Score	Trj.
1	Hampton Inn	95	→︎
2	Holiday Inn Express	88	↑︎
3	Fairfield by Marriott	84	↑︎
4	Home2 Suites	84	↑︎
5	Moxy	84	⇑︎
6	Residence Inn	81	↑︎
7	Hyatt Place	79	↑︎
8	Courtyard	78	→︎
9	citizenM	77	⇑︎
10	Homewood Suites	75	↑︎
11	Hilton Garden Inn	74	→︎
12	Delta Hotels	70	↑︎
13	Hyatt House	69	↑︎
14	AC Hotels	68	↑︎
15	Aloft	66	→︎
16	voco	65	⇑︎
17	SpringHill Suites	64	→︎
18	TownePlace Suites	63	→︎
19	Drury	62	↑︎
20	Staybridge Suites	62	→︎
21	DoubleTree by Hilton	61	↓︎
22	Radisson	61	↓︎
23	Best Western Plus	59	→︎
24	Holiday Inn	57	⇓︎
25	Comfort Suites	56	→︎
26	Four Points by Sheraton	55	↓︎
27	Best Western Premier	53	→︎
28	Cambria	53	↑︎
29	Comfort Inn	53	↓︎
30	Crowne Plaza	52	↓︎
31	Element	52	↑︎
32	EVEN Hotels	51	↑︎
33	La Quinta	51	→︎
34	Country Inn & Suites	50	→︎
35	Motto by Hilton	50	⇑︎
36	Hyatt Studios	49	⇑︎
37	Sonesta ES Suites	48	→︎
38	Aiden by Best Western	46	↑︎
39	Atwell Suites	46	⇑︎
40	Wyndham Garden	44	↓︎
41	Caption by Hyatt	43	⇑︎
42	Novotel	43	→︎
43	Park Plaza	43	→︎
44	Tempo by Hilton	40	⇑︎
45	Vib	40	↑︎
46	Wyndham	39	↓︎
47	Clarion	36	↓︎
48	Ascend Hotel Collection	35	↑︎
49	GLo Best Western	35	↑︎
50	Trademark Collection	32	↑︎
51	Tryp by Wyndham	32	→︎
52	BW Premier Collection	30	↑︎

Midscale & Economy

The recognition tiers — where awareness and guest-rated reliability dominate, and poor guest scores are penalized hardest.

№	Brand	Score	Trj.
1	Tru by Hilton	95	↑︎
2	Candlewood Suites	94	→︎
3	WoodSpring Suites	88	↑︎
4	avid hotels	82	↑︎
5	Best Western	81	↓︎
6	Sleep Inn	79	→︎
7	Garner	73	⇑︎
8	Wingate	72	→︎
9	Spark by Hilton	71	⇑︎
10	Extended Stay America	70	→︎
11	MainStay Suites	70	→︎
12	Red Roof Inn	70	↓︎
13	Everhome Suites	69	⇑︎
14	AmericInn	67	↓︎
15	City Express by Marriott	67	↑︎
16	Hawthorn Suites	67	↓︎
17	Microtel	65	→︎
18	Quality Inn	65	↓︎
19	Suburban Studios	65	→︎
20	SureStay	64	↑︎
21	ECHO Suites	63	⇑︎
22	Super 8	60	↓︎
23	Motel 6	57	↓︎
24	Baymont	53	↓︎
25	Days Inn	51	↓︎
26	Ramada	49	↓︎
27	Econo Lodge	46	↓︎
28	Travelodge	43	↓︎
29	Howard Johnson	40	⇓︎
30	Rodeway Inn	30	↓︎

Guest Gravity measures the pull a brand exerts on the traveling public, weighted toward awareness, reputation, cultural presence, and accolade.

Luxury & Upper Upscale

The prestige tiers, ranked together — where cultural presence, accolades, and desirability carry the most weight.

№	Brand	Score	Trj.
1	Four Seasons	95	↑︎
2	Ritz-Carlton	94	↑︎
3	Edition	78	⇑︎
4	Aman	76	↑︎
5	Waldorf Astoria	76	↑︎
6	JW Marriott	75	↑︎
7	Mandarin Oriental	75	↑︎
8	St. Regis	73	→︎
9	1 Hotels	72	⇑︎
10	Fairmont	71	→︎
11	Park Hyatt	70	↑︎
12	Luxury Collection	69	→︎
13	Grand Hyatt	68	↑︎
14	Nobu Hotels	68	↑︎
15	Rosewood	66	↑︎
16	The Standard	65	↑︎
17	InterContinental	64	→︎
18	The Hoxton	64	⇑︎
19	Kimpton	63	↑︎
20	Ace Hotel	62	↑︎
21	Sofitel	61	→︎
22	LXR	60	⇑︎
23	Gaylord	59	↑︎
24	Thompson	59	⇑︎
25	Westin	59	↓︎
26	Hyatt Regency	58	→︎
27	Hilton Hotels	57	→︎
28	21c Museum	55	↑︎
29	Andaz	55	↑︎
30	Graduate Hotels	55	⇑︎
31	Canopy by Hilton	54	⇑︎
32	Marriott Hotels	54	↓︎
33	Autograph	53	↑︎
34	Curio Collection	53	↑︎
35	Dream Hotels	53	↑︎
36	Hotel Indigo	52	↑︎
37	Hyatt Centric	52	↑︎
38	Radisson Blu	51	↑︎
39	Unbound Collection	51	↑︎
40	Embassy Suites	50	↓︎
41	Conrad	49	↓︎
42	Renaissance	49	↓︎
43	W Hotels	48	→︎
44	Le Méridien	46	↓︎
45	Destination by Hyatt	45	↑︎
46	Radisson RED	43	↑︎
47	JdV	42	↑︎
48	Wyndham Grand	40	→︎
49	Tapestry Collection	37	↑︎
50	Vignette Collection	36	⇑︎
51	Tribute Portfolio	35	↑︎
52	Sheraton	30	⇓︎

Upscale & Upper Midscale

The workhorses of branded travel — where reputation, value, and consistency increasingly define gravity.

№	Brand	Score	Trj.
1	Hampton Inn	95	→︎
2	Holiday Inn Express	87	↑︎
3	Moxy	84	⇑︎
4	Fairfield by Marriott	82	↑︎
5	citizenM	81	⇑︎
6	Home2 Suites	77	↑︎
7	Hyatt Place	76	↑︎
8	Residence Inn	74	↑︎
9	Courtyard	73	→︎
10	AC Hotels	72	↑︎
11	Hilton Garden Inn	69	→︎
12	Homewood Suites	69	↑︎
13	Aloft	68	→︎
14	Best Western Plus	64	→︎
15	Delta Hotels	64	↑︎
16	Hyatt House	64	↑︎
17	voco	64	⇑︎
18	Holiday Inn	63	⇓︎
19	Radisson	62	↓︎
20	DoubleTree by Hilton	61	↓︎
21	TownePlace Suites	58	→︎
22	Comfort Suites	57	→︎
23	Motto by Hilton	57	⇑︎
24	SpringHill Suites	57	→︎
25	Comfort Inn	56	↓︎
26	Drury	56	↑︎
27	Novotel	56	→︎
28	Staybridge Suites	56	→︎
29	Crowne Plaza	54	↓︎
30	EVEN Hotels	54	↑︎
31	Element	54	↑︎
32	Four Points by Sheraton	54	↓︎
33	La Quinta	54	→︎
34	Aiden by Best Western	53	↑︎
35	Best Western Premier	52	→︎
36	Country Inn & Suites	52	→︎
37	Tempo by Hilton	52	⇑︎
38	Park Plaza	51	→︎
39	Caption by Hyatt	50	⇑︎
40	Cambria	48	↑︎
41	Hyatt Studios	48	⇑︎
42	Sonesta ES Suites	48	→︎
43	Vib	48	↑︎
44	Wyndham Garden	45	↓︎
45	Atwell Suites	44	⇑︎
46	Wyndham	41	↓︎
47	GLo Best Western	40	↑︎
48	Tryp by Wyndham	40	→︎
49	Clarion	39	↓︎
50	Ascend Hotel Collection	34	↑︎
51	Trademark Collection	32	↑︎
52	BW Premier Collection	30	↑︎

Midscale & Economy

The recognition tiers — where awareness and guest-rated reliability dominate, and poor guest scores are penalized hardest.

№	Brand	Score	Trj.
1	Candlewood Suites	95	→︎
2	Best Western	90	↓︎
3	Tru by Hilton	90	↑︎
4	WoodSpring Suites	81	↑︎
5	Sleep Inn	80	→︎
6	avid hotels	77	↑︎
7	Red Roof Inn	75	↓︎
8	Extended Stay America	72	→︎
9	Spark by Hilton	72	⇑︎
10	Wingate	71	→︎
11	Quality Inn	70	↓︎
12	City Express by Marriott	67	↑︎
13	Everhome Suites	67	⇑︎
14	AmericInn	66	↓︎
15	Garner	66	⇑︎
16	Hawthorn Suites	65	↓︎
17	MainStay Suites	65	→︎
18	Super 8	65	↓︎
19	Microtel	63	→︎
20	Motel 6	62	↓︎
21	ECHO Suites	61	⇑︎
22	Suburban Studios	60	→︎
23	SureStay	59	↑︎
24	Days Inn	56	↓︎
25	Baymont	54	↓︎
26	Ramada	54	↓︎
27	Econo Lodge	47	↓︎
28	Travelodge	46	↓︎
29	Howard Johnson	45	⇓︎
30	Rodeway Inn	30	↓︎

Capital Gravity measures the pull a brand exerts on the capital that builds and trades hotels, weighted toward fee economics, rate resilience, pipeline momentum, and resale impact.

Luxury & Upper Upscale

The prestige tiers, ranked together — where cultural presence, accolades, and desirability carry the most weight.

№	Brand	Score	Trj.
1	Four Seasons	95	↑︎
2	Ritz-Carlton	92	↑︎
3	JW Marriott	83	↑︎
4	St. Regis	78	→︎
5	Grand Hyatt	76	↑︎
6	Fairmont	75	→︎
7	Waldorf Astoria	73	↑︎
8	Kimpton	72	↑︎
9	Luxury Collection	72	→︎
10	Gaylord	70	↑︎
11	InterContinental	70	→︎
12	1 Hotels	69	⇑︎
13	Hilton Hotels	67	→︎
14	Hyatt Regency	67	→︎
15	Edition	66	⇑︎
16	Westin	66	↓︎
17	Autograph	65	↑︎
18	Canopy by Hilton	64	⇑︎
19	Marriott Hotels	64	↓︎
20	Graduate Hotels	62	⇑︎
21	Mandarin Oriental	62	↑︎
22	Rosewood	62	↑︎
23	Curio Collection	60	↑︎
24	Sofitel	60	→︎
25	Ace Hotel	59	↑︎
26	Aman	59	↑︎
27	Embassy Suites	59	↓︎
28	Thompson	59	⇑︎
29	Hyatt Centric	58	↑︎
30	Park Hyatt	58	↑︎
31	Renaissance	58	↓︎
32	Hotel Indigo	57	↑︎
33	Nobu Hotels	57	↑︎
34	Unbound Collection	57	↑︎
35	Wyndham Grand	55	→︎
36	Andaz	54	↑︎
37	LXR	54	⇑︎
38	21c Museum	52	↑︎
39	Conrad	51	↓︎
40	Le Méridien	49	↓︎
41	Radisson Blu	49	↑︎
42	Tapestry Collection	48	↑︎
43	W Hotels	47	→︎
44	The Hoxton	46	⇑︎
45	Dream Hotels	45	↑︎
46	Destination by Hyatt	43	↑︎
47	Tribute Portfolio	43	↑︎
48	JdV	42	↑︎
49	Radisson RED	42	↑︎
50	The Standard	42	↑︎
51	Vignette Collection	39	⇑︎
52	Sheraton	30	⇓︎

Upscale & Upper Midscale

The workhorses of branded travel — where reputation, value, and consistency increasingly define gravity.

№	Brand	Score	Trj.
1	Hampton Inn	95	→︎
2	Home2 Suites	92	↑︎
3	Residence Inn	90	↑︎
4	Holiday Inn Express	89	↑︎
5	Fairfield by Marriott	88	↑︎
6	Courtyard	85	→︎
7	Homewood Suites	84	↑︎
8	Moxy	84	⇑︎
9	Hyatt Place	83	↑︎
10	Hilton Garden Inn	82	→︎
11	Delta Hotels	78	↑︎
12	Hyatt House	77	↑︎
13	citizenM	75	⇑︎
14	SpringHill Suites	74	→︎
15	Staybridge Suites	72	→︎
16	Drury	71	↑︎
17	TownePlace Suites	70	→︎
18	voco	68	⇑︎
19	AC Hotels	66	↑︎
20	Aloft	66	→︎
21	DoubleTree by Hilton	64	↓︎
22	Radisson	63	↓︎
23	Cambria	62	↑︎
24	Four Points by Sheraton	60	↓︎
25	Comfort Suites	59	→︎
26	Best Western Plus	57	→︎
27	Best Western Premier	57	→︎
28	Element	55	↑︎
29	Crowne Plaza	54	↓︎
30	Holiday Inn	54	⇓︎
31	Hyatt Studios	54	⇑︎
32	Comfort Inn	53	↓︎
33	Country Inn & Suites	53	→︎
34	Sonesta ES Suites	53	→︎
35	Atwell Suites	52	⇑︎
36	EVEN Hotels	51	↑︎
37	La Quinta	51	→︎
38	Motto by Hilton	47	⇑︎
39	Wyndham Garden	47	↓︎
40	Aiden by Best Western	44	↑︎
41	Wyndham	42	↓︎
42	Ascend Hotel Collection	41	↑︎
43	Caption by Hyatt	40	⇑︎
44	Park Plaza	40	→︎
45	Clarion	38	↓︎
46	Trademark Collection	38	↑︎
47	Vib	37	↑︎
48	BW Premier Collection	36	↑︎
49	GLo Best Western	35	↑︎
50	Novotel	34	→︎
51	Tempo by Hilton	32	⇑︎
52	Tryp by Wyndham	30	→︎

Midscale & Economy

The recognition tiers — where awareness and guest-rated reliability dominate, and poor guest scores are penalized hardest.

№	Brand	Score	Trj.
1	Tru by Hilton	95	↑︎
2	WoodSpring Suites	91	↑︎
3	Candlewood Suites	88	→︎
4	avid hotels	83	↑︎
5	Garner	77	⇑︎
6	Sleep Inn	75	→︎
7	MainStay Suites	71	→︎
8	Best Western	70	↓︎
9	Wingate	70	→︎
10	Everhome Suites	69	⇑︎
11	Spark by Hilton	68	⇑︎
12	Hawthorn Suites	67	↓︎
13	Suburban Studios	67	→︎
14	AmericInn	65	↓︎
15	Extended Stay America	65	→︎
16	Microtel	65	→︎
17	SureStay	65	↑︎
18	City Express by Marriott	64	↑︎
19	ECHO Suites	63	⇑︎
20	Red Roof Inn	63	↓︎
21	Quality Inn	59	↓︎
22	Super 8	54	↓︎
23	Motel 6	51	↓︎
24	Baymont	50	↓︎
25	Days Inn	45	↓︎
26	Econo Lodge	43	↓︎
27	Ramada	42	↓︎
28	Travelodge	40	↓︎
29	Howard Johnson	35	⇓︎
30	Rodeway Inn	30	↓︎

§ 4

Methodology

The framework is presented here at the conceptual level. The specific weights assigned to each dimension within the tier-specific Guest Gravity profiles, the curvature of the reputation drag function, the magnitude of the trajectory multiplier at each step of the scale, and the calibration of each dimension against external benchmarks are not published. These are the operational instruments that make the framework function rather than the philosophical commitments that make it credible, and they remain proprietary in keeping with the customary practice for serious composite indices. The reader should be able to follow every ranking choice the Index makes and judge whether the reasoning matches their own without access to the recipe.

The ten dimensions

Rate AuthorityGuest & Capital · Pricing

A brand's capacity to command rate against its competitive set, and to hold that rate through demand cycles. Rate level signals desirability; rate resilience signals durable pricing power. Both are measured against scale-typical norms rather than absolute dollar values.

ii.

Cultural PresenceGuest · Velocity

The brand's standing in editorial, design, and trend conversation — the current pulse of how the brand is discussed by tastemakers and the press. Distinct from accumulated recognition, this dimension captures momentum rather than memory, and is weighted heaviest at the top of the chain scale.

iii.

ReputationGuest & Capital · Delivery

The aggregated guest-experience signal — what travelers actually report after staying, normalized to scale-tier baselines. Reputation operates not only as a weighted input but as the floor mechanism through reputation drag: brands whose reputation scores fall meaningfully below their tier norm take an accelerating multiplier penalty on both Guest and Capital Gravity.

iv.

AwarenessGuest & Capital · Recognition

The brand's recognition among the broader traveling public. On the guest side, awareness functions as a ceiling: a brand cannot exert broad consumer pull on an audience that does not know it exists, however coveted it may be among insiders. On the capital side, awareness underwrites the booking base that secures financing.

Accolade DensityGuest · Validation

Third-party prestige validation, captured through the concentration of independent five-star and five-diamond distinctions across a brand's portfolio, normalized to scale. A more objective desirability signal than guest review averages, and a sharper differentiator at the luxury tier.

vi.

Geographic PrestigeGuest · Distribution

The strategic geometry of a brand's footprint. Markets are not equal in the gravity they confer; a brand's distribution pattern reveals where it has chosen to plant itself and what that choice signals about brand intent and ambition.

vii.

Owner DemandCapital · Economics

The intensity with which owners compete to fly the flag, expressed through fee economics and incentive dynamics. A brand whose fee load owners willingly pay, and which need not pay to attract them, is exerting genuine supply-side gravity.

viii.

Pipeline and ResaleCapital · Forward Value

Two forward-looking capital signals taken together: pipeline momentum — the rate at which developers are choosing the brand now relative to its existing footprint — and resale impact, the brand's effect on a property's eventual exit valuation. Together they capture whether a flag compounds or erodes value over a hold period.

ix.

FootprintCapital · Operating Scale

A modifier applied to Capital Gravity but not to Guest Gravity. A single exceptional property and a portfolio of forty exert different gravitational force on a market, even at comparable per-property quality; capital-side measurable gravity is scaled accordingly. The guest view, by contrast, judges desirability without this penalty.

TrajectoryAll Indices · Direction

A brand's net directional movement across the dimensional set over a rolling multi-year window, incorporating forward pipeline pressure. Trajectory captures the rate at which gravity is being earned or lost; for long-horizon flag decisions, direction frequently matters more than current position. Applied as a multiplier rather than an additive input.

Structural principles

Three audiences, three gravities.

Gravity is not one thing. The Index resolves into three views: Guest Gravity, weighted toward recognition, desirability, and accolade; Capital Gravity, weighted toward fee economics, rate resilience, pipeline, and resale value; and Total Gravity, an equal synthesis of the two. A brand may rank very differently across them, and the divergence is the diagnostic information.

Scale-relative by design.

Every dimension is scored relative to scale norms, not in absolute terms. A strong midscale brand and a strong luxury brand can register comparable gravity within their respective categories. The principle inverts conventional thinking, which has tended to conflate scale with strength.

Recognition as a ceiling.

On the guest side, awareness functions as a cap rather than merely an additive contributor. A brand cannot exert broad consumer gravity among a public that has never encountered it, however coveted it may be among insiders. Genuine prestige still earns a meaningful floor, but the ceiling holds.

Ranked within chain scale.

Brands are not compared across the whole field. Each is ranked within its STR chain-scale tier — Luxury, Upper Upscale, Upscale, Upper Midscale, Midscale, Economy — using a weighting profile calibrated to that tier. Cultural presence and accolade carry real weight at the top; awareness, reliability, and value dominate at the bottom.

Reputation is a floor.

Recognition opens the door, but it cannot rescue a brand that guests consistently rate poorly. Brands whose guest satisfaction falls materially below their tier norm are penalized through an accelerating multiplier, so that a widely-known name with poor guest scores can sink beneath quieter brands that travelers actually prefer.

Momentum is a multiplier.

Trajectory shapes the score directly, not merely the label. Rising brands are rewarded; declining brands are marked down. Two brands with identical present-day cross-sections diverge if one is ascending and the other fading. For long-horizon flag decisions, direction frequently matters more than position.

Operating presence is required.

A brand must have at least five open Americas properties to be included. Brands below that threshold — announced but unopened, pipeline-only, or confined to other regions — are excluded. The threshold is a deliberate judgment: a brand with one or two locations may carry genuine prestige but cannot yet exert the sustained, market-wide gravity the Index is built to measure. Several decorated ultra-luxury names fall below the line and are held out until their Americas footprint matures.

Footprint scales capital gravity.

On the capital side, measurable gravity is a function not only of how a brand performs but of how broadly it operates. The Index applies graduated adjustments so that thin-footprint brands cannot accumulate the same capital weight as brands of broader scale. The guest view, by contrast, judges desirability without this penalty.

Diagnostic, not prescriptive.

The Index clarifies what a flag is structurally; it does not tell owners what to do with it. The purpose is to make flag decisions more informed than they would be in its absence — a lens, not a recommendation.

10.

Refreshed annually.

The Index is maintained on an annual cadence and updated as material shifts in the brand landscape warrant. Methodological refinements and the timing of each successive edition remain at Syrasota's discretion.

What the Index does not measure

The Index does not predict the financial performance of any specific property. It measures brand-level pull on aggregate audiences; individual asset performance is determined by location, operations, capital structure, management, and dozens of other asset-specific factors the Index does not capture. The Index does not forecast the future; the trajectory dimension is a present-moment reading of directional momentum built from trailing-window data, not a forecasting tool. The Index does not measure brand health from the perspective of internal stakeholders — employees, associates, corporate culture — which would require a separate instrument. The Index does not cover brands outside the Americas region, nor brands below the operating-presence threshold. The 2026 edition is a first edition and will improve.