Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide has introduced Tribute Portfolio, the company’s tenth brand and second collection of independent hotels.

Promising owners, Starwood Preferred Guest members and guests the ability to ‘Stay Independent,’ the Tribute Portfolio brand will be comprised of outstanding independent hotels and resorts.

With a firm focus on four star, upper upscale hotels, Tribute Portfolio will complement Starwood’s The Luxury Collection brand and further solidify Starwood as the world’s most global high-end hotel company.

The brand will make its debut today with its first featured hotel, the iconic Royal Palm South Beach Miami and will soon open new hotels in Asheville, North Carolina, Nashville, Tennessee, Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina.

“With Starwood’s history of brand innovation, design leadership and our leading global high-end footprint, we believe Tribute Portfolio will be an exciting solution for hotel owners of distinct properties who wish to maintain their independent spirit, yet benefit from Starwood’s powerful distribution, loyalty and sales platforms,” said Adam Aron , Starwood chief executive officer.

“Our mission with Tribute Portfolio is very simple: bring great hotels in great destinations to our loyal SPG members, who make up more than half of all Starwood stays.”

Aron continued: “We recognize that independent hotels also attract guests who are not already affiliated with SPG.

“Tribute Portfolio will provide a clear opportunity for us to grow our SPG member base and deliver more loyal guests across all of our Starwood hotels worldwide.”

Aron said Starwood’s goal is to have 100 Tribute Portfolio hotels and resorts over the next five years.

Initial focus on growth of this new brand will be in North America and Europe, and travellers can expect to see Tribute Portfolio properties in global markets within the first year.

Starwood’s The Luxury Collection, the hotel industry’s original ‘collection brand,’ featuring some of the world’s most iconic independent luxury hotels, is in the midst of its most prolific growth spurt in its 21-year history.

In the last decade, The Luxury Collection brand has tripled its footprint, growing more than 60 per cent in the last five years alone.

The Tribute Portfolio brand’s debut property, the iconic Royal Palm South Beach Miami, boasts direct beach access to world famous South Beach and is ideally located on Collins Avenue, steps from Ocean Drive and the area’s luxury retail shopping and entertainment district.