Marriott Acquires Portfolio Of Tiny Cabins Ahead Of Outdoors-Focused Brand Launch

Marriott is clearing a path for an outdoorsy expansion.

The hotel giant made a deal to acquire a lodging company with more than 1,000 tiny cabins across the U.S. and another to bring an outdoors-focused hotel company under its brand.

The moves, announced Thursday, are in preparation for Marriott to launch its own outdoors-focused collection in early 2025. 

The company acquired Postcard Cabins, formerly called Getaway Outposts, which clusters tiny cabins in groups within two hours of major metro areas. Postcard has 1,200 cabins across 29 properties near major metro areas like Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Seattle and Dallas.

Marriott is simultaneously bringing Trailborn’s 559-room current and planned outdoors-oriented portfolio under its flag. The company has two operating locations, one at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado and one in Highlands, North Carolina, the Business Journals reported. Trailborn has planned projects in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina; Mendocino, California; and Williams, Arizona, near the Grand Canyon.

“As guests are increasingly interested in nature-immersive travel, we are excited to build on the incredible breadth of our portfolio and welcome the Postcard Cabins and Trailborn portfolios to Marriott Bonvoy as we deliver more accommodations and experiences in awe-inspiring destinations,” Marriott International Chief Financial Officer Leeny Oberg said in a news release. 

The terms of the deals with Postcard Cabins and Trailborn weren't disclosed, but Marriott classified both deals as “long-term agreements.”

Marriott is poised to lay off more than 800 employees at its Bethesda, Maryland, headquarters in early January as well as additional cuts in offices around the world, which are expected to largely take place by the first quarter of 2025. The company underperformed analysts' earnings expectations in the third quarter as demand for travel has slowed.