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Preference

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Preference Hotel Brand: History, Ownership, Market Position, and Guest Experience

Table of Contents

1. What Is Preference?

Preference is a collection brand for independently conceived upscale hotels and resorts, primarily associated with distinctive properties in Indonesia. It originated within TAUZIA Hotel Management and is now part of The Ascott Limited, the lodging business of Singapore-based CapitaLand Investment.

Rather than imposing one highly standardized architectural or design formula, Preference is intended to bring individual hotels into a broader reservation, distribution, loyalty, and operating ecosystem while retaining substantial property-level identity. This makes it closer to a soft brand or curated collection than to a conventional standardized hotel chain.

The brand participates in the wider travel and tourism industry, with an offering that generally combines full-service accommodation, restaurants, leisure facilities, meetings, and locally influenced experiences. Facilities vary because Preference properties are not identical and may have different owners, formats, and destination roles.

Preference is best understood today as an Asia-Pacific collection platform with particularly strong Indonesian roots. Its defining proposition is the combination of an independent hotel’s local character with access to Ascott’s booking channels, Ascott Star Rewards, and broader lodging infrastructure.

2. Preference at a Glance

  • Hotel brand name: Preference, historically also styled Préférence
  • Hotel family: The Ascott Limited
  • Ultimate parent company: CapitaLand Investment Limited
  • Brand type: Soft brand and curated hotel collection
  • Origin: Developed by TAUZIA Hotel Management in Indonesia
  • Founded: Developed during TAUZIA’s expansion as a multi-brand operator and established in the market by the early 2010s; public materials do not consistently identify a separate incorporation date for Preference
  • Founding organization: TAUZIA Hotel Management
  • Place founded: Indonesia
  • Current headquarters: Preference does not disclose a separate headquarters; it is administered within Ascott, headquartered in Singapore
  • Current ownership: The brand is controlled through The Ascott Limited, part of CapitaLand Investment
  • Industry segment: Upscale, full-service independent hotel collection
  • Market position: Locally differentiated hotels supported by a larger hospitality platform
  • Typical property types: Urban hotels, resort hotels, destination properties, and independently designed full-service hotels
  • Geographic focus: Asia-Pacific, with a concentrated operating heritage in Indonesia
  • Primary guest segments: Leisure travelers, couples, families, business travelers, event guests, and Ascott Star Rewards members
  • Loyalty program: Ascott Star Rewards at participating properties and eligible rates
  • Operating model: A mixture of brand affiliation, management, distribution, and property-owner relationships
  • Current status: Active collection brand in Ascott’s lodging portfolio
  • Official website: Official Preference website

3. What Hotel Family Does Preference Belong To?

Preference belongs to The Ascott Limited, a lodging company controlled by CapitaLand Investment. CapitaLand Investment is the ultimate corporate parent, while Ascott is the hospitality platform responsible for lodging brands, management services, distribution, and related accommodation businesses.

Preference entered this family through Ascott’s acquisition of TAUZIA Hotel Management. TAUZIA was an Indonesia-focused hotel operator with a portfolio ranging from economy and midscale hotels to upscale and collection concepts. In 2018, Ascott acquired a majority interest in TAUZIA. Ascott subsequently moved to full ownership, bringing TAUZIA’s brands and management platform into its wider lodging business.

Within Ascott’s portfolio, Preference serves a different purpose from more standardized serviced-residence and hotel brands. It is designed for properties whose individual identity is commercially important. The Crest Collection and The Unlimited Collection also use collection-style approaches, but each has its own positioning and portfolio criteria. Preference retains a particularly strong connection to the independent hotel market in Indonesia.

Brand ownership does not mean that Ascott owns the real estate underlying every Preference property. A hotel can be owned by a local company or investor while operating under an affiliation or management agreement with Ascott. Depending on the property, Ascott may provide brand standards, hotel management, reservation technology, sales, loyalty participation, and distribution without owning the building.

4. Who Founded Preference, and How Did It Begin?

Preference was developed by TAUZIA Hotel Management rather than being traced to one independently documented founder or a single founding hotel. TAUZIA itself was established in Indonesia in 2001 by hospitality executives Marc Steinmeyer and Christophe Glass. Their company built a multi-brand operating platform for hotel owners across different price and service segments.

Preference emerged as TAUZIA’s answer to a specific owner and market need: some upscale hotels required professional management and broader commercial distribution but did not fit a rigid chain template. These properties could benefit from centralized reservations, sales support, operating expertise, and recognizable affiliation while preserving their own names, architecture, and local narratives.

Current corporate materials do not consistently identify a single launch ceremony, opening date, or individual founder for Preference. The collection was established in the market by the early 2010s and became one of TAUZIA’s recognized brands alongside HARRIS, POP!, YELLO, FOX, and Vertu.

This origin is strategically important. Preference was not built around reproducing one prototype across many locations. It was built around accommodating distinct hotels within a common commercial structure. That founding logic remains visible in the collection’s varied properties and destination-specific experiences.

5. What Is the History of Preference?

The history of Preference is closely connected to TAUZIA’s development as an Indonesian hotel-management company, but the two histories are not identical. TAUZIA was founded in 2001. Preference was introduced later as a collection proposition for more individualized upscale properties.

TAUZIA establishes an Indonesian operating platform

TAUZIA initially developed its business by managing hotels for property owners and creating brands aimed at specific market segments. Indonesia offered substantial opportunities in domestic travel, business accommodation, regional cities, and resort destinations. TAUZIA’s model allowed hotel owners to engage an experienced operator without relying exclusively on larger international chains.

Preference develops as a collection concept

By the early 2010s, Preference had emerged as TAUZIA’s vehicle for independent upscale hotels. Unlike a hard brand, which typically specifies a tightly controlled physical product, Preference allowed greater variation in architecture, interior design, property name, and destination positioning.

The collection model was especially relevant to hotels whose value came partly from local history, landscape, or individually commissioned design. Properties could maintain a distinct market identity while gaining access to TAUZIA’s management and sales capabilities.

Growth through distinctive Indonesian properties

Preference expanded through urban and resort-oriented hotels in Indonesia. Its geographic identity became associated with destinations on Java and Bali, including cultural cities, commercial centers, coastal locations, and highland leisure markets. The portfolio has included hotels positioned around heritage, contemporary design, nature, wellness, and destination access.

The collection did not develop as a large, uniform chain. Properties entered and could leave according to individual management or affiliation agreements. This makes historical property counts less useful than they would be for a wholly owned chain.

Ascott acquires TAUZIA

In 2018, The Ascott Limited acquired a 70 percent interest in TAUZIA. The transaction gave Ascott immediate scale in Indonesia and access to TAUZIA’s brands, hotel-development relationships, and operating expertise. It also gave Preference access to a much larger lodging company with international reservation, sales, technology, and loyalty capabilities.

Ascott subsequently moved to full ownership of TAUZIA. Preference therefore became part of a global lodging portfolio controlled by CapitaLand Investment. This was an ownership change at the brand and management-company level, not evidence that Ascott purchased every hotel building carrying the Preference affiliation.

Integration into Ascott’s booking and loyalty ecosystem

Following the acquisition, TAUZIA brands were progressively connected to Ascott’s commercial infrastructure. Preference gained visibility through the Discover ASR booking environment and participation, where applicable, in Ascott Star Rewards.

This integration changed the scale of the platform supporting the brand. An independently owned hotel within Preference could potentially reach Ascott’s international customer base while continuing to trade on its own location, name, and character.

Preference as part of a multi-brand collection strategy

Ascott has expanded beyond its historical emphasis on serviced residences into hotels, resorts, coliving, collection brands, and other accommodation formats. Preference now sits within that broader strategy. Its role is not to duplicate Ascott’s standardized brands, but to provide a home for properties whose individuality is a central part of their appeal.

6. What Industry Segment Does Preference Occupy?

Preference occupies the upscale, full-service soft-brand segment of the hotel industry. The term soft brand describes an affiliation model in which hotels retain more individual identity than properties in a conventional chain. The operator or brand platform normally provides distribution, brand requirements, loyalty access, sales support, and selected operating standards without requiring every hotel to look identical.

Preference properties commonly offer more facilities and service than select-service hotels. Depending on the destination, these may include restaurants, bars, swimming pools, fitness facilities, spas, meeting rooms, ballrooms, concierge support, and organized local experiences. The exact mix is property-dependent.

The brand should not automatically be classified as universally luxury. Some member hotels may offer luxury-oriented rooms, suites, villas, or service features, but the collection as a whole is more accurately understood as upscale and experience-led. Pricing also varies by destination, season, property scale, and room category.

Industry segment is separate from star classification. Star ratings are generally assigned at property level under national or commercial rating systems. A Preference hotel in one market may have a different formal classification from another property. The collection affiliation indicates a strategic and commercial position, not one universal star rating.

7. How Is Preference Positioned in the Market?

Preference is positioned between fully independent hotels and standardized international chains. It offers hotel owners a way to retain property identity while gaining some of the commercial reach associated with a larger lodging group. For guests, the corresponding proposition is individuality supported by a recognizable booking and loyalty platform.

Individuality rather than uniformity: Preference hotels are not expected to reproduce one design template. Their names, architectural styles, room layouts, dining concepts, and destination stories may differ substantially. This allows the collection to accommodate heritage-oriented hotels, modern urban properties, resorts, and nature-based retreats.

Upscale full-service hospitality: The collection generally competes above economy, midscale, and limited-service brands. The proposition typically includes substantial public areas, food and beverage, leisure amenities, event facilities, and more guest-service interaction than a select-service model.

Local destination relevance: Preference properties are commonly positioned around their immediate environments. In a cultural city, that may involve regional design and access to historical attractions. At a resort, landscape, recreation, wellness, and privacy may become more important.

Access to Ascott’s system: Participation in Ascott’s reservation and loyalty ecosystem can reduce some of the commercial disadvantages associated with stand-alone hotels. This matters to travelers who want an independent-style property but prefer centralized booking, member rates, or loyalty recognition.

From a strategic perspective, Preference addresses two simultaneous demands. Owners may want differentiation and flexibility, while travelers may want confidence, convenience, and recognized distribution. The brand’s position rests on balancing those priorities. The balance can vary by hotel, so guests should not assume complete consistency across every property.

8. Where Does Preference Operate?

Preference has an Asia-Pacific orientation, but its operating heritage and strongest concentration are in Indonesia. This distinction matters because a brand can belong to a regional or global hotel company without maintaining an equally broad portfolio under that specific name.

Indonesia: Preference originated in TAUZIA’s Indonesian platform. Its portfolio has been associated with destinations across Java and Bali, including major urban centers, cultural destinations, resort areas, and highland leisure markets. Properties in these markets can serve both domestic Indonesian demand and international visitors.

Java: Java offers several types of demand relevant to the collection, including corporate travel, meetings, weddings, domestic holidays, cultural tourism, and short leisure breaks. Cities such as Bandung and Yogyakarta, along with destination areas in West and Central Java, suit hotels that combine local identity with full-service facilities.

Bali: Bali provides an international resort context in which design, wellness, dining, and destination access can support an individual hotel proposition. A collection affiliation can help a Bali property retain its own identity while accessing a larger reservation network.

Singapore and the wider Ascott network: Preference is administered through Ascott, whose headquarters are in Singapore and whose operating platform extends across Asia-Pacific and other regions. This corporate reach is broader than Preference’s own hotel footprint.

Hotel affiliation is governed by property-level agreements, so the collection’s directory can change when hotels open, rebrand, change operator, or conclude management contracts. Announced developments should not be treated as operating hotels until they open. Accordingly, Preference is better described as a selective and Indonesia-centered collection than as a uniformly distributed pan-Asian chain.

9. What Does Preference Provide?

Accommodation

Preference properties generally provide upscale guest rooms and suites, with layouts and design determined by the individual hotel. Some destination properties may also offer villas, family accommodation, connecting rooms, balconies, or larger residential-style units. These formats are not universal collection standards.

Rooms typically emphasize the character of the specific property rather than a single brand design. Local materials, regional decorative references, landscape views, or contemporary design concepts may feature where appropriate.

Dining and beverages

Full-service Preference hotels commonly include one or more restaurants, lounges, bars, cafés, or in-room dining. Urban properties may focus on all-day dining, business meals, social gatherings, and events. Resort properties may place greater emphasis on outdoor dining, destination views, local ingredients, or longer leisure-oriented meal occasions.

Restaurant concepts are usually property-specific. A signature restaurant at one hotel should not be interpreted as a facility available across the entire collection.

Wellness, fitness, and recreation

Swimming pools, fitness centers, spas, gardens, and wellness activities appear at a number of collection properties, particularly in resort and destination settings. The scale varies. One hotel may provide a full spa and structured wellness program, while another may offer only a gym and pool.

Recreation can also be linked to location. Depending on the property, guests may find cultural excursions, nature activities, children’s facilities, or access to nearby attractions.

Meetings, weddings, and events

Many upscale Indonesian hotels serve an important meetings and social-events market. Preference properties may provide meeting rooms, boardrooms, ballrooms, outdoor event areas, catering, and wedding services. These facilities can be a significant part of the commercial model in regional cities and resort destinations.

Capacity and technical resources vary by hotel. Meeting planners need to assess the individual property rather than relying only on the collection name.

Guest and destination services

Depending on the hotel, services may include reception, concierge assistance, luggage handling, transportation arrangements, housekeeping, room service, destination planning, and event coordination. Resort properties may provide more extensive activity planning, while urban hotels may emphasize transfers and business convenience.

Loyalty and digital distribution

Participating Preference hotels can be booked through Ascott’s Discover ASR platform. Eligible stays may earn or redeem Ascott Star Rewards points, subject to the participating hotel, booking channel, rate, and program terms. This digital and loyalty connection is one of the principal functional benefits of the brand’s membership in the Ascott family.

10. Why Do Guests Choose Preference?

1. A more individual property identity

One reason travelers may choose Preference is that its hotels are not designed to look or feel identical. Guests interested in architecture, local design, or destination-specific character may find the collection more relevant than a tightly standardized chain. The trade-off is that the experience can vary more from one property to another.

2. Access to locally significant destinations

Preference’s Indonesian footprint includes urban, cultural, resort, and nature-oriented markets. For leisure travelers, the location may be the primary reason for selecting a property. The collection structure allows hotels to organize their offering around the destination rather than forcing the destination into one brand prototype.

3. Full-service facilities

Travelers who want dining, pools, wellness, event facilities, or organized guest services may prefer Preference over a limited-service hotel or small independent lodging option. This can be particularly relevant to families, wedding groups, corporate retreats, and guests planning to spend substantial time at the hotel.

4. Independent character with a larger booking platform

Some guests value distinctive independent hotels but still want centralized reservations and loyalty-program participation. Preference is designed to address that combination. Ascott’s commercial platform can provide a degree of booking convenience and member recognition that a stand-alone hotel might not offer.

5. Suitability for combined business and leisure travel

Properties with meeting rooms, business services, restaurants, and leisure amenities can support trips that combine work with personal time. Corporate travelers attending meetings may extend a stay, while accompanying family members can use the hotel’s recreational facilities.

6. Space for celebrations and group events

Ballrooms, outdoor venues, catering, and destination settings can make certain Preference hotels relevant for weddings, social celebrations, and organized groups. Event planners may value a property that has an individual visual identity while still receiving operating support from an established hotel company.

7. Loyalty participation

Ascott Star Rewards members may consider Preference when eligible stays provide points, redemption opportunities, member rates, or status-related benefits. Program participation does not make every benefit available at every property, so guests should confirm the applicable terms before booking.

11. Who Does Preference Serve?

Leisure and destination travelers

Leisure guests are an important audience, particularly at properties in resort, cultural, and highland destinations. Couples, groups of friends, and independent travelers may be attracted by location, design, dining, wellness, or access to local activities. The individual identity of each hotel is central to this segment.

Families and multigenerational groups

Hotels with larger rooms, pools, children’s facilities, recreation, and multiple dining options can serve families and multigenerational parties. The relevance of Preference to families depends heavily on the chosen property because not every collection hotel offers the same facilities.

Business and meeting travelers

Urban and regional hotels may serve executives, project teams, government travelers, conference delegates, and local companies. Meeting facilities, central locations, food and beverage, transportation access, and full-service support are especially important to this audience.

Wedding and event guests

Properties with ballrooms, gardens, terraces, or resort settings can attract weddings and other social events. These guests require more than accommodation. Catering, guest-room blocks, event coordination, photography settings, and flexible function space can influence the selection.

Ascott Star Rewards members

Existing members of Ascott’s loyalty ecosystem represent another potential audience. Preference gives these travelers access to hotels that may feel more independent than conventional chain properties while remaining connected to the group’s booking environment. Eligibility for benefits depends on the hotel and rate booked.

12. What Defines the Preference Guest Experience?

The Preference guest experience is defined less by one universal visual style than by the interaction between the individual property and Ascott’s supporting systems.

Arrival and setting: The first impression is generally property-led. Architecture, landscaping, lobby design, and location can differ substantially. A resort may emphasize gardens and views, while an urban hotel may focus on contemporary public spaces and efficient access.

Service style: Preference operates in a full-service segment, so guests can generally expect more staff interaction than at a limited-service hotel. However, staffing ratios, concierge depth, in-room services, and personalization differ by property.

Rooms and public areas: Design is intended to support the hotel’s own identity. This may include regional decorative elements, heritage references, local artwork, or modern destination-focused interiors. There is no expectation that every guest room will follow the same global prototype.

Dining and social activity: Restaurants, lounges, event venues, and outdoor spaces often play an important role. At some hotels, local residents attending meals, weddings, or meetings contribute significantly to the atmosphere.

Digital journey and loyalty: Ascott’s booking ecosystem can provide a more consistent pre-arrival and loyalty layer even where the physical hotels differ. This creates a common commercial connection across otherwise individualized properties.

The experience therefore combines two levels: the distinctiveness of the individual hotel and the reservation, operating, and loyalty capabilities associated with Ascott.

13. What Distinguishes Preference from Other Hotel Brands?

Indonesian operating heritage: Preference developed within an Indonesia-based hotel company rather than being introduced as a global collection and later adapted to the market. That history gives the brand established relationships with Indonesian destinations, hotel owners, and domestic travel patterns.

Property-level identity: Member hotels can maintain their own names and individual market narratives. This distinguishes the collection from conventional chains in which the corporate brand typically dominates the property’s identity.

Combination of independence and scale: Preference offers access to Ascott’s distribution and loyalty infrastructure without requiring every hotel to adopt an identical design concept. This is relevant to owners who want commercial support but believe that standardization could reduce a property’s destination appeal.

Full-service orientation: The brand generally supports hotels with restaurants, recreation, events, and guest services rather than concentrating on rooms alone. This allows properties to address leisure, corporate, wedding, and local food-and-beverage demand.

Position within a diverse lodging group: Ascott operates serviced residences, conventional hotels, coliving concepts, and collection brands. Preference can therefore draw on a broader lodging platform while occupying a specific role for individualized upscale properties.

These differences do not mean that Preference provides a superior experience to every competing collection. They indicate that its model is particularly relevant when local identity, full-service facilities, and access to a larger hotel system need to coexist.

14. How Should Preference Be Understood Today?

What remains central: Preference continues to represent individualized hotels connected through a common collection structure. Local character, property-specific design, full-service facilities, and destination relevance remain more central than uniform architecture.

What has changed: The most important change has been corporate ownership. What began within TAUZIA’s Indonesian hotel-management platform is now supported by The Ascott Limited and ultimately CapitaLand Investment. This has broadened the distribution, technology, loyalty, and development resources potentially available to participating hotels.

The brand’s context has also changed as soft brands have become a more significant part of the hotel industry. Independent owners increasingly seek access to major reservation systems and loyalty audiences without surrendering all elements of property identity. Preference operates within that wider trend.

What the name signals today: Analytically, a Preference affiliation signals an upscale hotel intended to preserve individual character while participating in Ascott’s commercial ecosystem. It does not signal that every hotel has the same design, amenity list, service intensity, or formal star rating.

Important limitations: Preference should not be described as a uniformly global chain simply because its parent company operates internationally. Its heritage and operating concentration remain closely linked to Indonesia. It should also not be treated as universally luxury. Individual properties may reach luxury-oriented positions, but the collection overall is more accurately categorized as upscale, full-service, and experience-led.

Preference therefore represents a bridge between independent hospitality and institutional hotel infrastructure. Its strategic relevance lies in preserving differentiation while giving owners and guests access to a larger lodging platform.

15. Frequently Asked Questions

When was Preference founded?

Preference was developed by TAUZIA Hotel Management and was established in the market by the early 2010s. Public corporate materials do not consistently identify a separate legal founding date or one definitive first hotel, so TAUZIA’s 2001 founding should not automatically be presented as Preference’s launch date.

Who founded Preference?

The founding organization was TAUZIA Hotel Management. TAUZIA was established by Marc Steinmeyer and Christophe Glass, but available public materials do not separately designate one individual as the founder of the Preference collection itself.

Who owns Preference?

Preference is part of The Ascott Limited, which is controlled by CapitaLand Investment. This is ownership of the brand and operating platform. Individual Preference hotel buildings may be owned by separate investors or local property companies.

Is Preference a luxury hotel brand?

Preference is more accurately classified as an upscale, full-service hotel collection. Individual properties may provide luxury-oriented suites, villas, dining, wellness, or service, but the collection does not carry one universal luxury classification or star rating.

Where does Preference operate?

Preference has an Asia-Pacific orientation and a particularly strong operating heritage in Indonesia. Its properties have been associated with destinations across Java and Bali, including urban, cultural, resort, and highland markets. The active directory can change as management agreements begin or end.

What does Preference offer?

Offerings commonly include upscale rooms and suites, restaurants, pools, fitness or wellness facilities, meeting spaces, event venues, and destination services. The collection is intentionally varied, so guests should verify amenities at the individual hotel.

Does Preference participate in a loyalty program?

Participating Preference hotels are connected to Ascott Star Rewards. Eligible guests may receive member rates, earn or redeem points, and access applicable status benefits. Availability depends on the property, rate, booking channel, and current program rules.

Why might travelers choose Preference?

Travelers may choose Preference for distinctive property design, Indonesian destination access, full-service facilities, event capabilities, and the combination of independent character with Ascott’s booking and loyalty platform. The most relevant reason depends on the individual hotel and purpose of travel.