Earlier this month, Hilton Worldwide announced its plans to launch Curio, a collection of four- to five-star luxury hotels under the Hilton brand. This is not the first time that a hotel brand has made the move to round up independent hotels; Marriott has their ‘Autograph Collection’ which is made up of luxury boutique hotels appealing to those who want both the lavish and active lifestyle. Similarly, Starwood has ‘The Luxury Collection’ for luxury travelers seeking exclusive experiences around the globe.

Seeing that its competitors have already established their own collections, it only makes sense that Hilton would make a move in this direction. In fact, we’re left wondering why they didn’t do this sooner. Tapping into the growing demand for authentic travel experiences and local immersion, Hilton developed the Curio brand name to refer to “something of interest, unique or even rare.” While Marriott and Starwood are undoubtedly after the same end result, the air of mystery Curio creates could be the point of differentiation the brand needs to pique luxury travelers’ curiosity.

Currently, affluent consumers are spending more money then they have in past years. With more wealthy consumers planning to increase their spending this year, a large portion of which will be spent on travel, it’s clear that Hilton is making the right move. By appealing to travelers’ desire for authentic experiences with the unique offerings from each Curio property, Hilton can expect to reap the rewards of this positive spending trend. For example, the Alex Johnson (one of the five hotels already committed to Hilton’s Curio collection) prides itself on the experience of staying in a hotel that has hosted six past U.S. Presidents. Rather than being just another hotel near Mount Rushmore, a night’s stay is a step into history.

We’re interested to see where Hilton moves with this new brand extension. Marketing luxury hotels is one thing, but marketing luxury hotel experiences is a whole differnt ballgame.

There is no doubt that it has the potential to open new doors for Hilton, and as long as the brand works to preserve the unique personalities and offerings of each property, they will continue to keep luxury travelers on their toes, curious about the next authentic travel experience.