Bentz: Here's The Concern For A Starwood-Marriott Merger

In an unexpected development in the Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc HOT acquisition, Chinese firm Anbang Insurance Group decided to walk away from its proposed takeover for almost $14 billion.

Kristin Bentz, also know as The Talented Blonde, shared some thoughts on the issue in a blog post published on late Thursday. This is a big win for Marriott International Inc MAR, she assured. However, she noted, there is one foreseeable concern: how will Marriott steamroll Starwood’s Luxury Collections into its “less-than-stellar Autobiography lineup?”

Moreover, “What kind of culture-clash can be expected with the young-money consumer who flocks to the W Hotels brand and the more traditional values ethos of Marriott International?” she asked.

One additional element of concern is “whether the DOJ will react positively to the new conglomerates possible monopoly in hotel rooms in 5 of the 6 largest cities in the U.S.”

Shares of Starwood, the operator of Sheraton and Westin hotels, were trading down about 4.1 percent, on Thursday’s after-hours session, while shares of Marriott tumbled 4.66 percent since the bell rang.

Disclosure: Javier Hasse holds no positions in any of the securities mentioned above.