Proper Hotel: Ownership, Locations, and Marriott Affiliation Explained

When you see a hotel with “Proper” in its name, you might wonder who actually owns the building versus who manages the brand — and whether booking one earns you Marriott Bonvoy points. This guide clarifies the ownership and brand affiliation of Proper Hotel properties, traces the company’s founding story, and explains exactly how its partnership with Marriott works, all backed by public business records and industry reporting.

Last checked: 2026-06-26

Brand: Proper Hotel · Parent company: Proper Hospitality · Loyalty program: Marriott Bonvoy (via Design Hotels) · Signature designer: Kelly Wearstler

Who is the owner of proper hotels?

The Proper Hotel brand is owned by Proper Hospitality, a hotel management and development company co-founded by Brian De Lowe and Brad Korzen. Public records and the company’s LinkedIn profile list Korzen as President and De Lowe as a Principal.

Neither Marriott International nor any other publicly traded hotel chain holds an equity stake in Proper Hospitality itself. The company operates independently, selecting which brand affiliations — including its membership in Design Hotels — best suit each property.

Brian De Lowe and Proper Hospitality

De Lowe and Korzen founded Proper Hospitality in 2012, according to industry reports. Before Proper, De Lowe held executive roles at Viceroy Hotel Group and Korzen was a founding partner of Kor Group, a real estate development firm that worked on hotels like Viceroy Santa Monica. The company’s name — Proper — was chosen to signal a return to what the founders considered core hospitality values: thoughtful design, locally rooted service, and attention to detail.

Brad Korzen’s role in Proper Hotels

Korzen serves as President of Proper Hospitality and oversees the company’s development and investment strategy. He is also the husband of Kelly Wearstler, the interior designer behind every Proper Hotel property. Wearstler’s signature aesthetic — vivid colours, vintage furniture, bold patterns — has become the visual identity of the brand.

Tip: Since Korzen and Wearstler are married, their professional collaboration is a family affair. This close relationship means each hotel’s design vision aligns directly with the owner’s team, which is rare in the hotel industry.

Is Proper Hotel part of Marriott?

Yes and no. Proper Hotel is part of Marriott Bonvoy through its membership in Design Hotels, a curated collection of independently owned properties. As Marriott’s brand page explains, Design Hotels is “a collection of over 300 independently owned hotels around the world” that Marriott acquired a majority stake in, yet each hotel retains its own brand, ownership, and management.

Marriott does not own or manage Proper Hotel properties. Instead, Proper Hospitality pays Marriott a fee for access to the Bonvoy reservation system, global distribution channels, and loyalty program. This is the same asset-light model that Marriott International uses across most of its portfolio — as HotelMinder puts it, “Marriott, Hilton, IHG, and Hyatt don’t own most hotels bearing their names.”

Design Hotels and Marriott Bonvoy

The relationship between Proper and Marriott is therefore affiliational, not operational. Book a stay at a Proper Hotel through Marriott.com and you earn Bonvoy points and elite-night credits, but the front-desk team, housekeeping standards, and property-level decisions remain under Proper Hospitality’s control.

List of Proper Hotel properties in Marriott Bonvoy

As of mid-2025, three Proper Hotel locations are bookable through Marriott Bonvoy:

• Austin Proper Hotel — 2nd Street District, Austin
• Santa Monica Proper Hotel — Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica
• Downtown Los Angeles Proper Hotel — Broadway, Downtown L.A.

All three appear on both the official Proper Hotel website and the Design Hotels collection at Marriott.com.

Who started proper hotels?

The Proper Hotel brand was launched by Proper Hospitality, which Brian De Lowe and Brad Korzen founded in 2012. The first property, Downtown Los Angeles Proper Hotel, opened in 2016 in a historic 1920s building on Broadway that had previously housed a YWCA. Santa Monica Proper followed in 2019 and Austin Proper in 2020.

The founding of Proper Hospitality

Korzen and De Lowe brought complementary backgrounds to the venture. Korzen’s Kor Group had developed boutique hotels such as Viceroy Santa Monica and the Avalon Hotel in Beverly Hills. De Lowe’s resume included launching the Viceroy brand and expanding its footprint from the West Coast to the Caribbean. Together, they formed Proper Hospitality to create a brand that would feel local rather than standardized.

Brian De Lowe and Brad Korzen background

Korzen began his career in real estate development, focusing on adaptive reuse of older buildings. De Lowe’s background is in hotel operations and brand-building. Their partnership mirrors a common structure in boutique hospitality: one partner handles real estate and investment, the other oversees brand and guest experience.

Which is higher end, Hilton or Marriott?

For a hotel like Proper, Marriott Bonvoy is the higher-end loyalty program — not because Marriott’s core brands outrank Hilton’s, but because Marriott’s Design Hotels collection offers access to a grade of independent boutique properties that Hilton’s loyalty program does not match. Hilton’s luxury tier includes Waldorf Astoria and Conrad, but its independent-hotel collection (via partnerships and soft brands) is less established than Marriott’s.

Marriott International operates more than 30 brands across luxury, premium, and select-service segments, with over 9,000 properties globally per Wikipedia — but the company’s asset-light model means brand positioning varies widely by property. For travellers who value independently designed hotels with full loyalty benefits, Marriott’s Design Hotels membership offers a genuine edge over Hilton’s portfolio.

Comparing loyalty programs

Both Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors offer elite status tiers, point-earning opportunities, and perks like late checkout and room upgrades. However, Bonvoy members can earn and redeem points at Design Hotels properties like Proper, while Hilton’s equivalent partnerships do not include a collection of similarly curated, design-forward independent hotels.

Brand positioning: Hilton vs Marriott

Marriott’s acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts in 2016 brought brands like W Hotels, St. Regis, and The Luxury Collection under its umbrella, giving it a stronger foothold in the lifestyle and design-hotel segment. Hilton’s luxury portfolio, while strong in full-service, leans more towards traditional luxury (Waldorf Astoria, LXR) rather than the indie-boutique niche that Proper occupies.

Where are Proper Hotels located?

As of mid-2025, Proper Hospitality operates three U.S. hotels under the Proper flag, plus several Korzen-affiliated properties under other brands. All three Proper Hotels are in city-centre locations:

• Austin Proper Hotel — 600 W 2nd St, Austin, Texas
• Santa Monica Proper Hotel — 700 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, California
• Downtown Los Angeles Proper Hotel — 1100 S Broadway, Los Angeles, California

The company has stated ambitions to expand to additional markets, but no new locations have been announced as of this writing.

What are the reviews for Proper Hotels?

Review patterns vary by property, but several themes recur across platforms:

• Design: Guests consistently praise Kelly Wearstler’s interiors. Reviewers on Booking.com and TripAdvisor frequently describe the decor as “stunning,” “Instagrammable,” and “unlike any other hotel.”
• Service: Opinions are mixed. Some guests report attentive, warm service, while others cite slow check-in or inconsistent housekeeping — a common trade-off at design-forward independents compared to standardized chain hotels.
• Location: All three properties sit in walkable, central neighbourhoods. Santa Monica Proper’s Wilshire Boulevard location draws particular praise for proximity to the beach and Third Street Promenade.
• Value: Several reviewers note that room rates are on the high end relative to room size, especially at the Santa Monica and Austin properties.

One generalisation that can be made from at least ten independent reviews across multiple platforms: guests who value design and character over consistency tend to rate Proper Hotels highly; those expecting chain-hotel predictability sometimes feel the rates exceed value.

Sources cited

• Design Hotels at Marriott Bonvoy — Marriott International
• Official Proper Hotel website — Proper Hospitality
• Proper Hospitality LinkedIn profile — LinkedIn
• Kelly Wearstler and Brad Korzen profile — Architectural Digest
• Hotel brand ownership guide — HotelMinder
• Marriott International overview — Wikipedia
• Every one of Marriott’s 30+ hotel brands explained — Skift
• Marriott history timeline — Marriott International