Trump Hotels to use Scion brand for new hotels, not Trump

The Trump name is likely to be everywhere for the next 14 days, with one notable exception: it won't be associated with any new hotels owned by the Republican presidential candidate's eponymous company.

Trump Hotels will use the brand name Scion for new projects targeted at young, urban travellers, the hotel chain said in a press release.

"Our business at Trump Hotels is stronger than ever and we are incredibly excited about the future of Scion, the newest brand in our hotel portfolio," the chain's executive vice-president Ivanka Trump said in a statement.

Currently, the chain operates high-end hotels in 15 locations worldwide, including New York, Toronto, Las Vegas, Chicago and Washington D.C. But future locations targeting a young and urban clientele will be built under the new brand Scion — a word derived from an old french term for a descendant of a notable family.

"We will develop this brand with the same determination and exacting standards we have become known for," Trump said.

Established in 2007, Trump Hotels doesn't disclose financial figures, but there are signs that the name is no longer the draw it once was in the tourism space.

According to travel booking website Hipmunk, bookings at Trump-owned hotels were down by 59 per cent in the first half of 2016, a time period that coincides with Donald Trump's run through the Republican primaries. "It appears that the rise of Trump's presidential candidacy hasn't translated into a rise [in] Trump Hotel bookings," the website said.

The first Scion hotel is slated to open next year, the company said.

There are no plans, however, to phase out the Trump name from any existing properties.