PHOENIX— While many hotel brand companies here at The Lodging Conference have been rolling out new products that target the paradigm shift toward lifestyle or experience-based hotels, La Quinta Corp. is looking into a possible redesign of its properties guestrooms to reflect that trend. Alan Tallis, president of La Quinta Franchising, told HOTEL BUSINESS® the company is conducting a design competition in which five major hospitality industry designers are putting together guestroom prototypes for La Quinta. In January, the revamps will be presented in the form of five redesigned guestrooms within the La Quinta Inn and Suites Dallas/Fort Worth South. The experimental rooms will be rented to the public and La Quinta will subsequently garner customer feedback on the units. Included among the features of the redesigned rooms will be wall-mounted flat-screen plasma televisions, wood floors and shower stalls instead of traditional bathtubs.
