LAS VEGAS— In an effort to help increase guest satisfaction and drive rate up at its Hilton Garden Inn, Homewood Suites and Hampton hotel brands, Hilton Hotels Corp. has now implemented brand enhancement programs for all three of its select-service brands.
The programs— two of which were launched at the company’s annual focused-service conference here last month— touch on a number of areas within the brands’ respective guestrooms, but are all focused primarily on the sleep experience.
The most comprehensive changes were showcased by its midscale Hilton Garden Inn LAS VEGAS— In an effort to help increase guest satisfaction and drive rate up at its Hilton Garden Inn, Homewood Suites and Hampton hotel brands, Hilton Hotels Corp. has now implemented brand enhancement programs for all three of its select-service brands.
The programs— two of which were launched at the company’s annual focused-service conference here last month— touch on a number of areas within the brands’ respective guestrooms, but are all focused primarily on the sleep experience.
The most comprehensive changes were showcased by its midscale Hilton Garden Inn brand as part of its Evolution Solution. The program is designed to offer the latest in guest comfort and sleep, ergonomic and entertainment technology, according to the company.
The new amenities include a Garden Sleep System by VSS Sleep Systems; a modified Herman Miller chair; a 26-inch Phillips flat-panel, high definition TV; and a Hilton Garden Inn alarm clock that allows travelers to play their MP3 player or portable CD player.
According to Adrian Kurre, senior vp, brand management for Hilton Garden Inn, the new sleep system will be rolled out in approximately 10% of rooms with king-size beds by 2006. The remainder of the beds, which use a system of air cells and slatted suspension, will be changed over when they need to be replaced. In addition, Kurre said that there are close to 100 new properties coming into the portfolio, which already includes close to 220 hotels, in the next two years and the new ones will all carry the new bedding.
He added that the beds will cost owners about twice as much as traditional beds, or approximately $900. However, the company expects them to last close to 20 years, as opposed to the typical five- to seven-year lifecycle of a hotel bed. In addition, the mattresses don’t need to be flipped.
The self contouring bed system uses 100% New Zealand virgin wool to help maintain the proper temperature to adjust to an individual’s body temperature. The hardwood slats are mounted on a suspension system that allows the mattress to flex and shift according to a person’s weight to provide the balance between comfort and support.
“With the air baffle system, it’s literally supporting you with air,” Kurre said.
Meanwhile, he said the idea behind the new 100% ergonomic, 98% recyclable Howard Miller Mirra chair was simple. “The average business person spends from three to five hours working when they come back to their hotel [room],” he said.
The chair will automatically shape itself to each user, while a few adjustments fine-tune the fit and feel. The sealed back chair is also about twice as expensive as traditional chairs, carrying a price tag slightly north of $300.
Noting that flat-panel TVs are still too expensive and 30-inch TV’s would be too large for the dimensions of the room, Kurre said the new 26-inch high-definition TV is, which is on a swivels are ideal. He explained the reasoning behind the swivel.
“Hanging [the TV]on the walls is not an expense we want to put owners through,” he said.
In addition, the HGI alarm clock that will be featured in all hotel guestrooms will have the ability to play a guest’s MP3 player or portable CD player. In other areas, the brand will have Wi-Fi in all public areas of its properties by the end of ‘05, and in all guestrooms by end of ‘06.
In an effort to offset some of the added costs, the brand has also opted to go with two phones and just one line because of the prevalence of cell phones. “We’re trying to say to owners, ‘we’ve cut costs on these, it’s [the program]very close to being cost neutral,” Kurre said.
Another change to the brand that is of particular interest to current or potential owners is the reduction of fees. With program fees of 4%, the company reduced its gross room revenue a half-percentage point from .85% to .35%. Some owners in attendance noted that the difference could be hundreds of thousands of dollars when a property is being evaluated. “The strongest message to the owners is the roll back of fees,” Kurre said.
Meanwhile, phase two of the Make It Hampton enhancement program is well under way at the brand’s more than 1,300 properties and it has implemented new height requirements for its beds. In fact, William Edmundson, vp, hotel performance support, Hampton Inn, called 2005 “the year of the bed.”
The beds at Hampton Inn properties needs to be in the 28-inch to 31-inch range by the end of 2005. The new standards are designed to achieve a more residential feel. The brand’s beds will also include a dust ruffle, coverlet, 200-thread count sheets, and a jumbo pillow.
The company has also introduced a new prototype Hampton Inn with wider hallways, which are now 6 feet as opposed to 5 feet. The new prototype also includes an under-the-counter wood vanity, new silver fixtures and extra lighting. In addition, the guestrooms will be wider and more square measuring 14-feet by 24-feet as opposed to 12-feet by 26-feet, according to Edmundson. “We relooked at how utilize the space, reconfigure the furniture and make better use of it so it’s more residential,” he said.
In terms of growing the brand, Hampton is planning to make a push out west for its Hampton Inn and Hampton Inn & Suites portfolio, which is currently heavily concentrated in the Southeast, according to Edmundson. “Two-thirds of our approvals are west of the Mississippi,” he said, noting that Texas and California represent two specific areas of focus for the midscale brand.
Hampton has also shifted its direction slightly in terms of the types of markets it’s looking to penetrate going forward with an eye on more populated areas.
“The brand has rallied for us to go into urban or tertiary markets. We’ve had a focus on getting into larger markets,” Edmundson said.
As an example, he noted that two Hampton Inns just opened in New York City and they are performing well. He did acknowledge that metro locations make some adjustments necessary. “The feel is the same and the look, but the footprint is a little different as the result of tighter space,” he said.
The brand just added a 228-room property in Washington, D.C., located at the city’s convention center. However, as an example of some of the tertiary markets that Hampton is entering, the brand has opened or will soon be opening six new U.S. properties, which range in room size from 52 to 64 units, in such markets as; Lebanon, KY; Clinton, MO; Springfield, TN; and Cedar City, Logan and Richfield, UT.
While Edmundson noted they would consider conversion opportunities in the right markets, the company’s growth will be primarily through new-build projects.
He also noted that the Hampton brand eliminated some 27 properties in the first quarter due to quality control issues. “As a franchisee you want us doing that. We maintain the hardest standard in the industry to make sure your investment is protected,” he said.
Hilton’s Homewood Suites brand has implemented a four-year program called Distinctly Homewood for its approximately 145 extended-stay properties throughout the U.S. The three areas the company is looking to address are “relevance, consistency and distinctiveness,” according to Jim Holthouser, sr. vp, brand management, Homewood Suites by Hilton, who noted the brand has undergone some 20 changes in the past 18 months.
Going forward, all Homewood’s will feature Serta Suite Dreams mattress and box springs, along with cotton blend duvets covers, Down Dreams pillows with 250-thread count pillow cases, a chenille throw blanket and the brand’s signature Homewood duck pillow.
The brand is upgrading the guest bath with bowed shower rods for more space in the shower, ringless shower curtains and larger, heavier towels. The countertops will also be upgraded to granite.
Kitchen upgrades will also feature granite countertops, as well as wood laminate or ceramic tiles in all suites.
Meanwhile, Hilton’s Homewood Suites extended-stay brand will be significantly boosting its portfolio. According to Holthouser, there are some 85 properties either under construction or with approval to start construction in the coming year.
He said the brand, which is located primarily in upper, suburban markets, is “pushing hard in Canada.” He also added that there are “a lot of urban projects. It’s the next area of focus.”
Holthouser noted that new construction projects represent the brand’s primary means of growth. “Because of the unique footprint, it doesn’t lend itself to conversions. We have about 10 in the brand, but we’re very selective,” he said.
