Hilton Bolsters Hampton With $100M Cash Infusion

NEW ORLEANS— It was all about brand momentum here in the Big Easy last month as more than 3,000 attendees blanketed the city for the third annual Hilton Hotels Corp.’s focused-service division conference for Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Inn, Hampton Inn and Suites, and Homewood Suites by Hilton. Getting the biggest push forward is Hampton, “energized” by a capital infusion nearing $100 million— 80% coming from owners— to dramatically alter and improve design, FF&E and complementary services over the next two years. The effort is geared toward enhancing the guest experience, and ultimately, the bottom line for franchisees. Scores of general managers, owners, developers, directors of sales, franchisees, as well as corporate and executive staff crowded several halls of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, where Tom Keltner, president/brand performance and franchise development group, urged the audience to “Seize The Day,” the event’s theme. “Momentum is power,” said Keltner, surmising that with an improving economy, those hotel brands that haven’t kept progressing “will be trying to run from a dead stop in an attempt to catch up with those of us on the move who control the pace and the market.” Keltner characterized the brand trio as “on the move,” driven by svps/brand management Adrian Kurre (Hilton Garden Inn), Jim Holthouser (Homewood Suites) and Phil Cordell (Hampton). “[They] understand how to build on momentum,” said Keltner. Citing 150 hotels in the pipeline and brandishing a prop lightning bolt for emphasis, Cordell stressed, “We’re committed to turbo-charging the brand to make the next 20 years even better than our first.” (Hampton was founded in 1984). That’s expected to come from the wide-ranging changes the brand is rolling out over the next two years. The initiative is a four-prong effort that targets both the emotional and practical aspects of a guest stay, which are defined by Hampton as the welcome, breakfast, guestroom/bathroom and its signature 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. “[This] has never, ever been done in the history of our industry, ever,” claimed Keltner, describing the quantity of changes slated— 127 in each of 1,255 Hampton Inns and Hampton Inns & Suites in the system, and the swiftness of the rollout— 120 properties per month. “It’s monumental,” he added, noting 100 properties have been serving as beta test sites for the program called “Make It Hampton.” Cordell felt the four targets create the greatest impact “in guest satisfaction, which creates high guest loyalty and return intent, which drives profit and return for our hotels.” He noted it also sets the stage for the brand as it enters its third decade. It has 150 projects in the pipeline. “Our brands never have been inert, and neither is Hilton. We have momentum,” said Cordell. “Recovery is under way and that’s why it’s time for us to ‘seize the day.’” Within each of the first three areas, scores of changes have been made, much of it cosmetic, most of it giving the property a more contemporary, sleek feel, particularly in the public spaces. For example, arriving guests will have a real red carpet to trod on, emblazoned with a welcoming slogan. Graphics play a new, large role in the Hampton initiative. Slickly matted black-and-white photographs depict the local region and enhance the entryway and front-desk areas, as well as key cards, employee nametags, and guestroom door numbers. Oversize images (e.g., a dog wearing sunglasses) are on the backs of elevator doors and viewable to riders when the doors close. The signature Suite Shop has been given an upscale retail look, and uses photographs in some cases to puff out shelf space. The hexagonal Hampton logo has been incorporated into numerous items, from the vestibule’s doors to the guestroom’s pillowcases. There are graphics connected to almost all non-guestroom touch points, particularly in the breakfast area where the offerings have been totally redone and now include specific h