NEW YORK— There’s no question brands bring a lot of value to owners and can help deliver good results, but what about brand standards? While they make plenty of sense from the perspective of the brand, do they help deliver more for owners, who are forced to comply with the regulations? Many of the participants at the HOTEL BUSINESS® owners’ roundtable here offered an opinion on such investments. “At least from the perspective of select-service hotels, I don’t think there’s a [return on investment],” said Rodney Williams, chief investment officer at Noble Investment Group. “Select-service hotels are forgetting their roots,” as price alternatives, he added. Laurence Geller, president and CEO of Strategic Hotels & Resorts, expressed his frustration with the continued increase of mandates, as he wondered, “Do they take anything off the list?” Many of the owners singled out technology as the one area where they feel the brands have not always acted in owners’ best interests. “Some of the higher frustrations we’ve dealt with as an owner is when [the brands]are too quick to jump at some of the technologies before finding out if they worked or not, before it proved itself,” said Tom Hutchinson III, CEO of CNL Hotels & Resorts, who added that the brands “jumped at the first step rather than having it refined.” Navin Dimond, president and CEO of Stonebridge Cos., had his own product in mind through which he thought that the brands jumped the gun. “Flat-screen TVs— most people don’t know the difference [between flat-panel and flat-screens],” he said. “If you look at a lot of the hotels making demands, they are in markets where you don’t have to do that. When the technology comes down [in price], maybe that’s the time,” said Williams. “High-tech is a disaster. Those things are very painful to franchisees. High-speed Internet is still very painful,” said Ravi Patel, CEO of SREE Hotels. Nevertheless, most owners acknowledge that the industry will continue to chase the latest technology initiatives. “It’s going to change even more. You’ll be issued this ‘thing’ when you get into the hotel. There will be no phone. [This thing] will combine all services in one smart box. If I can control [all this]at home, why not [in my hotel]?” said Hutchinson. Still, the timing of many of the standards can be key, but clearly there is no easy answer. “It’s always timing…How do you apply brand standards across all different markets? I wish there was a way to figure it out,” said Bill Reynolds, managing director of Hospitality Capital Partners. For example, there are some categories where there is very little flexibility. “On beds there’s no argument; you have to do it,” said Dimond. “Bedding is in the top 10 [in guest importance]. You have to do it,” said Geller. Product improvement programs are also tied very closely with brand standards since owners are asked to invest in new furniture, fixtures and equipment to keep a fresh, updated design at their properties. “On some items the brands will work with you. If you have a valid argument they will do it,” said Dimond, who praised Hilton and Marriott in particular. He added, “We all want things that are better, but they should be available at this price point.” Geller noted that [brand representatives]can be convinced to make some changes to the standards if owners can show proof. “They will tell you if go into XYZ markets, you have to do this. We built the model room we wanted and then asked ‘is that brand x or brand y?’ You have empirical data and facts are friendly. You have to have standards from Osh Kosh to Manhattan,” said Geller, “I urge you to do consumer research.” “We did that with MeriStar,” said Reynolds of his former company. During the discussion, the participants discussed their dealings with the “pipsters,” or the individuals that enforce the standards. “He’s only interested in the lowest common denominator. Show him the facts, show him the research,” Geller added. From the perspective of the brand, Raymond “Rip” Gellein Jr., president of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.’s global development group, agreed with Geller. “That would be very helpful. He needs to have judgment across a large system. How do we give the pipster judgment? I’d prefer there’d be judgment around this,” he said.