RDU-Man

This issue has been mentioned in conjunction with other threads, but I thought I would bring this up on its own. Hampton Inns are starting to price themselves out of range for me. I have been a steady customer of Hamptons for the past four years - not a road warrior, but probably average 30 nights a year in them. I am usually on a fixed lodging rate for business and it is almost always under $100 per night. It seems like Hamptons were pretty consistently $75 to $95, but now they often top $100 and more. And we're not talking downtown NYC or DC or locations like that. I am going to Albany, NY tonight, where there is a strip of a bunch of hotels on Wolf Road next to the airport. Hampton wanted $115 (plus 11% tax) and Best Western wanted $93. Sorry Hampton. Am I being naive about the overall cost of lodging, or are Hampton Inns pushing the curve for their class?

ElmhurstNick

Having averaged 10 stays/year in Albany for the last four years, your specific question is a combination of factors:

1. Albany has surprising low hotel capacity
2. mid-August to mid-October is high season, usually about 15% more expensive
3. Hampton rates seem to have gone up about 8% in the past year, not just there but in other places as well.

Now, that particular Hampton on Wolf Road is a dump. We drive nine miles north and stay at the Clifton Park property. It's less than two years old, has good free HSIA, and is near a grocery and several restaurants.

The newer Hampton Inns are trying to move a notch more upscale. Their current branding campaign is part of that.

loomis

I agree with the previous poster's comment regarding the "new branding" process. You don't think that Hilton is going to stick all of those Hampton Inns with the huge expense of making all of those changes without the individual hotels choosing to radically increase their prices to recoup their investment, do you!?!

MKEbound

I agree with the above comments that HIs are improving, but at the same time they have increased in cost this year - I would guess 5-15% in different markets

This too has caused me to rethink my stays with HI because it's now at the point where I can get a SPG hotel (usually the 4 points) for less.

If they are not careful they will price themselves to the point were they will be too expensive for the bargin hunters who value the little extras; after all It's easy to justfy and additioal $25 when you get free breakfast for 2, points & miles, newer hotels, elite status after only a few stays, etc. but when it's $40 more, the Best Western seems like a better value.

On the other hand, the business traveler like myself who is expected to find a room for around $85.00-$115.00 per night might find they can get just as good if not better for less. FYI-I have even stayed at the DoubleTree (Las Vegas) and the Garden Inn (Edison, NJ) this year because they were cheeper than the HI around the corner.

MKEbound

One more thought, I have noticed that since the start of the re-branding at HI I have gotten upgrades (as a Diamond) for the first time ever at HI, something that had never happend before; I've been Diamond for the past two years.
A suite last week at the HI in New Orleans - $110 a night
A whirlpool room at the HI in Winchester, VA last month- $89.00 per night
A corner suite at the HI south in Grand Rapids, MI about 3 weeks ago - $89

Explore

I too find that Doubletrees or even Hiltons are sometimes cheaper than Hampton. IMHO, except for free internet access Hamptons are a bad deal for Diamonds and Golds, since they can get free breakfast anyway at the other HH brands, with china and silverware instead of plastic (gross).

As Diamond, I have yet to receive a suite at Hampton, even the newer properties (although my recent stay count isn't very high). Better non-suite rooms were assigned on a couple of occasions, but at Crescent City, CA they moved someone else into our oceanfront balcony room and we got a nondescript end room (after animated discussion with the GM, that did result in a free night however).

ontherun

My experiences have been different. I've not had a problem finding Hamptons in the $75-90 range this year and rates have not risen appreciably over rates in my stays in the past years.

So far this year with 98 nights I've only had 2 stays over $100 (summer tourist season in Buffalo). My average room rate for the year is $78. Stays have included 4 weeks in the St Louis area, 2 weeks in Chicago, 1 week in Kokomo, 2 weeks in Muskegon, 2 weeks in Ft. Wayne, 2 weeks in Meriden Ct, 5 weeks in Buffalo. 2 weeks in Southern Va ($62 a night), 1 week in Winchester VA. I just booked 2 more weeks in Buffalo for Dec ($98), 1 in Ardmore OK ($76), 2 iweeks in Evansville IN ($79). So the average may rise a little with the Buffalo stays.

ontherun
CT this week

MileKing

SPG properties at less than Hampton Inn prices? Perhaps a 4 Points, but I'd be surprised if there were many locations where a Sheraton or Westin was even close to HI prices. And comparing 4 Points to HI is not really appropriate since most 4 Points are rather dumpy. In my view, Starwood is now the premium-priced chain (having taken that distinction over from Marriott), but most of their properties are not worth the premium they charge.

I do agree that HI prices have been increasing and it is a concern. The number of $100+ per night HIs is growing and while the upgrades the Hampton Inn brand is making are nice, the changes do not seem to be up to the level of the price increases. If this continues, I will certainly reconsider where I direct my business.

MIKEM

A great many Hilton properties are increasing their rates 20%+. IMHO, I think, in general terms, a Hampton is worth no more than $100.

mountain flyer

I've been staying at Hampton's lately, and they do seem priced higher than Courtyards, which seem to be a higher category hotel. I do like the new re-branding, and the hotels are generally newer. The price has been between $84 and $109, whereas the Courtyards are $66-77. As it is the only Hilton Family hotel in the area, it is frequently at capacity. Are they worth it? Definitely while I'm on business. If I travelled only for leisure or had to pay for my own business travel, there are hotels of comparable quality for less.

I also wish someone would tell me the secret to the suite upgrade at Hampton. I am a Diamond and have never gotten upgraded to a suite after about 30 stays. What's the secret password?

theawesome1

Using the promo code SC1 when doing an online booking 30 days in advance.

dmunz

If you happen to need to stay in the area, the HI in Ogden is really cool. I was told that it is a former Crown Plaza that was totaly redone just before the olympics. It's in a 100 year old building and the rooms are all very eclectic. We had a long corner room with a huge bathroom. The decore was retro modern. They had a large breakfast area and served both weekend mornings. A great deal at $79.

I also spent a night at the Hampton in Salt Lake City and received the two-room-behind-the-elevator-suite (as Gold). It was a little more pricey (~$90ish).

Now to drift back on topic

You really do have to check the rates when there is a cluster of Hilton properties. I was in the LA area a couple of weeks ago and everything around Disney was $120 or more except the Hilton Anaheim. I got a $79 rate (off the Hilton website) and could not beleive that they were so much less than the HI and HGI.

FWIW

DLM

MileKing

What is this promo code and where does it work? I tried the code for a number of different Hampton properties for reservations into next year and not a single one returned 25% off. In fact, the code seemed to have no affect at all.

CO Flyer

[QUOTE=mountain flyer] The price has been between $84 and $109, whereas the Courtyards are $66-77. QUOTE]


WHERE in the world are you finding a Courtyard for $66 - $77? I find that Courtyard's are generally $20 - $50 a night more than Hampton almost everywhere I've ever been. I also find that Marriott brands in general do not recognize their elites on the same level as Hilton.

I'm working long term in Bloomington, IL currently, staying at the HI (West). They routinely go out of their way to make my stay pleasant - putting me in the same room each week, all the employees know my name, they hold a bag for me over the weekend and have that bag waiting for me in my room upon my Monday arrival, etc.

So IMHO, I'm paying the extra $$ now - they've earned my business.

Flyer23

I find it's about 50/50... sometimes the HI is more expensive, sometimes the Courtyard is more expensive, but it's rarely more than a $20 difference. In that case, I pick the HI every time. What I really like about HI's since the re-branding is the consistency. I stayed in a HI in Shreveport, Louisiana (a real dump of a gambling town), a few weeks back, and it was just as nice as the one I stayed at last week just outside of Phoenix. I can't say that about Courtyard -- some of them are super-nice, others are dumps, and there's really no way to know ahead of time which kind you're booking.

I travel a lot on business, but rarely to the same location. It's nice knowing that the HI I book in Podunkville will be just as nice as the one I stay at in Bigcityland.

It's also nice that they put the state name on your room key. "Welcome to Louisiana," "Welcome to Arizona," etc. I travel so much that sometimes I forget where I am