This may also be part of a move to try to drag Hampton prices up a notch now that they have something lower-end.
If that is the goal, then Hampton needs to up its breakfast offerings.
If there is, say, a Tru offering basic, but clean, accommodation and essentially no real breakfast for $120, and a Hampton that (usually) offers a comfortable bed and clean rooms and a blech breakfast for $125 or more, I'll probably go with the Tru and just grab something from a local grocery store for breakfast.
As it stands now, the only thing that Hampton has going for it is that--at least in my view--their beds are pretty comfortable. But I'm finding more and more HGI's that have dropped the air mattress and gone with real innerspring mattresses, and I'm re-booking with those places all the time.
Originally Posted by
bitterproffit
I find the price point between Hamptons and HGIs often confusing. Sometimes they are the same price, sometimes they are next door to each other and the HGI is cheaper, other times the Hampton is cheaper. But usually close. Not sure why they need another brand offering less at the same price point.
I think that it all comes down to breakfast, really.
The "average" hotel customer probably doesn't realize--at least during the first few stays---that the HGI breakfast is going to cost them $10 a head unless they booked some bed and breakfast package.
So they look at the HGI price of $150, and the Hampton price of $155, and see the website photos of the HGI and the breakfast bar, and think that the HGI is a better deal. When it very well may not be.