Hilton developed Tru largely because their re-designation of Hampton from 'middle tier' to 'upper middle tier' left a gap in their line up. They know also that Hampton's fans are aging. Hilton is one good flu season away from losing much of the current Hampton crowd.

While it would be overstatement to say that Hilton is betting the farm on Tru, they are being bold. There are 400+ Tru properties in various stages of preparation. The biggest wave is set to open in 2019.

I agree completely with the review that Hilton has probably relied too much on what focus groups told them. There is reason to believe that Hilton's plan to price Tru at 15% less than Hampton won't be enough to induce millenials (or anyone else to stay at a stripped down brand. As the reviewer said, the brand would probably do better at an average price of under $100/night.