Spark is clearly an effort to capture more franchise fees and create a low end conversion brand. I think of it like how Hilton has used Doubletree in recent years. Hotels that don't meet brand standards for Hilton, end up as Doubletree. But once in a while you do come across a new build Doubletree, or a very nice Doubletree. I think the same will play out with Spark.

I am waiting for Hilton to get tougher on quality standards for the Hilton Garden Inns as I expect some of those properties need significant work to keep that brand. I know we heard that Spark was designed to be a conversion brand for new to network properties, not a conversion brand for existing Hilton properties. However similar to how we have seen multiple Hiltons downgrade to Doubletree, I expect we may see multiple HGI and Hampton properties in the future downgrade to Spark. At least in the US.

I also think Spark tells us that the Tru brand did not really do what it was intended to do in creating a bare bones/low budget brand for Hilton.