divemistressofthedark

Last night stayed in one of the new 'Tru' concept hotels and earlier tonight asked to be moved from a newly refurbished HGI which had some of the same (negative) issues. Don't get me wrong, I've been very happy with Hilton generally, but I just don't care for these new models.

The 'Tru' room size is... small. Very small. The bed was hard and uncomfortable. Breakfast options were scant even compared to Hampton. No coffeemaker in the room. No desk, only one chair, even for a double room. 'Tru' had the horrible individual bag carts that easily tip and which you can't see to steer if you hang anything from the hook on the front. The new HGI appeared to have some of the same issues (although mostly my complaint had to do with offgassing of new carpet which resulted in an intolerable chemical odor.) I had no idea this HGI was a refurb'd 'concept' when I booked and was unpleasantly surprised to see the new 'themes' at checkin... stayed in the room long enough to realize the formerly fabulous HGI bed had been replaced with the new hard model. If they're going to completely change these hotels? Hilton should rename them since this hotel appeared to have zero in common with other HGIs I love - great breakfast, adjustable bed firmness, 'homey' feel etc. Now I'm going to be nervous booking any Hilton property where I've never stayed before for fear of "Improvements" which are really detractions. Sigh.

Is this the future of Hilton? Spartan decor with the look and feel of an industrial corporate HQ? Less space, less comfortable beds, less everything, but we're supposed not to notice because of the 'concept' themes? I hear a rumor the 'Tru' brand is intended to replace Hamptons in some areas.

This really may be the end of my love affair with Hilton. Breaks my heart.

moa999

Be more useful if you reference the specific properties.

Room size is generally location dependant, and I've never found HGI particularly homely in the US. HGI Hanoi was decent

arlflyer

Yeah, seriously, you better stay the heck away from the Asian Conrad properties after the spoiling you've gotten in those pre-refurbishment rural U.S. HGIs. It's just a recipe for a letdown.

OhDoctor

I don't get it. The Conrad Tokyo is probably in my top 3 favorite hotels worldwide.

birdiedouble

I believe there is a bit of sarcasm involved here.

arlflyer

Ya think?

OhDoctor

Whoops. I'm not too quick on the uptake.

jrx

The Tru needs work as a concept, particularly with the breakfast. However, I think you have buried the lede here. What was wrong with the new HGI breakfast? You mention that the new concept remodel had few things in common with the traditional HGI experience. Please explain more and let us know which hotels are involved.

storewanderer

I stayed in two "new" HGIs this past year. Both were new construction and opened early this year.

One of them was, upon my visit, high occupancy, well staffed, and generally an alive place. The employees were great. Breakfast was great, they tried to run it like a normal restaurant which was strange, but had a lot of staffing to make it happen. I left this location thinking I'm not sure if I'd come back because the room felt cheap and I didn't like the colors. I also felt like the hotel was about 5 years old, despite that it was less than six months old when I was there.

The other was low occupancy, poorly staffed, staff had poor attitudes, breakfast was a literal trainwreck due to lack of staffing and being out of things. I left that location thinking I would definitely not come back. I stayed in a ~2 year old Hampton in the same town the next night which was a fabulous stay and that just made my feelings against the "new" HGI that much stronger.

Both had nice enough lobbies and restaurant areas. Exteriors were nice enough, landscaped, etc.

What both locations had in common was they felt cheaply built/designed in the rooms. Furniture was a little smaller than before (no desk but a surface that could work as one that was just a little shallow), though I do not remember anything about the beds one way or the other, I was surprised how cheap the bathrooms felt too. The closet was open and had a small area to hang things but was mostly made up of "cubby" type things that were reach down style. The rooms both felt very dark due to the colors used and window design/choice of window coverings.

IsleOfMan

I don't get the disdain around here for Tru. It's a perfectly serviceable model IF/WHEN priced accordingly, it's just a different model than anything else in the Hilton portfolio. I had a recent stay in San Antonio where the Tru was ~$40/night less than the nearby Hampton and, for this price delta, it provided everything it should have. There are times I would actually actively seek out Tru if I knew there was a live-TV event I planned on watching in-room given the large high-quality displays that are their standard. My biggest complaint would indeed be the lack of desk and knowing such I probably wouldn't book here if I knew I had a good bit of productivity work to get done. Breakfast could use some more protein options for sure, but I found it serviceable. I saw a lot of the same complaints lobbed at Home2Suites (especially about breakfast) when launched, but it seems like the rooms offer gets them a bit more of a pass.

What Tru (and Home2) really needs to work out isn't as much related to the product as it is the price point... some of these properties don't seem to understand where they fit in the local comparative pricing structure. I've seen plenty of Tru properties priced at or higher than the Hampton next door and Home2 properties priced at/above the Homewood down the street. Both need to be priced ~20% less than these comparable nearby properties given their associated trade-offs. If not, THAT is where the model breaks down. I put little if any added value on these properties based on the newness of the brand or property itself, but if priced accordingly to the next step up Hilton properties nearby, I'll give them a fair shake depending on the needs of a particular stay.

eponymous_coward

On that note, I need a room for a Presidents Day weekend day stay in Vegas. There is a Tru that just opened next to a Homewood Suites near the LAS rental car center. On the date I need the room, the Tru is at $98/19k points, the Homewood Suites is at $160/30k. The Tru is also priced below nearby Hamptons, HGIs and Homewood Suites. This sounds like they have gotten the pricing right, at least in this market on those dates. I took the Tru on points (though I may change that, the advantage is that unlike most casinos a Hilton doesn’t require a deposit, and this rate is fully refundable). I’m not much of a princess when it comes to hotel rooms if it’s clean and comfortable enough, so we will see how this goes. If I end up at the Tru I will report back.

SouthernBanker

After reading this thread I purposely booked the Tru in Murfreesboro, TN when I travel there next. Will report back and with all luck my rental car in Nashvegas wont' smell like a Willie Nelson jam session this time.

JustDandy

I stayed at a Tru location around Thanksgiving. I had no issues with the property, and enjoyed my stay. If I were traveling for business, I may opt for elsewhere given that the rooms do not have a desk and chair. But, for leisure it suited me perfectly. Unlike others in the thread, I found the bed and pillows to be comfortable. The price was right, and marked below Hampton and the other Hilton properties nearby. I actually liked the breakfast, and found it to be different from the norm. They offered a build-your-own breakfast burrito, as well as a bagel topping station. I may have seen smaller versions of the bagel topping station elsewhere, but I think the build-your-own breakfast burrito was different. I also really liked the shampoo/conditioner being mounted to the shower wall. Much more convenient than using those little bottles. Stuff smelled decent too. Also, there is no closet in the room.

My only "complaints" would be that there was not a microwave in the room. I don't understand what good a fridge does, if you don't have a microwave to warm things back up. Never understood why one or the other would be in the room, and not both. Only had one ice machine and it was on the first floor.

storewanderer

Watch those prices as your date gets closer, it is not unusual to see the two Hamptons around there (Tropicana and Airport/South) go in the $79-$83 range (MVP Rate). Tropicana Hampton renovations should be completed by then too.

eponymous_coward

I am not sure. Presidents Day three day weekends change the calculus a bit. If they do we will see. It's also a points stay at the moment so I would want to see the POINTS cost get to around 19k for those properties. (I don't care as much about Hampton or HGI being better for earning because it'll be a points stay, or I'll dump the stay from Hilton altogether and stay at a casino for cheap).