Threy

The usual branding problems Hyatt is dealing with since years now continue as they add several other extended stay chains.

While I agree that the 3000 points/night redemption award is probably the steal in the lodging industry, the quality difference of the Hawthorn chain is mindboggling...ranging from Hawthorn Suites to Hawthorn Suites Limited to Hawthorn Inn and Suites to Hawthorn Hotel and Suites

At one you always get a suite and evening reception, at the other one you have an evening reception once a week, the other one is actually a hotel with small rooms...recently stayed at the Napa Valley Hawthorn, exterior corridors, small rooms and the feeling that the Hyatt brand name should never ever appear on such a hotel....

If they really want to create a Hyatt Place brand name, they have some work to do.

Amerisuites and Candlewood do not have the problem, however some of the Amerisuites are vintage 1980`s while others are very modern and nice.

If they want to create the extended stay chain in the US, some properties like Flagstaff , AZ face a multi million $ renovation...

Happy

Our stay was May, 2005. We had no problem checking in, though award room is not a suite, but a studio room with tight space (still has some sort of a built in table with granite top for microwave, coffee maker that kind of stuff). I brought the e-mail confirmation with me, but did not need to show it. The front desk clerk found my reservation right away.

Happy

Being at Flagstaff, they probably do not need to do much renovation given it is close to Grand Canyon. The room we got was decent and much much nicer when comparing to the cabin we had inside park (costed an arm and a leg too.)

I dont think Amerisuites can be considered as extended stay type as unlike Hawthorn, it does not have a full kitchen, only microwave and coffee maker. It is more like a Comfort Suites but with bigger room size.

holtju2

I still don't get it how do they think to transform these properties to more "hip" to compete with other brands.

Muerz

Did you notice already that Hyatt released the new name of this brand? It will be called Hyatt Summerfield Suites and they are currently designing a prototype for new franchising agreements as well as retrofittings to current properties. Hopefully it will be as special as the Amerisuites prototype.

As far as branding is concerned, I think that Amerisuites is going to be a contender in the limited service division placing itself between Hilton Garden Inn and Springhill Suites/Courtyard. It has the best of both chains (rome-size of Springhill Suites, services like at a Garden Inn). Summerfield Suites is more like a Residence Inn. However, what are they going to do with Hawthorn? Although they are affiliated with Hyatt since a long time, there are no plans for a prototype and no clear structure of the future of the brand is known to date...

holtju2

I believe that they just have a mess after acquiring Amerisuites, Summerfield Suites, and Hawthorn Suites. Some of the Hawthorn Suites are so bad that they should be torn apart like the one in Orange.

Had they wanted to build up a consistent brand ala Hilton Garden Inn they should have started from the scratch?