The long slow decline of the American mid-range hotel chain
Feb 5, 2017, 7:52 am
#106
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As for NYC, I will take the Hampton Inn or HGI in Hell's Kitchen for $275 over the terrible NY Hilton a little east of there for $500 any day.
Feb 5, 2017, 10:24 am
#107
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is it really a question of manager/owner, with franchises? some FTers coincidentally staying with good ones, others staying with bad ones?
as well as, markets where there is little competition, whether because few hotels, or all same owner(s)
and are guests in certain markets continually willing to pay more for less, dropping standards for others
as well as, markets where there is little competition, whether because few hotels, or all same owner(s)
and are guests in certain markets continually willing to pay more for less, dropping standards for others
Feb 5, 2017, 11:27 am
#108
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My family doesn't make enough money to waste it on tired and dirty hotel rooms, so I probably research before booking more than most here. And while I know that you get fake reviews of both praise and disdain, you can usually get a pretty good sense of a property if you critically read enough on it and weed out the over the top stuff
Feb 5, 2017, 6:31 pm
#109
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My family doesn't make enough money to waste it on tired and dirty hotel rooms, so I probably research before booking more than most here. And while I know that you get fake reviews of both praise and disdain, you can usually get a pretty good sense of a property if you critically read enough on it and weed out the over the top stuff
Feb 5, 2017, 11:32 pm
#110
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I stay at a lot of Hampton inns, and I find them to be decent. My favorite however is embassy suites and their awesome breakfast omelette 
I just remind myself that all the Hampton inn and homewood suites points go towards those free nights at the Conrad!
I really don't care for homewood suites, always had problems with my room being messed up or the hotel undergoing major renovation and amenities being closed, such as no water during the daytime for 4 out of the 5 days I was there.
It's tolerable for business trips, but I wouldn't pay a dime of my own money to stay there. Sometimes I want to go off on the GM and tell them that it's not cool to be turning off the water for paying guests for 6 hours a day
I just remind myself that all the Hampton inn and homewood suites points go towards those free nights at the Conrad!
I really don't care for homewood suites, always had problems with my room being messed up or the hotel undergoing major renovation and amenities being closed, such as no water during the daytime for 4 out of the 5 days I was there.
It's tolerable for business trips, but I wouldn't pay a dime of my own money to stay there. Sometimes I want to go off on the GM and tell them that it's not cool to be turning off the water for paying guests for 6 hours a day
Feb 6, 2017, 8:04 am
#111
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I've done a bunch of Homewood stays and never had an issue with the water. (Or really anything else that I can recall.) That's not something brand-specific...could happen at any hotel in any chain.
If they need to turn it off for 6 hours, they try to do it midday when the fewest guests are in the hotel. That's not surprising...
Average Homewood is newer than the average Residence Inn. They also seem to have more King beds, whereas a bunch of RI's were installed with Queens. And you don't take the 50% points penalty like you do at RI.
Homewood is one of Hilton's good brands where they beat the competition pretty easily. Now if only there were as many of them as there are RI's...
If they need to turn it off for 6 hours, they try to do it midday when the fewest guests are in the hotel. That's not surprising...
Average Homewood is newer than the average Residence Inn. They also seem to have more King beds, whereas a bunch of RI's were installed with Queens. And you don't take the 50% points penalty like you do at RI.
Homewood is one of Hilton's good brands where they beat the competition pretty easily. Now if only there were as many of them as there are RI's...
Feb 7, 2017, 8:18 am
#113
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I think Microtel (which is somewhat in between a low end and a midrange, but is probably closer to a midrange) might require new build. I've never seen one that's been converted from another brand.
Feb 12, 2017, 9:15 pm
#115
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Trivia for this discussion: Courtyard and Hilton Garden Inn share significant DNA in a single person: Adrian Kurre. Adrian was heavily involved in the initial growth of Courtyard; thought they weren't being consistent enough; hopped over to Hilton to "out-Courtyard" Courtyard by building HGI with its full breakfast. (These days Adrian heads up Homewood Suites, which no doubt explains the consistency in that brand.)
Both Courtyard and HGI have a huge inventory of 80s (CY) and 90s (CY and HGI) builds, so it's no wonder that people tend to think of them first in the "select service" category. I'd posit that Courtyard invented the select service hotel; HGI perfected it; HIE copied it.
Both Courtyard and HGI have a huge inventory of 80s (CY) and 90s (CY and HGI) builds, so it's no wonder that people tend to think of them first in the "select service" category. I'd posit that Courtyard invented the select service hotel; HGI perfected it; HIE copied it.
Last edited by DenverBrian; Feb 13, 2017 at 6:45 pm
Feb 12, 2017, 10:41 pm
#116
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To go back to why I stated this thread: I stayed in a HGI in Bakersfield that had installed a separate motion sensor on every light switch in addition to the one on the HVAC. Nothing stayed turned on for long. That kind of "improvement" constitutes a decline to me.
I understand that my hotel expectations may be higher than those of many others. However, even though I prefer nice hotels, in the early days of Courtyard and Garden Inn, I found them all quite acceptable and didn't mind staying at them. Now all the gradual cutbacks have cumulatively changed that feeling.
I understand that my hotel expectations may be higher than those of many others. However, even though I prefer nice hotels, in the early days of Courtyard and Garden Inn, I found them all quite acceptable and didn't mind staying at them. Now all the gradual cutbacks have cumulatively changed that feeling.
Feb 13, 2017, 8:28 am
#117
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And I've stayed in full-service hotels that will happily check you into a room where the HVAC has been OFF all day, leaving the room uninhabitable for 30-45 minutes while the A/C cranks on full blast to drop the temperature 10+ degrees.
Originally Posted by DenverBrian
Both Courtyard and HGI have a huge inventory of 80s and 90s builds
I generally think of HIE as mimicking Hampton more than HGI. Unless it's attached to a restaurant or shares a parking lot with one, there's usually no hot meals there.
Feb 13, 2017, 4:21 pm
#118
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Nice bit of trivia, and I agree on your assessment of the brands overall, but your dates are somewhat misleading. Courtyard started in the 80s and engaged in a big build-out in the mid 80s. HGI was introduced in the early 90s. Its build-out came ~10 years after Courtyard's. That's a key part of how it improved on the competition. It came enough later that its designers could observe what was working well, and what wasn't, in Courtyard.
Feb 13, 2017, 6:44 pm
#119
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Nice bit of trivia, and I agree on your assessment of the brands overall, but your dates are somewhat misleading. Courtyard started in the 80s and engaged in a big build-out in the mid 80s. HGI was introduced in the early 90s. Its build-out came ~10 years after Courtyard's. That's a key part of how it improved on the competition. It came enough later that its designers could observe what was working well, and what wasn't, in Courtyard.
(Previous post edited)
Feb 14, 2017, 8:06 am
#120
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Was Courtyard an independent brand or was it a Marriott concept all along? I remember being part of something called "Marriott Marquis" but I don't think it included Courtyard.