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Hilton Introduces their 13th Brand – Tru by Hilton

a man in bed with blue and pink stripes
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Hilton announced today that they’re adding their 13th brand, called Tru by Hilton. The new lifestyle brand is aimed at Millennials as Hilton’s budget friendly option that boasts technology like mobile check-in while foregoing frills like huge guest rooms. In fact, guest rooms won’t have enclosed closets or even a desk, and the extra space will go towards a central common area for all guests to enjoy.

The lobby is being renamed “The Hive” and encourages social interaction. I know I’m not Tru’s target market, but looking at the picture of the lobby it really reminds me of a candy shop. Licorice, anyone?

Artist's rendition of the lobby, from Tru's website
Artist’s rendition of the lobby, from Tru’s website

Foosball and ping pong tables are planned for the large shared space, which will be separated into four different zones so people can watch large wall-mounted TV’s without disturbing anyone working on a laptop in the corner.

Breakfast will be free for all guests, offering a breakfast bar of 30 sweet and savory toppings for items such as bagels, donuts, Greek yogurt and oatmeal.

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Here’s a handy link to the Tru website.

The average Tru property will take up on average just 1.5 acres, and have 98 guest rooms. The guest rooms themselves will be between 231 and 275 square feet. That’s tiny. At a price point of $90-$100 a night though, it will certainly be appealing to those looking for a hotel that is conveniently located and has quick Wifi. Everyone loves speedy wifi so that’s one aspect of the new brand that I think is great. 

Other hotels in the same space as Tru would be Comfort Inns by Choice Hotels and Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott.

Here’s part of Tru’s vision, which tries to be hip and appealing to younger travelers - 

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Hilton Worldwide already has 102 hotels signed for Tru properties in cities such as Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Denver, Portland and Nashville, and there are 30 more in the works. The press release states that the hotels will be situated in urban areas that are highway and airport adjacent. 

Also from the press release, here are some of the features that will set the Tru brand apart from their other brands –

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The first Tru hotel is set to open at the end of 2016.

What do you think of the budget-conscious “lifestyle” hotels that are popping up like Tru by Hilton? Have or would you stay at one?

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4 Comments

  1. I gather that their brand is targeted to the “hip” and “trendy” group, but there is nothing hip and trendy on their website… it’s actually pretty cringeworthy. It feels like the parent who tries too hard to use their teenagers lingo but fails miserably. They say that they wanted to attract people with the “millennial mindset” but I think the group that has been targeted will probably be on their iPhones and tablets and not leave their room and have that “human connection” that Hilton apparently thinks that they desire. I think they missed the mark because it really looks like it is targeted to children or young teenagers, but then the rooms are not big enough for families. I don’t really know what kind of “adult” would want to stay here, especially when you could stay at a nice Hilton Garden Inn or Hampton Inn & Suites for around the same price point. That being said, I actually love the Hilton chain and I was really excited to check out the new hotel line but quite disappointed after doing so. So I will stick to the other hotels in the chain and I wish them well.

    1. AW, I definitely agree that the Hilton Tru designs I’ve seen look like something that would be appealing to a child or teenager rather than an adult. I don’t care for the tiny room sizes either. I’m not a Millennial though so maybe it speaks to them differently. One thing I do love about the new “lifestyle” properties is that they promise speedy wifi everywhere in the hotel which I think is a terrific step up from all those properties out there with ailing equipment.

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