Curious to see what the price tag would be on such accomodations.
Please, don't give me the edgy room service and other amenities, and then charge me $20 for internet. Just lots of places to plug in and a fast, reliable and free connection.
1
Having spent 15 years in the hotel business, it never ceases to amaze me on how much hotel corporations spend on frills, smells, candles, and atmosphere but fall so short on training for SERVICE. One screw up in the customer service arena will cause more business loss than any candle or smell or atmosphere can overcome. One surely front desk manager who doesn't concentrate on the customers needs can cost you dearly. And charging for internet access, resort fees, parking and every other nickel and dime scheme to bilk the customer of a few more dollars creates a distaste that is hard to overcome. If you want to charge $300-$500 a night for your rooms, then treat your customer as something other than a cash cow to be milked.
6
Dear Ms. Rosenbloom , If I may suggest, the next time you travel to Europe try to look/stay in 2 great hotel brands aimed at the new gen of travellers . Generator Hostels and MEININGER Hotels. You can find the best examples in Berlin Germany . The global lodging brands still have a long way to go.
Maybe I'm missing something - and I'm rather okay with that. I spend a lot of time each year in hotels around the world, some great, some not so. I find the trend to aim just at certain demographics frankly rather annoying and off putting. I like both modern and traditional decor as long as its done well, comfortable and staffed by polite and knowledgable workers - and I don't want to feel like I wandered into Spring Break for the pretty crowd somewhere. Too many of these efforts smack of oh too clever marketing, cloyingly trying to be "hip" or trendy. Ugh.
3
Do any of these have family room with two queen beds or king and sofabed? Cheaper family rooms in Europe and Asia are a real market need.
My husband and I made an extensive trip in Chile and Argentina last February and we stayed in hostels. Some were better than others, but all included common rooms, including kitchen facilities, where we met people from all over the world. We had a great time visiting with them even though they often were
40 years our junior!
40 years our junior!
1
Every hotel management should realize that the elephant in the room, so to speak, is the housekeeping staff. Those 2 damning videos on YouTube of the "maid" perusing the guest's laptop and ipad, and the one "cleaning" the glassware with windex after scrubbing the toilet are dealbreakers for any sentient hotel guest, regardless of demographic. When checking in, I tell the clerk that absolutely *no one* is to enter my room for any reason. And I do not use the mugs or glassware.
1
Sorry, but I've had my share of international public spaces. You sit down with a drink and a newspaper - and you just want to be out of your room...The next thing you know is that a loud mouth is talking on their cell phone right next to you. Can they do anything about that? I don't think so.
Back up to my room. Just make it comfortable.
Back up to my room. Just make it comfortable.
2
I would love to travel, but these hotels are so expensive! These places are all about travel as a luxury good for those of superior taste who distinguish themselves from the poorly-paid majority. Surely, Motel 6 can start an ad campaign promoting cheap prices and clean rooms designed in the American tradition of affordable and intelligent industrial design.
1
All true except your reporting on the "pricing". These companies will continue to use their computer driven pricing models to grind out every last penny.
2
I'm a Millennial and think some of these ideas sound ridiculous. The decor is so cold and sterile, too. That photo of the room in the Hyatt in South Beach looks like a high-end hospital room!
7
Or like the Nu Hotel in Brooklyn.
How many hotels in SOBE have you visited or stayed in during the last five-years ?
High-end style and deco throwbacks are all the rage there right now, primarily appealing to their main customer base, South American, European, and Asian International travelers with $$$'s to spend.
Domestic Boutique Hotel chains like ACE and The Freehand are there too to appeal to the American down-scale market. Most lodging properties today make half or more of their profits providing ancillary amenities including high-end bars, locally-sourced foods, and specialty/adventure tours.
High-end style and deco throwbacks are all the rage there right now, primarily appealing to their main customer base, South American, European, and Asian International travelers with $$$'s to spend.
Domestic Boutique Hotel chains like ACE and The Freehand are there too to appeal to the American down-scale market. Most lodging properties today make half or more of their profits providing ancillary amenities including high-end bars, locally-sourced foods, and specialty/adventure tours.
The owners of Virgin Airlines have launched Virgins Hotels. I recently stayed at the first one to open in the U.S., in Chicago. It appeared aimed at the "W Hotels" crowd, though upon reading this article perhaps it is the so-called "millennials" that they are targeting. It was a great experience, from the use of the historic building, to the food, restaurant/bar, and especially the service. The hotel car was a Tesla. All of this means travelers have more choices and better choices, and I am all for that.
3
At check-in (which can be done through a mobile app) guests will have the option of selecting a themed “foodie bag” for their minibar — “one of the most underused amenities in hotel rooms,” according to Gary Steffen, the global head of Canopy by Hilton.
The tired old minbar has never been an amenity, but more of a "cash cow" with its overpriced junk food offerings. If it were an amenity it would be included i the price of the room.
My husband and I stayed in a quaint old hotel in Groningen, NL last year. Formerly a bishop's palace this hotel offered gardens for walking, free use of bikes (with maps of the city) and beautiful architecture. Upon registration we were told colas and waters from the minibar were for our daily enjoyment.
The tired old minbar has never been an amenity, but more of a "cash cow" with its overpriced junk food offerings. If it were an amenity it would be included i the price of the room.
My husband and I stayed in a quaint old hotel in Groningen, NL last year. Formerly a bishop's palace this hotel offered gardens for walking, free use of bikes (with maps of the city) and beautiful architecture. Upon registration we were told colas and waters from the minibar were for our daily enjoyment.
13
I, a non-millenial spoilsport, have stayed at hotels where I have requested them to empty the minibar, so that I can have a place for "my" food.
1
In my experience hotel chains rarely "get it" and none of these appear to change that fact. The last chain hotel I stayed at, recently remodeled to look "hip", had only one inconvenieny located power outlet - clearly insufficient for a millennial couple to keep their cell phones, tablets, computers and accessories going. Hotels would do better to stick to basics.
5
You obviously don't travel on a crowd-funded start-ups corporate travel account, your employers' dime, or an IPO's "road show" budget.
These look nice, but I really wonder about the "millenial" pitch ... surely it's enough to just say that you're launching a contemporary brand? Why must brands be ageist when trying to sell?
Anyhow, AirBnB is the most popular hotel option among the millenials I spend time with. It has substantially influenced the perception of what "low cost" is (hint: these hotels will struggle to meet that perception).
Anyhow, AirBnB is the most popular hotel option among the millenials I spend time with. It has substantially influenced the perception of what "low cost" is (hint: these hotels will struggle to meet that perception).
8
As religious and political unrest increases both domestically and abroad, along with municipal crack-downs on AirBnB sub-rentals, these safe little corporate cocoons will see increased patronage.
1
I've stayed at the Moxy in Milan, and Marriott definitely missed the mark. Looks like they were trying to hard to be 'hip,' with large, slightly suggestive wall mural photos of young people cavorting. But the biggest problem is that despite having a separate sitting area and bedroom, the room was not comfortable. The seating was uncomfortable with no place to put up your feet and rest a drink, let alone a desk for working. Do millennials not have to work?
The Moxy looked like a bunch of 50 year olds got together in a conference room and came up with a design that they thought the 'young crowd' would like.
The Moxy looked like a bunch of 50 year olds got together in a conference room and came up with a design that they thought the 'young crowd' would like.
13
More like a bunch of 75 yr olds cuz 50 yr olds don't really care about what millenias want to be honest..,
Marriott's already corrected that Moxy mistake with their Spanish-based AC Brand here in New Orleans, National Harbor in the DC area, and with Kansas City to open this summer.
I hadn't been to a chain hotel in years, when this winter I visited two on travel. What stood out as very different from the past is the clearly intentional "public living room" that lobbies have become. Couches, tables to play games at or bring a take out meal, big tv, fireplace, free hot drinks and fruit. And people do indeed use them as such.
I like it conceptually- just like a public library - families and other travelers gathering to enjoy themselves side by side in a "third space" (neither private nor commercial).
Unfortunately just like private living rooms - the spaces quickly get trashed out - and the hotel has to be ON it. Otherwise their former lobby looks like a mess of used cups, crumbs, etc
I like it conceptually- just like a public library - families and other travelers gathering to enjoy themselves side by side in a "third space" (neither private nor commercial).
Unfortunately just like private living rooms - the spaces quickly get trashed out - and the hotel has to be ON it. Otherwise their former lobby looks like a mess of used cups, crumbs, etc
5
I hope Millennials don't want to stay at the Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton or Radisson.
11
Depends on whether they're spending their own $'s, or their companies' $'s.
Oh, joy, welcome to Romper Room. Coffee served in sippy cups. Guests conveyed to their rooms in giant up-armored strollers. Bellboys dressed as Disney characters. Complimentary water wings and a lollipop on every pillow.
11
I am starting to feel old.
7
Not to mention, fewer fusty rugs may limit bed bugs. But why are they all in the same cities? The ring corridors in tech cities are short on new, clean hotels and that is where both millennials and business travelers are. Some really worn and dated facilities could use competition.
4
You have forgotten the inspiring 1Hotels with location in New York, Brooklyn and Miami....!!!!
The chains seem to want these new lines to look like independents. With ever-escalating prices in chain hotels, why won't Millennials just choose independents?
Being of the Boomer generation--I respond to Holiday Inn's old ad campaign of "the best surprise is no surprise"--I would like it if Marriott offered drinkable coffee and if fewer Marriott and Hilton didn't water down the oatmeal and more offered whole milk. But I'd still like decent wifi--how else will I find a nearby source of a decent, affordable breakfast?
Being of the Boomer generation--I respond to Holiday Inn's old ad campaign of "the best surprise is no surprise"--I would like it if Marriott offered drinkable coffee and if fewer Marriott and Hilton didn't water down the oatmeal and more offered whole milk. But I'd still like decent wifi--how else will I find a nearby source of a decent, affordable breakfast?
4
I don't think I've ever seen an independent hotel be cheaper than a similar class chain hotel. Most people I know pick similarly priced hotels based on Yelp/TripAdvisor reviews (taking their loyalty programs into account), whether or not they are chains or independents.
Upscale hostels at 5x the costs!
5
When will the US get actual "luxury" hostels like those popping up around the world? As a frequent solo traveler(Europe & South America), they're now my pick when available. Sure it's a bunkbed in a room with five other travellers but with down duvets, high thread count sheets and the most comfortable mattresses. Clean elegant bathrooms, fully equipped kitchens, and modern living rooms with plenty of outlets and free wifi. A staff to direct you to the neighborhood produce market, dive bar, or the next foodie pilgrimage restaurant. The extra 8 Euros per night seems to discourage the usual hostel party crowd and no school groups. So much less than a hotel or air b&b in a central neighborhood.
1
Never mind millennials. I'm baby-boomer and they sound excellent.
4
Being an old goat who's had the occasion to find himself in one of those newer hipster hostelries, I couldn't help but find them a bit amusing in a way, but a bit frustrating as well. Perhaps they ought to come with a gentle warning to the effect that if you don't live on your smartphone, you'll find that getting information about the place's basics and the local area - the kind that old-fashioned hotels and motels provide in print - can be a bit challenging. As is relying on actual human beings to be reachable; after all, you were supposed to rely on the app. As far as the 'economy' pricing, it was still usually a fair amount - at least 25 to 50 per cent - more than your typical chain. And, for those in the executive suite who still wonder why the minibar is very often underutilised, here's a suggestion: to avoid underuse of the minibar, try ditching the maxi-prices. Just a thought.
7
How about hashtag #donotwant or #donotcare?
Give me free WiFi, plenty of outlets and lights in the room and we're off to a good start. A good bed, properly working AC/heat, and good shower are next on the list. Good staff always is a must and can cover many sins.
Maybe I'm just not the target demographic they're looking for. I don't have a Facebook account and don't see why people give a rat's rectum about social media.
I'm on the road ~200 nights/year and will be more than happy to give those 200 nights/year to a hotel chain which understands what a true road warrior wants rather than trendy hotels which will need major reconfigurations in 5 years when the fads change.
Give me free WiFi, plenty of outlets and lights in the room and we're off to a good start. A good bed, properly working AC/heat, and good shower are next on the list. Good staff always is a must and can cover many sins.
Maybe I'm just not the target demographic they're looking for. I don't have a Facebook account and don't see why people give a rat's rectum about social media.
I'm on the road ~200 nights/year and will be more than happy to give those 200 nights/year to a hotel chain which understands what a true road warrior wants rather than trendy hotels which will need major reconfigurations in 5 years when the fads change.
11
These hotels are NOT designed for "road warriors".
You're not even on their radar.
You're not even on their radar.
Or, you could escape the chain hotel altogether and go with an independent local hotel such as the Hotel Vermont in Burlington VT. There's a pretty sweet restaurant and bar, a lobby that lends out bicycles or snowshoes depending on the season and rooms filled with products made in VT. You may not get points but it is a more honest less contrived local experience. We stay when we visit our son at UVM. They also don't nickel and dime you with wi-fi fees. Friendly staff that likes working there.
8
Shhhhh (-;
I'm looking forward to staying there in June!
I'm looking forward to staying there in June!
But Ann, who "travels" regularly to Burlington, VT ?
"Affordable housing" is housing subsidized by the taxpayers. What is an "affordable hotel." One might guess the Day's Inn or Motel 6, but apparently for readers of the Times with tons of college debt, $150 a night might be considered affordable. Only a guess, the article only says "affordable and aimed at millennials" -- millennials who complain about the high cost of living and think nothing of paying $5 for a $1 bottle of beer as long as someone else is pouring it. There is NOTHING affordable about this new hotel model, except that GOOGLE and IBM and Wells Fargo will pay the tab for a recent college grad who makes $60,000 a year.
3
So true
1
How many millennials can afford of all of this? Maybe after they pay off their student loans in 30 years.
5
Believe it or not, many millennial do have jobs, and these jobs often come with frequent business trips where the lodging is paid by the employer. The hotels also have loyalty programs, which means that millennial earn points from these business trips that they can later use for their own travels at these hotels. Not all millennial live in their parent's basement.
1
The one's who are on somebody's corporate tab.
No one involved in writing this piece thought it was odd that giant hospitality chains are rolling out dozens of similar hotels all over the world in an effort to combat sameness in hotels?
17
Replication is the sincerest form of flattery.
Ugh! This sounds awful. For me travel is about experiencing the people, food and culture. Small B&B and quaint run hotels by locals are the way to go.
3
Those are great when you're on vacation in the countryside or small cities, but what about when you're in a major city like NYC or DC? There aren't any quaint hotels run by locals and if there are they are often extremely expensive.
I know frequent travelers may need more, but a lot of us just want basic, clean, safe, and cheap. I don't need pictures on the wall, an exercise room or a pool. I want the toilet and shower to work and the door to have a decent lock. I'm generally out of there by 6 a.m. Motel 6 had a good idea, but they couldn't leave it alone.
2
Sounds like you never heard of a V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N !
We active seniors with an online business to run have liked Hilton's Home2Suites, which also feature stylish if spare design and necessary work areas and digital conveniences. I'm glad these companies have discovered that comfort and style don't have to be expensive.
2
I hope the millennials like these offerings because they don't sound appealing to me.
17
Also odd that big chains could create niche hip hotels. Just feels like some MBA psychoanalyzing you. But W worked as did several other boutique chains so will be interesting to see
2