The latest hotel openings, updates and renovations for December
The U.S. hotel industry could have record occupancy rates through 2019.
That assessment was made in the December edition of Hotel Horizons by CBRE Hotels’ Americas Research, which forecasts key industry indicators. The firm estimated the annual average occupancy rate for U.S. hotels to hit 65.9% this year and maintain at those levels through the end of the decade.
The industry is responding to this healthy forecast with new hotel brands, openings and renovations. Here are some notable ones this month.
IHG breaks ground on first avid hotel
InterContinental Hotels Group has broken ground on the first of its new avid hotel brand in the Oklahoma CityQuail Springs area.
The hotel will have 87 guestrooms and open by the third quarter of 2018. IHG launched avid hotels about two months ago. So far, the company has received 100 franchise applications, including 34 that have turned into signed deals at various locations throughout the USA.
The brand is now also franchiseready in Canada.
Avid hotels will target travelers who want a simple but comfortable hotel stay at a price point of about $10 to $15 less than IHG’s Holiday Inn Express brand.
All the hotels will be new builds. The exterior of each property will have an airy retail-like entry and a canopy. Inside will be several open public and work areas and communal spaces. The entire hotel will have IHG Connect high-speed Wi-Fi.
Guest rooms will include sound-reducing features, a dedicated workspace and open storage areas. Guests will get a complimentary breakfast.
Hilton testing out high-tech rooms
Hilton is introducing guest rooms that will allow guests to personalize and control everything through their mobile devices.
The new Connected Room, as Hilton is calling it, is being tested at the Hilton Garden Inn in Memphis and will expand to at least seven others in the next few weeks. A much larger roll-out is scheduled for 2018.
Guests will be able to control most functions of a room — lighting, temperature, curtains, the TV — via the Hilton Honors mobile app.
Hilton CEO Christopher Nassetta says the goal is to give guests “a travel experience where the room knows them and they know the room.”
Hilton has made various advancements with its mobile app, including letting guests use their smartphones as room keys and choose the specific rooms they want to reserve.
Through the connected room, Hilton employees will also be able to improve energy efficiency by monitoring electricity use. Employees will also be able to tell if something is not functioning in the room and fix it in a timelier fashion.
First North American Canopy hotel opens
The first North American Canopy by Hilton has debuted in one of Washington, D.C.’s newest neighborhoods — the Wharf.
The Canopy by Hilton Washington, D.C. The Wharf is part of the $2.5 billion Hoffman-Madison Waterfront redevelopment of the property set on the Potomac River. The mile-long stretch has several new restaurants, shops, hotels and residences.
The hotel has 175 rooms and a rooftop bar and lounge called Whiskey Charlie.
The Canopy brand is one of Hilton’s newest additions to its portfolio. The first property opened in Reykjavik, Iceland.
Hilton officials call it a “lifestyle” hotel, one focused on locally-inspired design, food and beverage offerings, environmentally friendly features, and large multi-use public spaces.
Gary Steffen, global head of Canopy by Hilton, says Hilton is not trying to attract a younger demographic. “There are people, regardless of age and demographic, looking for these experiences,” he says.
The hotel does not have a traditional front desk. Instead, it has a more informal welcome area. An artisanal breakfast is included with the stay as well as a nightly tasting of craft beers, wines or cocktails.