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Hampton Inn Redesign: Revitalizing Brand Identity and Guest Spaces

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If you have been following along with my Touristician Reviews series where I recap my travels, you may have noticed a recent trend in my hotel recaps. Almost every time I travel somewhere whether it was to Detroit, Richmond, or Lancaster County, I always stayed at a Hilton branded hotel such as Tru, Hampton Inn, and Home2 Suites. In general when I travel, I always look for a Hilton branded hotel as it is always reliable, consistent, comfortable and clean. 

So when I found out one of my favorite Hilton brands, Hampton Inn is getting a refresh, I knew I had to take a look at the design. In this post, I will be going over the redesign, comparing it to the current prototype Hilton and sharing some of my thoughts on the new branding and design. So without further ado, let’s dive in!

© 2024 Hilton

Hampton Press Release:

Going through the press release, we can see there are a few key points Hilton is aiming towards with this branding update. Those being:

  1. Refreshed brand identity with an updated logo, new branding, and focusing on what makes Hampton unique as a brand.
  2. Redesigned guest spaces and a move away from a traditional lobby set up allowing for more spacious and open room design.
  3. New guest rooms with a focus on utilizing space and decluttering rooms by using less furniture pieces.
  4. Emphasis on smarter more efficient design allowing for operational efficiency and cost savings for operators. 
  5. Keeping the well known and loved exterior design only slightly tweaking the colors, finally adding outdoor space and modifying the entryway.

Initial Thoughts

Overall, I love how they kept the existing exterior design they have and just added to it. Although nothing is ever going to replace the traditional exterior design. I really love how they added an outdoor patio space to the design as this is something I noticed Hampton has been lacking for a while. When I stay at Home2 Suites or Tru I love the outdoor spaces they have, especially at night for relaxation just before bed. Although, I’m not sure if it is just the way the concept art shows it, but I think it is odd how the patio is literally next to the front door where cars pull up. I personally would rather see it moved to the back of the hotel away from the front entry like how Tru is. That or I’d like to see some more separation. However, I do recognize this concept art and the actual prototype may vary once it is rolled out.

Moving on to the lobby, I personally have mixed feelings about this design. I like how the retail market is moved out and is not stuffed in a corner or buried in the lobby. I feel like this helps contribute to that open air, large space design Hampton wants. One thing I dislike though is the seating area/community area. I feel like the furniture gives the space a dated feel and doesn’t really remind me of how a Hampton would be. Again I get this is just concept art, so we’ll have to just see how this actually turns out when the first location using this design opens.

Looking at the front desk, I like how it is not a cramped work space and has branding behind it. Although, I do have to say I wish they stuck more with the little greeting phrases on the walls they use now like “Welcome to the Garden State” or “Welcome to the BuckEye State”. I do have to give the design props though cause they did somewhat incorporate that in the foyer as we saw from the video. Personally, I’m not a fan of how lite the wood tones are since I feel like they clash with the darker wallpaper accents. I’d much rather see more of a walnut or brown toned wood instead since I feel like that is more consistent with the current new builds and design that is currently rolled out.

New welcome wall at foyer entrances in the new prototype design.

Room wise, I have mixed feelings and a few concerns with the new prototype. This redesign is meant to fit more rooms within the existing blueprints for new builds which means smaller room design. This concerns me as I do not want to see room sizes similar to Tru being implemented. Generally if I am only doing an overnight or two nights, I prefer Tru since it is a smaller room and generally I am just looking for a comfortable place to sleep without fuss. However, when I look to book a Hampton, generally it is for multiple nights so I prefer a little more space and do not want as small of a room. I’m personally not a fan of this design for a variety of reasons:

  1. Lack of a closet space. I totally understand wanting to open up the space to make it feel less cramped but I dislike not having a closet. While I like this closet set up for a Tru, I feel like it doesn’t fit as well with the Hampton design and will be a move away from what Hampton rooms are known for.
  2. I’m personally not a fan of the light wood tones since I feel like they clash with the color scheme of the room. I like the colors of the room since I feel like those are classic Hampton colors but the furniture just feels out of place to me. I personally would have the existing walnut colored furniture and fixtures in the room since I feel like they fit better and are already pretty streamlined. I feel like this furniture is too similar to that of Wyndham and it takes away from what makes Hampton Inn unique.

Another thing that alarms me, is in the press release, they mentioned a bathroom redesign. I surely hope they improve on the current bathroom design. Personally, I am sick and tired of seeing a lack of thought go into towel racks or towel hooks in hotel bathrooms. I personally like to sometimes reuse my towels for a few days before getting fresh ones. However, this is often complicated when there are only one or no hooks or towel bars. I would like to personally see sliding glass shower doors instead of curtains in the shower stall. I am starting to dislike shower curtains because you can’t tell if they are clean or how often it has been cleaned whereas with glass doors, you can actually see the steak marks and it is way easier to tell if it has been cleaned.

Current Vs New Branding & Design

Along with the refreshed hotel design comes the newly updated marketing and branding. I have to be honest here, and say I am thoroughly surprised and delighted with all the updates. Looking at the logo, I love how they kept the logo almost the same and added little touches like connecting the font together between the p and t and just modified the colors slightly. I was honestly nervous like most modern day rebranding, that the logo would be butchered and look so cooperate looking. However, this was definitely not the case here and I have to say Hilton hit it out of the park on this one.

The logo was not the only thing that received a much needed face lift. We also see the new branding and marketing materials that were a part of this brand refresh. I love how they kept those iconic mustache coffee cups and really took that idea and elevated it to the next level. I also love how they took the iconic waffle breakfast that the chain is known for and focused on that for billboard advertisements along major highways and high traffic areas.

When I was looking at all the new marketing materials, I noticed a few subtle things that stick out. First, when I was looking at the renderings for all the new promotional items, I see the Hampton Inn Memphis-Poplar is listed on the business card renderings. If you look up this location, it appears as though this location is due for a renovation. Is it possible the first roll out of this design would be in the Memphis-Poplar location?

Yet another thing that sticks out is in the newspaper ad rendering, you can briefly see a variation of the new design with a slightly different color scheme. Is it possible there are going to be variations to this new prototype design depending on the location of the hotel? Honestly speaking, I prefer the blue color scheme pictured since that feels more like Hampton Inn to me.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, I think these changes are mostly positive for guest experience and for operators to ease the burden in day to day operations. I can’t wait to see this new prototype rolled out and see the end result. I am never usually disappointed with Hilton branded hotels, and I can’t wait to stay in one of these new hotels one day. Personally, if I was ever to open my own hotel, this would be one of the brands I could consider going with based on my experiences, and my stays with Hampton Inn.

What are your thoughts on the new Hampton Inn redesign and updates? Let us know in the comments below. As always if you are enjoying our content be sure to subscribe and follow us on social media to never miss blog updates and any new posts. We’ll see you in the next one!

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Reflections: My Top 10 Craziest Restaurant Stories

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Just like in the hotel industry, or any job in the hospitality industry, you are prone to dealing with some of the most ridiculous people, interactions, and situations. Prior to my working in the hotel industry, I worked in the restaurant industry for a little over 2 years before and during COVID. In that very short time span, I’ve seen a lot — so much that now that I’m in the hotel industry, nothing really surprises me that much anymore. So without further ado, I present my craziest restaurant stories of all time.

White Castle Robbery:

It was honestly just another warm summer night, but something so crazy was about to happen next door to us that changed the night from calm to chaotic. Imagine you’re looking out the window, catching your breath, then all of a sudden you see an army of flashing lights and hear nothing but sirens. I go to look out the window, and I see there was about 8 to 14 cop cars surrounding White Castle and spilling out onto the highway. At this point, all of us were mind-blown, curious about what was going on and wondering if we were safe. Apparently, the story we got from some locals and delivery drivers who were driving by was that there was a person in an SUV who drove up to the drive-thru window and began to hold up the cashier. The suspect was arrested on the scene, with K9 officers having to intervene to prevent further incidents. It definitely was a crazy scene and a story I’ll always remember.

Tokyo Drift Maaaaan….

I’m honestly not even sure how to explain this one… I was over by the window washing my hands after taking a phone order, and I just looked up to see a green 90s-00s style car drifting around the corner at a high rate of speed. Keep in mind, it had just finished raining, and the roads were still wet. I’m not even sure how they pulled this off and didn’t lose control. All that I could think of was “Tokyo Drift”!

Yup… That’s a Traffic Light Sir

It was one of those summer days when we were hit with severe thunderstorms and heavy rain. The weather was so bad that we lost power completely and were unable to finish any of the orders or take new ones. All we could do was wait, hoping that the power would be restored soon. Unfortunately, we didn’t regain power until after 10 pm. However, around 7 pm, we made the decision to call it a day and leave.

While we were waiting, we all witnessed one of the most incredible incidents ever… It resembled a scene from an action movie. Suddenly, a car came hurtling down the road at over 70 mph and collided with the traffic light in the median. The impact was so intense that the pole toppled over, fragments of the traffic light scattered everywhere, and electrical wires sprawled across the road. What amazed me the most was that everyone in the car managed to avoid hitting any other vehicles on the highway and walked away completely unharmed!

Upselling $100+ Worth of Food:

Literally, one of the worst parts of this job was answering the phone at times, from drunken crazies to complete Karens and even the craziest people ever. Whenever we answered the phone, we were encouraged to try to upsell additional items or promote certain items. For example, if a customer called to order just a pizza, you would ask them, “Would you like to add any sides, drinks, or desserts?” Of course, you would change this each time depending on the size of the order.

So one night, this particular phone call I took, I will always remember just from the ending alone. When I first answered the phone, I immediately knew something was off, and the more I spoke with the customer, I knew this particular person was intoxicated by their speech pattern and behavior. The order started off with just one pizza, then the customer changed their minds and wanted two more pizzas. After that, I asked them if they wanted anything else. “Would you like to add any wings, sides, drinks, or desserts to your order?” The customer said wings, and when I read off the size counts of the wings, they opted for the second largest order, which if I remember correctly, was a 24-piece. I then asked them if that was all, and we probably repeated the pattern 2-3 more times. When all was said and done, the order came out to almost $100+.

Now I just want to clarify a few things before people jump to any conclusions. First, it is solely the customer’s choice to order that much food. Upselling is not in any way pressuring or forcing people to order more. I always read the order back and even asked multiple times, confirmed, and read the order back again 2-3 additional times. The customer said yes every time. Second, if a customer was intoxicated or under the influence in any way, I, in no way, tried to take advantage of them. There are many calls I took when customers just ordered one or two items, then said no when I asked them if they wanted anything else.

Strike!

Before we get into this next story, I just want to give a little bit of background so that the story actually makes sense. Directly down the road from us, we had a bowling alley which quite honestly has seen better days and really needs a refresh. This bowling alley had a very small kitchen and for some reason instead of making its own food, it decided they wanted to order some of our food, unpackage it, display it to look as though they made it and then mark it up to make profit. The lady who ran the bowling alley absolutely hated this and always got mad at us whenever we stepped foot inside and got very angry at the guy running the kitchen. Finally, the kitchen manager got smart and just called us, and then came to pick it up.

Flash forward to New Years Eve, it was relatively steady but then it slowed for a while since mostly everyone ordered earlier on and it was not quite night time yet. I was hoping to leave early since I had plans to go hang out at my friends house and celebrate New Years with them. Unfortunately, right as I wanted to leave, the bowling alley called and we got an order for 200 pies all at once. Yes… 200 pizzas for the same order all at the same time. Who could eat that many pizzas? Was this a prank? Nope! This was 100% legit! 

I remember being so upset since it was just my luck that right as I wanted to leave this guy wanted 200 pizzas. So how exactly do you make 200 pizzas and make sure everything keeps running smoothly? It’s not easy! What we did was we made pizza’s in sets of 10, then put one set in the top oven and another set in the bottom oven. As this was happening, we loaded up and prepped another 20, and just as that was finished, it was time to box them all. I kid you now, it took 3 of us to get the job done. Two of us stood at the cutting table, and just cut and boxed pizzas while the 3rd person put the pizzas down in the box for us. This process repeated for about an hour until we finally finished! Looking back, I think that is the most pizzas I have ever made for a single order at one time. Still blows my mind to this day when I think about it. 

So if you ever think of ordering this many pizzas, please, make sure you leave a giant tip!

Hot Hands

This is actually one of the few personal stories that doesn’t involve a customer or co-worker, and it is one I’ll always remember. In the store, we had different stations and rotated throughout the night to avoid fatigue. On this particular shift, I started out working the ovens, which can be quite crazy and fast-paced at times. When we made pizzas, we had a screen under them, so when you pulled it out of the oven, you had to put the peel under the screen so that you could separate the screen to let it cool and then box the pizza.

For some reason, as I was going to pull this one pizza out, the pizza slid away from the screen as I was transferring it to the cut table. As the screen and pizza were sliding, I managed to use the peel to keep the pizza from falling, but the hot screen slid onto my hand, causing me to seriously burn my hand. My hand was burned and had an imprint from the screen on it. Luckily for me, it was not bad enough where I would have had to go to the hospital. A simple ice pack and wrap did the trick for the rest of the night, and the following day I was back working the oven!

I remember being super nervous to tell my manager about what happened since this was only a few months after I was hired. I’ll never forget my manager’s response, which I still laugh at to this day: “Seriously? First of all, good reflexes, kiddo. But next time, F the pizza! Let the damn thing fall to the floor. Who cares? We can always make another one real quick. I’d rather have to remake a pizza than this to happen.” We had a little laugh for a moment, which made me feel better and helped me break out of my shell.

So for those of you reading this, that work with ovens… I beg you, please don’t do the same thing I did! It’s not fun at all!

Attack of The Turkeys:

Ahh.. yes, who can forget about the hilarious wild turkey encounters and the mayhem they caused. I still laugh at them today whenever I think about it.

Our first encounter starts with the turkey attacking cars in the parking lot and chasing customers! Yes, you read that right! For some reason during that month we had this turkey that would go all around town and was nicknamed TR-urkey (Toms River Turkey). One this particular day, the turkey was roaming around our side of town and found its way into our parking lot. As it was roaming around the parking lot, it was going up to cars, chasing people around the lot and the neighboring businesses. I’ll never forget the mayhem of how it chased these poor screaming women who just picked up food from us. Not going to lie, it was a little funny watching a turkey taunt people. 

Flash forward a few weeks, and this now brings us to our second most memorable encounter with the turkey. Instead of chasing cars or terrorizing people, the turkey instead decided to play a game of Frogger with the cars on the highway and kept running in and out of traffic as well as stopping in the middle of the highway. There were a few times where it was a close call and I thought that the turkey was going to get hit by a car. I can not even begin to describe the sheer amount of traffic and delays this turkey caused that day. Shortly after this encounter we stopped seeing the turkey. Makes me wonder what ever happened to that little rascal.

Screaming at Me Over A Pizza?

Anyone who works in customer service knows the pain of answering phone calls from customers, especially very irate and angry customers who insist on screaming at you no matter what you try to say to them. I can recall this one phone call when I was first starting out, and this customer began screaming at me as I was assisting him over the phone. The phone call began as a simple phone order, then suddenly, the customer out of the blue began screaming their head off at me. I do not exactly remember what caused the customer to become irate, but I do remember my exact reaction. “Sir, are you seriously yelling at me over a cheese pizza? Really? A cheese pizza? You do realize the longer you keep me on the phone, the longer it will take you to get your order.” I then proceeded to hand the phone to the manager after saying this. Shortly after this, the customer finally placed their order, and no further screaming matches occurred. For the rest of the night, this was our inside joke.

The Legend Of The Green Goblin:

This next story is always one that will stick with me and still does to this day. Almost every night, we had this mysterious homeless man who would walk up and down the highway, always wearing the same thing: a green hoodie, gray pants, and sneakers. We were never sure what his name was, where he was from, or where he was living or camping out. We simply called him Green Goblin, and that’s all we knew him by. I’m not 100% positive how we came up with that or why. If I remember correctly, I think we called him that because when he walked in the dark wearing the green hoodie with the hood up, he looked like the Green Goblin from Spiderman.

Like clockwork, almost every night we saw him walking down the street and would stop at every fast food restaurant’s dumpster to dig for leftovers. He would literally eat anything he could get his hands on. We always knew he stopped at our dumpster sometimes since sometimes he’d scare us unintentionally because we would look out the window and just see him outside suddenly. (Side note, before you even ask, no he was not hostile or crazy. Just a homeless man trying to survive day to day on what he could). Sometimes, when we had leftovers, unclaimed orders, or pizzas that were made incorrectly, we’d put them outside for him so he’d have something to eat. We’d always stash it either on top of the dumpster or in front of it in a bag. When we’d return the next day, the food would be gone.

I’ve always wondered about the origins of Green Goblin and I still think about it sometimes to this very day. Once Covid hit, we never saw him again. As we were all cooped up in the store during Covid we would always speculate what happened to him or where he was. It is as if he suddenly disappeared or never existed. Could he have moved on? Found family? Got shelter? Who knows. It still remains a mystery to this day.

P.S. if you are reading this Green Goblin, I’m sorry I never actually got to know you on a first name basis, but I truly hope all is well for you and I hope the little bit of food we did leave for you truly helped. If you are ever in the area again, please stop by and say hi. We truly miss you!

Look Out! Here I Come!

On this particular night, it was snowing like crazy and there must be a solid few inches of snow on the ground as well as lots of black ice. As it approached closing time, we made sure to throw some extra salt down by the back door, the driveway, and the parking spaces where we parked.

When it was finally time to go home, as I started to go down the stairs, I kid you not, it felt like an ice skating rink. I honestly was not expecting it to be that bad especially since I had non-slip work shoes on. Boy was I totally wrong. Quickly before I lost my balance, I grabbed some salt in my hands and started throwing it in front of my walking path. Here I thought, it was going to be easy going from here to the car… Nope! Wrong again. As I started to make my way to the car, about half way there, I lost all traction and could not move without slipping. I felt my feet slipping and my knees felt like they were about to give way. I knew I had to act quickly, so in haste, I took one big step forward and flung myself onto the hood of my car. As I clung onto my car, I couldn’t help laughing a little, and I remember thinking “This is absolutely hilarious, I am clinging on to my car right now and using it like a life preserver”. I did exactly that until I got to the driver’s side door and was able to open it. From here my luck changed for the better, and I was able to get home without any other incidents.

Thank you for joining me on this wild ride through some of the craziest restaurant stories I’ve experienced. From unexpected robberies to turkey encounters, snow escapades, and encounters with the mysterious Green Goblin, there’s never a dull moment in the hospitality industry. These experiences have not only added a touch of chaos to my work but have also provided memories that will last a lifetime. As I continue to navigate the unpredictable world of hospitality, I look forward to encountering even more unbelievable stories and sharing them with you. Until then, here’s to the countless unexpected, bizarre, and unforgettable moments that make this industry truly one-of-a-kind. Cheers to the next chapter of unimaginable experiences!

Caffeine Craze – McDonald’s Introduces New Coffee & Bakery Concept

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Ever since its creation McDonald’s has always been an innovator in the industry from the first walk up counter, to the creation of new foods like Chicken Nuggets and more. To this very day, McDonald’s is very well known for fast, convenient, affordable and consistent food. While they do serve breakfast and coffee, have you ever thought about McDonald’s as solely a coffee shop? Well now you officially can!

In 2023, McDonald’s began teasing it was creating a new restaurant concept centered around nostalgic mascots and beverages. Flash forward to late 2023, McDonald’s made a huge announcement that shook the entire internet and decade fans of the chain. It was actually opening its new concept and naming it CosMc’s. 

So what exactly is CosMc’s and what is all the buzz about? CosMc’s is a new small-format, beverage-led concept whose menu is built around bold, refreshing beverages and tasty treats that are “truly out of this world”. 

In a press release, McDonald’s described its new concept by saying it “seamlessly blends brand-new, otherworldly beverage creations with a small lineup of food, including a select few McDonald’s favorites – all designed to boost your mood into the stratosphere, if only for a few moments”. 

As we can clearly see from several press releases, it is clear McDonald’s is getting creative with a space/universe theme and branding the new restaurant as part of the McDonald’s Universe. I think this is a very clever way to brand the restaurant and is highly creative. It reminds me how superhero shows are now when the shows and story lines are in the same “universe”. 

Taking a look at the menu, we can see the menu is heavily centered around beverages, coffees, specialty drinks and smaller pick me up food items. Examples include Sour Cherry Energy Slush, Tropical Spiceade and S’mores Cold Brew. Much like Dunkin or Starbucks, the chain also offers addons for drinks like popping boba, flavor syrups, energy or Vitamin C shots, and so much more.

Food wise, we can see the menu is very streamlined and only features two sandwiches, lots of baked goods, ice cream (hopefully the machines actually work…). The menu also offers a few classic McDonald’s classics such as the Egg McMuffin sandwiches and the M&Ms McFluffy. 

Considering this is supposed to be competition to Starbucks, I have to say I was expecting to see more new sandwich options or possibly some wraps. Seems as though many of the items are recycled from McDonald’s and there are not as many new offerings. Perhaps since this is a test run, the menu will grow in the future once the concept takes off. I can not see this chain even trying to compete with Starbucks with the limited food menu it does have. Hopefully we’ll see a few more options added or at least some seasonal menu items introduced before the concept expands further.

CosMc’s is starting small with its first and only location as of now in Bolingbrook, Illinois. By the end of 2024, 10 additional locations are planned for the Dallas-Fort Worth and San Antonio metro areas. The company hopes to grow this number if all is successful with the test pilot locations.

I am very glad that they did not decide to go full on boring and go with McCafe which is their current in house coffee concept some locations have. I am glad they are branching out and trying something new. It’ll definitely be interesting to see what happens with the McCafe concept if CosMc’s really takes off. Could we maybe see co-branded CosMc’s and McDonald’s locations soon? Only time will tell!

Extended Stay Frenzy – Hilton, Marriott & Hyatt Launching New Brands

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Within the past two years, we’ve seen an explosion of new hotel brand development and rapid advances in the way we travel. One of those new found changes is extended stay hotel brands such as Home2 Suites, Residence Inn, Hawthorn Suites, Hyatt House and more. 

An extended stay hotel offers guest rooms with larger living spaces, kitchenettes and additional amenities you wouldn’t find in a traditional hotel room. These types of hotels are aimed at travelers or guests staying for longer periods of time while offering the comforts of home. 

Extended stay hotels are nothing new to the industry, and have actually been around for several decades. During and after the pandemic, extended stay hotels have grown rapidly and quickly became the fastest growing segment in the hotel industry.

With all this new found expansion and an already crowded hotel market, brands like Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt and even Wyndham have developed new brands to capitalize on the growing market and expand their reach. In today’s post, we will be taking an in-depth look at some of these newly created brands, how they plan to differentiate themselves and what we can expect as consumers from these new brands. First up, LivSmart Studios by Hilton!

LivSmart Studios by Hilton:

Back in May of 2023, Hilton teased it was in the process of developing a new extended stay hotel brand with Project H3. 

“After much anticipation, we’re thrilled to announce that LivSmart Studios by Hilton is official,” Isaac Lake, brand leader of LivSmart Studios, said in a statement. “With a resilient $300 billion workforce travel market, the extended-stay segment continues to grow. It has never been as primed as it is now for this long-stay brand, and we’re thrilled with the initial excitement we’ve received from owners.”

LivSmart Studios by Hilton will be aimed toward travelers and guests looking to spend about 20 nights or more at a time. Each location will feature communal common areas such as fitness centers, laundry areas and outdoor spaces with grills as well as fire pits. Hilton previously announced there would be free breakfast with grab-and-go items.

Rooms will be designed and furnished like Apartment-style studios. Each will feature fully-equipped kitchens with full-size refrigerators, dishwashers, microwaves, two-burner stove tops and plenty of storage. Multipurpose furniture in the guest rooms will create versatile spaces for working as well as relaxing and, of course, sleeping

It is reported that the first location should be open for business by the end of this summer in Kokomo, Indiana.

StudioRes by Marriott:

Prior to Hilton announcing Project H3, Marriott announced Project MidX Studios, another extended stay brand it would be adding to its 30+ brands. For context, Marriott already has four extended stay hotel brands, including:

  • Residence Inn by Marriott, where all rooms are suites and feature kitchens, with complimentary breakfast and an evening happy hour.
  • TownePlace Suites by Marriott, where rooms range from studios to two bedroom suites, and feature kitchens; Marriott describes this brand as being for “the Upbeat Realistic traveler”.
  • Element by Westin, where rooms range from studios to one bedrooms suites and feature kitchens, with complimentary breakfast and an evening happy hour; this is typically higher end than Residence Inn and TownePlace Suites
  • Marriott Executive Apartments, which is the closest thing in Marriott’s hotel portfolio to an apartment-style accommodation

Looking at the StudioRes design, it shares similarities to that of Hilton’s design however, I personally feel this design is very bland and slapped together for the sake of it. Marriott seems to be aiming at attracting more owners/operators with a cheaper startup and operational brand rather than improving on a niche market concept that can benefit potential new guests.

StudioRes will have a focus on the United States and Canada, with the most affordable cost-per-room product for developers, intended to accelerate speed-to-market, with a low cost to build. For a property with 124 keys, the model targets a build cost of $13-14 million, with around 54,000 square feet of total building area. The brand will also have a light operational cost model for owners and franchisees, meaning you can expect these hotels to not have many amenities.

Comparing this to the previously discussed Hilton design, I feel as though the Hilton design is way more put together and actually feels more detail oriented, has that service standard Hilton is known for and is overall a better concept. I feel like this concept is just pinching pennies and could honestly use more time and effort in development. Just looking at the concept art, it looks very rushed and slapped together. The exterior rendering doesn’t even look like a hotel at all. Plus why is there no bathroom rendering? Does this mean we are going to get a cheaply slapped together bathroom?

On many online threads, there are several loyal Marriott guests commenting on the company’s massive growth and inability to balance between developing its newer brands and keeping its older brands afloat.

“I get that the big hotel companies need a lot of brands to justify growth. But what happens to the old brands? I don’t see anyone really building and opening new Alofts anymore. That brand seems to be just existing. I stayed at the Aloft in Wichita last year. It felt like walking into a W property circa 2006. It was a hip concept back then, but felt very dated and just completely out of place in Kansas. What about Four Points? Is anyone really building and opening new Four Points properties? I actually think that Four Points is a better brand than Courtyard but Courtyard seems to be what developers want to build when they want something more than a Fairfield but something less than a more upscale brand. At some point, Marriott has to discontinue old brands and convert existing properties to something else. I’ve noticed that a tremendous number of 1970s and 1980s Marriotts have become Delta in recent years”.

Overall, I have to say I am extremely disappointed with their concept and effort they put in. Considering Marriott wants to create a concept for extended stays for 20+ room nights, their concept doesn’t stand out or incorporate anything innovative or new. I personally think this is very lazy and sad since the company is well known from the start for being innovative and groundbreaking when it comes to hotels. I just don’t see that from this concept at all. Marriott already has Marriott Executive Apartments and those are lightyears better. You would think you would want to top that concept especially if you want to create a whole new hotel brand from it. I just don’t see how Marriott, who is known for high standards and the details, is okay with this concept.

Hyatt Studios:

Before we get into Hyatt’s new brand, a quick note, compared to the previous two concepts, this concept is a more traditional extended stay brand not an apartment style, long term stay brand. Hyatt announced its new brand in April of 2023, in order to grow the company’s portfolio, guest base and tap into this new found exponential growth of extended stay hotels. 

“We are proud to launch the Hyatt Studios brand and bring the high-quality experience and level of care promised by the Hyatt brand to smaller markets and submarkets where we don’t have Hyatt hotels,” said Jim Chu, chief growth officer, Hyatt. “We identified a white space for Hyatt, creating a compelling opportunity to significantly accelerate our industry-leading net rooms growth, care for World of Hyatt members on more stay occasions and introduce World of Hyatt to new guests in a new segment which we expect will drive increased direct bookings for all properties across the Hyatt portfolio.”

Guestrooms will marry form with function and offer suites with kitchen amenities to provide comfort during extended trips away from home. The Hyatt Studios food and beverage experience will include a complimentary grab-and-go breakfast and a best-in-class, 24-hour market with a wide variety of options to satisfy extended-stay guests – from health-conscious snacks and ready-made meals to sweet and savory staples to fulfill travel cravings, all of which can be prepared and enjoyed in the guestroom’s kitchen featuring a multi-function convection microwave.

One major thing that sticks out for me is how Hyatt states “the brand is designed to be flexible based on developer needs”. Personally, I feel a brand should be designed for the guests experience, efficiently and ease to operate. Basically, what I’m getting out of this is there will be little to no form of brand standards. 

The specific relevant content for this request, if necessary, delimited with characters: Room design wise, much like Marriott, it seems very slapped together and bland. There is no pop of color or anything exciting to draw you in. While I get a kitchenette takes up a lot of room, why does it seem like the kitchen is weirdly placed in the middle of the room? Seems like they took a standard Hyatt room and slap a kitchen inside with a tiny closet. If this is supposed to be an extended stay brand, why does it lack storage options? Is it possible they just forgot that detail in the rendering or is it totally forgotten? Also notice how we don’t even get a rendering of the bathroom? Does this mean we are going to get a cheaply slapped together bathroom?

Final Thoughts:

One thing that is an immediate red flag for me as well is despite being different concepts, all three of the exterior renderings all suspiciously share the same color scheme and similar design. 

Despite this, I personally think the Hilton design is the most throughout, detailed and most guest oriented. Seems like Hilton is more focused on the guest experience instead of putting the developer first. While I get designing a new hotel prototype to minimize the start-up and operational costs makes sense, it shouldn’t be at the guest’s expense. This is just one of the many reasons Hilton always wins me over compared to Marriott, Hyatt and IHG. 

It’ll definitely be interesting to see how each of these brands expands and grows as time goes on. Will these concepts be well received or will there be massive changes made? Only time can tell.

Exploring SeaWorld Orlando: A Fascinating Journey into Marine Wonder

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Welcome back to the blog! Previously, in my last post, I began reviewing my experiences from Universal Studios & Islands of Adventure while on my vacation in Florida. Today we are once again back in the fabulous Sunshine State and we are enjoying the sights and sounds of SeaWorld Orlando!

About The Park:

SeaWorld Orlando, located in Orlando, Florida, is a theme park and marine zoological park. It is associated with neighboring parks such as Discovery Cove and Aquatica, all falling under SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. The park is also affiliated with Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. In 2022, SeaWorld Orlando welcomed around 4.45 million guests, making it the 10th most visited amusement park in the United States. This high visitation highlights its status as a major attraction, drawing visitors to experience its entertainment and marine life conservation.

SeaWorld Orlando has been a significant part of the Central Florida entertainment landscape since its opening on December 15, 1973. Joining the ranks of the SeaWorld chain as its third park, it quickly became a pivotal attraction, effectively transforming Central Florida into a multi-park vacation destination. Notably, the park’s establishment followed closely on the heels of the opening of Walt Disney World Resort’s Magic Kingdom by a mere two years. This proximity in timeline solidified the region’s status as a premier global destination for diverse, world-class theme park experiences.

Following its initial introduction, SeaWorld Orlando experienced changes in ownership that further shaped its trajectory. In 1976, the park was acquired by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, marking a pivotal shift in its stewardship. Subsequently, Anheuser-Busch, renowned as the owner of Busch Gardens, assumed ownership of SeaWorld, adding another layer to the park’s rich history. This transition in 1989 not only altered the park’s ownership structure but also contributed to the evolution of its offerings and strategic direction, reflecting the dynamic nature of Central Florida’s entertainment landscape.

Busch was more experienced with theme parks and thus developed SeaWorld in a competitive and aggressive manner, moving the park from a show-based to a ride-based park. The park joined in the Disneyland-started simulator ride wave in 1992 with Mission: Bermuda Triangle (later rethemed into Wild Arctic). The nation’s first combination roller coaster and flume ride, Journey to Atlantis, was installed in 1998. In 2000, the Kraken, a Bolliger & Mabillard floorless roller coaster, was added to the park. The flying coaster, Manta, came to the park in 2009 and won the Theme Park Insider Award as the best new attraction.

After being in business for almost 30 years, Busch Entertainment expanded by adding two parks next to each other. Discovery Cove opened in 2000 and Aquatica water park opened in 2008. The company was sold to a private equity firm in 2009 after Anheuser-Busch was purchased by InBev. This led to the closure of the Hospitality Center in February 2009. Over the years, Sea World has introduced several new attractions such as Mako, Ice Breaker, Sesame Street Land, Infinity Falls, and the latest one this year: Pipeline.

SeaWorld’s commitment to marine conservation and education has been a hallmark of its brand, with initiatives aimed at promoting awareness and understanding of marine life. However, throughout the years while trying to achieve this goal, SeaWorld has faced hefty backlash for serval incidents, including safety violations and significant fines related to one of its main orcas. However, despite some of these challenges and issues, SeaWorld has successfully created a harmonious balance between enjoyment and education, providing visitors with a deeper appreciation for the oceans and the creatures that inhabit them.

The acquisition of SeaWorld by new ownership has brought about significant changes in the park’s operations, with a renewed focus on guest experiences and environmental stewardship. This shift has seen the introduction of innovative attractions and experiences, aimed at captivating audiences while also fostering a greater understanding of marine ecosystems.

In recent years, SeaWorld has continued to expand its attractions, with a keen eye on incorporating cutting-edge technology and immersive storytelling. The addition of rides like Mako, Ice Breaker, and Infinity Falls has enhanced the park’s appeal to thrill-seekers, while Sesame Street Land has delighted younger visitors with its vibrant and interactive offerings.

Moreover, the introduction of Pipeline, the latest attraction unveiled this year, underscores SeaWorld’s ongoing commitment to providing fresh and exciting experiences for its guests. This thrilling new addition is set to further elevate the park’s reputation as a premier destination for entertainment and adventure, solidifying its position as a leader in the realm of marine-themed attractions.

SeaWorld’s journey reflects a dedication to evolution and adaptation, embracing new opportunities to captivate audiences while remaining steadfast in its mission to inspire conservation efforts and foster a deeper connection with the natural world. As SeaWorld continues to chart its course into the future, it stands poised to continue delivering unforgettable experiences that blend entertainment, education, and environmental awareness.

SeaWorld Orlando’s fascinating transformation in the summer of 2014 marked a significant milestone for the renowned company as it celebrated its 50th anniversary. The park underwent a reorganization, dividing into distinct areas known as “seas,” each meticulously crafted to embody a unique thematic essence. This innovative approach invited visitors to embark on a captivating journey, starting from the lower center and unfolding seamlessly in a clockwise direction, offering an unparalleled adventure at every turn. This reconfiguration helped to enhanced the guest experience, and also exemplified the commitment to continuous evolution and creativity that has been synonymous with SeaWorld’s legacy.

Port of Entry

The main entrance of the park features a Florida-inspired theme with tropical landscaping and a large artificial freshwater marina with a Shamu-themed iconic lighthouse.

Sea of Shallows

This area showcases most of the shallow water sea animal exhibits at the park as well as the Dolphin Theater. In addition, the Manta roller coaster travels through this section and the former Turtle Trek, A 360 degree dome film, which featured the story of a turtle. All of the Key West at SeaWorld area is inside of the Sea of Shallows. It is designed to mimic the appearance of the city of Key West, Florida with architecture and landscaping reminiscent of the area. Animal exhibits in this portion of the park include lesser devil rays, cownose rays, southern stingrays, green sea turtles, hawksbill sea turtle, loggerhead sea turtle, Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, greater flamingos, West Indian manatees, American alligators and brown pelicans. The stingray and dolphin habitats offer opportunities for guests to feed the animals.

Sea of Legends

The Journey to Atlantis is a captivating boat ride that incorporates thrilling roller coaster elements, creating an unforgettable experience for visitors. This attraction draws inspiration from the mythical legend of the lost city of Atlantis, adding an intriguing and immersive narrative to the adventure. Additionally, visitors can also enjoy the adrenaline-pumping excitement of Kraken, a remarkable floorless roller coaster that further enhances the overall thrill of the theme park. The combination of these exhilarating experiences ensures that visitors can look forward to an action-packed and unforgettable time at the park.

Sea of Ice

Sea of Ice, originally named Antarctica, is themed around the Antarctic continent. Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin is the sole attraction in this area as a penguin exhibit. This is where the brand new ride will be based, named Penguin Trek, in 2024.

Penguin Trek is being promoted as an unforgettable family launch coaster adventure capable of reaching speeds up to 43 miles per hour. The ride is themed around viewing the breathtaking vastness of Antarctica from a snowmobile while dodging and narrowly escaping the crumbling hazards of an icy cavern. The ride ends with the rider discovering a real penguin habitat.

Sea of Delight

The Sea of Delight is truly a captivating section of the park, offering visitors a delightful experience reminiscent of a seaside Mediterranean village. The charming sub-area called The Waterfront is a picturesque representation of this, complete with quaint architecture and serene views. One of the highlights of this area is the iconic Sky Tower ride, seamlessly integrated into the theme of The Waterfront village when it made its debut in 2003. This merging of thrilling attractions with the thematic essence of the village adds a unique allure to the overall experience.

Moreover, within this enchanting enclave, guests can also enjoy the captivating Pets Ahoy show, which was hosted in the Seaport Theater. This engaging animal show provided a memorable experience for visitors, becoming a cherished part of their time in The Waterfront. Notably, just beyond The Waterfront lies the Sea Lion and Otter Stadium viewing area, offering a perfect vantage point to observe these fascinating marine animals in their natural element.

The Sea of Delight, with its exquisite blend of attractions and thematic elements, truly stands as a testament to the park’s artful curation of immersive experiences.

Sea of Mystery

The Sea of Mystery is where you’ll find the Shark Encounter exhibit and the Sharks Underwater Grill, as well as the Nautilus Theater, which they use for seasonal shows and events. Mako, a Bolliger & Mabillard steel hypercoaster, was introduced in the area on June 10, 2016. They spruced up the current shark exhibit and the surrounding area, turning it into Shark Wreck Reef. By 2018, they also added the rapids ride Infinity Falls in this area, set in the sub-area of Sea of Infinity. This spot has a rainforest vibe and also features a food spot called Waterway Grill.

Sea of Power

The Sea of Power is where SeaWorld puts on its killer whale shows. Right in the middle, you’ve got the Shamu Stadium, and right next to it is the Wild Arctic indoor pavilion. Inside the Wild Arctic, you can check out some cool animals like beluga whales, Pacific walruses, harbor seals, and there used to be polar bears, too. Right now, the Shamu Stadium is running the “Orca Encounter” as its main show, but you can catch “Shamu Celebration: Light up the Night” and “Shamu Christmas Miracles” during the holiday season.

Sesame Street Land

Formerly named Shamu’s Happy Harbor and Sea of Fun, Sesame Street Land is a kids’ area right next to Shamu Stadium. Here, you’ll find fun stuff for the whole family, like Super Grover’s Box Car Derby (a mini rollercoaster) and a cool water play area. This is the only part of SeaWorld Orlando inspired by the educational TV show, Sesame Street.

My Rating: 6/10

While I enjoyed my time at SeaWorld, my main complaint was the crowd level as the theme park was hosting the Madi Gras celebrations as well as its Seven Seas Food Festival. I am kind of disappointed I didn’t get to try any of the foods but decided it would not be worth the price, but all of the stalls were uniquely themed and the menus did look interesting. A big complaint I have for SeaWorld is their locker policy or their usage of the locker system. You do have to put items in a locker for most of the thrill rides, but they are not free like Universal’s sadly. The system was a bit more confusing to use and took a bit for me to understand fully. I wish they would use the ticket or something similar to Universal, then offer the free lockers that are smaller and paid lockers for bigger items. I loved the different walk-thru exhibits and educational posters that helped teach kids about the animals and how to save the animals. That is something that I think really makes SeaWorld a good place to visit with kids. The live action shows with animals were cute and I did enjoy watching the shows, though I think they missed out by not making the screen at the Orca Encounter in the shape of a whale tale… but eh, that is just my opinion. I did learn that the SkyTower is a charge of fee ride, so that was a bit disappointing. When I did get to the SkyTower, it was either closed or the line was too long.

My biggest disappointment was the meal ticket plan I had gotten. The restrictions of where to eat and what to eat are utterly ridiculous. I feel they could expand this a bit more to include some of the better restaurants… I didn’t really get the bang for my buck with this item and I dont not suggest it.

Tips & Tricks

Just like Universal, Sea World does have an app you can download that will help you keep track of ride times, show times, and more. I suggest just like Universal to see if you look up a calendar to show when Sea World expects a crowded time and try to avoid going to the park during those times. For the small kids, I say you really need to check out Sesame Street Land. It’s a really cute and interactive land for the younger ones, while the thrill junkies can go ride the coasters. It even has a parade of characters, but you can imagine that it causes a bit of a backup even if you are trying to get from one part of the park to the other.

And with that, the review is officially done! Though, we did go to Disney Springs before heading home on the 4th day… I feel it was unnecessary for me to give a full review on the shopping district area as we didn’t spend much time there. Again, the main complaint, the crowds were utterly ridiculous. The line for the Lego store wrapped around the store itself, if that gives you an idea on how busy it was during that weekend. 

I thank you all for joining me on my great adventure. I look forward to hopefully sharing more with you all again next time. For now, here are some more pictures from my trip! Enjoy!

Overview: Preventing Facilities Disasters In The Hospitality Industry.

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In the hospitality industry, facilities are omnipresent and serve as the backbone of all our operations. They facilitate various activities ranging from hosting events and preparing meals to providing comfortable accommodations for guests. Furthermore, they support behind-the-scenes tasks that ensure the smooth functioning of the hotel. Within the hospitality industry, facilities encompass a wide range of spaces including hotel rooms, restaurants, meeting and convention areas, parking garages, and recreational facilities such as pools, spas, waterparks, and gyms. Additionally, they encompass essential equipment like stoves, fryers, washers, and dryers, as well as the building infrastructure that houses vital elements such as water, gas, electricity, and structural components.

Why Preventive Maintenance Matters:

It is crucial to maintain, repair, and design our facilities correctly; otherwise, the consequences can be disastrous. When we fail to do so, we often see disasters like fires, building collapses, gas leaks, power failures, floods, and more severe natural disasters occur. While most of the time we have control over weather-related disasters, there are cases when we have zero control over disasters happening. Such cases include natural events like earthquakes, hurricanes, forest fires, and tornadoes.

It is crucial to prioritize the prevention of disasters by exercising meticulous control. One effective approach is to employ preventive and corrective maintenance strategies, carefully examining blueprints during the design phase to eliminate any critical errors. Moreover, seeking advice from experts during the maintenance and design processes ensures adherence to best practices.

By neglecting the aforementioned maintenance practices or neglecting to review the blueprints, it can lead to significant catastrophes and endanger the lives of innocent individuals and nearby properties. As we shall observe through various examples, a majority of the disasters documented could have been prevented had proper maintenance been conducted, blueprints been reevaluated prior to commencing construction, and appropriate safety measures been implemented.

Hotel Fires:

Facilities fires in the hospitality industry are a disaster that can be controlled with proper measures. Neglecting maintenance, emergency procedures, or safety equipment can lead to dire consequences. Fires occur when there is an ignition source, fuel, and oxygen. In the context of a hotel room, where numerous flammable sources can be found, items such as towels, sheets, blankets, desks, curtains, and furniture can easily fan the flames and escalate the situation to a point of no return.

So, when a fire occurs in a hotel, it is crucial that our fire safety plan and equipment are effective and efficient in aiding during an emergency. The most important elements of a fire safety plan include, fire detection followed by fire notification. Fire detection includes human observation, heat detectors, photoelectric smoke detectors, ionization smoke detectors and sprinkler systems. Meanwhile fire notification includes emergency instructions and floor plans, building horns/alarms, voice alarms, visual alarms, communication systems, and smoke detectors. Additionally, if a fire does break out, fire control is very important and includes the following smoke dampers which inhibit the movement of smoke through ductwork, smoke sensors that control smoke dampers and a stairwell pressurization system that increase the air pressure in stairwells keeping them relatively smoke free.

MGM Grand Fire:

Looking back to 1980, the MGM Grand Fire was the deadliest hotel fire ever to occur. According to several reports and investigations, it was found the fire began around 7:10 a.m. Upon further investigation, it was discovered that the casino floor did not have sprinklers or any fire suppression systems which ultimately caused the entire casino floor to be ravaged by fire in six minutes (Fascinating Horror, 2021). It was also found that as fire and smoke quickly rose up the hotel tower, no early warning systems were present and fire alarms or safety systems were not functioning to warn guests before it was too late. By the time the guests in the tower found out there was a fire, it was too late which caused many to be trapped in their rooms and on the upper floors of the tower cut off from exits entirely. This disaster unfortunately took the lives of 87 people and injured more than 600 (Verastigue, 2022).

To begin with, this disaster could have been avoided if the bakery case that caused the fire was maintained properly. If there was preventative maintenance being done, perhaps the (reason case sparked) could have been spotted and fixed. Additionally, had there been proper fire detection, warning and suppression systems, the fire could have been contained sooner and tragedy could have been prevented.

Building & Facilities Collapses:

While we have control over fires and the outcomes in our facilities, unfortunately when collapses occur, we tend to have less control over them due to the fact that most problems that cause collapses occur in the design and construction stages. If we are the ones designing and constructing the facilities, we have control over collapses. Whereas if we are utilizing an existing facility, we will not have control over the design of the facility and its infrastructure. Most collapses can be prevented if blueprints, designs and technical drawings are checked again before going to the construction phase. It’s when we fail to do this simple yet easily overlooked step, that we see incredible building collapses as results of engineering failures.

Hard Rock New Orleans Collapse:

Unfortunately for the under construction Hard Rock New Orleans, they learned this mistake the hard way after it was too late. It was a beautiful and normal day just like any other day until tragedy struck and Hard Rock came crashing down onto the street below. Work was being done on the upper floors where concrete was being poured for supports as well as the structure making up the floor. Additionally, work was being done on the 18th floor where the pool was hoisted up by crane only hours before. Suddenly without notice, the under construction hotel collapsed killing three workers, and injuring hundreds both on the job site and street below. Immediately, the public demanded answers as to why the hotel collapsed and the cause of the incident. 

In the aftermath of the incident, it was discovered by OSHA that the engineer “failed to adequately design, review or approve steel bolt connections affecting the structural integrity of the building” (OSHA, 2019). Additionally, Walter Zehner, a technical spokesman and structural engineer commented “You can see where the two upper floors are moving kind of together rather than individually and that indicates that the 16th floor failed and the other floors just came down with it” (Hammer, 2021). It was found the building was so un-structurally sound that many of the steel beams were overstressed by 300%.

Hyatt Regency Lobby Collapse:

Sadly, a similar tragedy occurred at 1981 Hyatt Regency Hotel in Kansas City where an elevated walkway collapsed, killing 114 people and injuring 200 more. The lobby area featured a three tiered elevated walkway that took guests across the resort to different meeting spaces and guest areas. During an investigation launched directly after the incident, it was found that a change in the original design of a series of walkways suspended above the lobby’s hotel led to a connection failure. The original design had all of the walkways suspended from the ceiling with steel rods retained by nuts. Even prior to the design change, the original design only supported 60% of the minimum load required by the Kansas City Building Code. The contractor responsible for manufacturing the steel rods objected to the use of threaded steel rods, as they felt the threads would be damaged during construction. They proposed an alternative plan where the lowest platform would be supported on one end by the ceiling, but on the other end by an upper level platform. This of course left the upper level platform, already under-designed, with a double load (Tyrell, 2020). Much like the Hard Rock incident that occurred recently, this incident in 1981, could have also been prevented by simply double checking blueprints, designs and technical drawings before starting the construction process.

Tropicana Parking Garage Collapse:

Similarly, back in October 2003, the Tropicana Casino and Resort in Atlantic City also had a collapse. During a major expansion and renovation project, the resort was constructing a new parking garage to be able to hold the higher capacity of guests entering the resort. Unfortunately, while constructing the parking garage, it collapsed in on itself, killing four construction workers and injuring 21 others (OSHA, 2004). It was also discovered during the investigation that multiple reasons were to blame for the collapse. First, the contractor building the garage did not properly support the structure in areas where the concrete was being poured and cast for the supports. Secondly, it was found that the parking garage levels were beginning to show signs of cracking around major support columns and areas that were just freshly poured a week to a few days prior. “The Fabi superintendent failed to seek the immediate attention of the general contractor/construction manager or the structural engineer of record when Fabi employees brought to his attention the cracks around the exterior columns on grid line 1 at levels P4 thru P7. The employees noticed consistent cracks at the interior long face of the columns extending at an angle of forty-five degrees towards the edge of the slab/beam. These cracks should not have been dismissed as shrinkage cracks because of their uniformity, depth, and pattern on all levels. The collapse could have been averted if immediate attention was sought” (OSHA, 2004).

Much like the previous two incidents resulting in collapses, this incident also could have been prevented if the blueprints and technical drawings were double-checked for design flaws prior to construction starting. Additionally, had the engineer stopped to address the reported cracks and flaws that were discovered, the incident could have also been prevented by performing the proper work to address the issues and stop them from becoming more severe.

Final Thoughts:

To conclude, it is crucial that we maintain, repair, and design our facilities correctly; otherwise, the consequences can be disastrous. Our facilities in a hotel include hotel rooms, restaurants, meeting & convention spaces, parking garages, recreational areas like pools, spas, waterparks, and gyms, equipment such as stoves, fryers, washers, and dryers, and even the infrastructure of the building. When we fail to take proper steps and do maintenance, we often see disasters like fires, building collapses, gas leaks, power failures, floods, and more severe natural disasters occur. Most disasters we have full control over before they even become disasters. We can prevent disasters through preventive and corrective maintenance, cross-checking blueprints during the design stages to ensure no crucial errors were made, and consulting with experts when doing maintenance or design to ensure we are doing it correctly.

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Urbex Journey – New Marriott Hotel Under Construction (Pictures + Video)

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In today’s unique blog post, we will be exploring a new Marriott hotel that is under construction, situated in the heart of the Virginia mountains and just steps away from amazing natural trails and popular tourist attractions. I happened to stumble upon this location since it was directly behind the hotel I was staying at on my recent vacation to Virginia.

There was not much information available regarding this hotel, nor were there any signs promoting it around the site. I actually asked the front desk of the hotel I was staying at, as well as a few locals, and I was told that this property was going to be a new Marriott hotel.

Prior to exploring, I walked the property from my hotel’s parking lot, and there were no fences, trespassing signs, or any other barricades blocking access to the site. Because of this, I decided to go ahead and photograph and film the property. I did not enter the interior for safety reasons as I was unsure of the condition of the building in its current phase of construction and did not want to trespass. The sole purpose of this video is to explore and document the property as it was and enjoy the rare sights of actually getting this close to a hotel under construction. No property was damaged, vandalized, or stolen during this exploration.

If you are planning on urban exploring, please note exploring abandoned or buildings under construction can be extremely dangerous and result in serious injury. This exploration was filmed a safe distance away from any major hazards and was done so safely. 

So without further ado, let’s take a look at this new Marriott hotel in the heart of the Virginia mountains and just footsteps away from amazing natural trails and popular tourist attractions.

Photo Gallery

Video Exploration

Discovering this hidden gem of a Marriott hotel in the Virginia mountains has been an extraordinary journey. From the first glimpse of its construction to capturing the beauty of nature in the background, this experience has been filled with wonder. This hotel, set amidst the Virginia mountains, offers a unique blend of tranquility and luxury. The photos and videos showcased here provide a glimpse of its allure. We explored responsibly, showcasing its grandeur while respecting the property.

I hope you all enjoyed our very first YouTube video and this blog post! Stay tuned for more content on it’s way soon.

Farewell Mirage Las Vegas. Hello Hard Rock LV.

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Very interesting news has been unfolding in Las Vegas these past few months as Hard Rock International purchased The Mirage from MGM Resorts International for a whopping $1.08 Billion! While it is sad to see such an iconic and revolutionary Vegas resort go, the Hard Rock plans are just stunning. Join us today as we venture into the history of this once beloved resort and what Hard Rock has in store for Vegas.

History of The Mirage:

The Mirage was the vision of Steve Wynn who was a visionary that forever changed the landscape of Las Vegas and Atlantic City, NJ. Wynn early in his career oversaw the construction and operation of several notable Las Vegas and Atlantic City hotels, including the Golden Nugget, the Golden Nugget Atlantic City, The Mirage, Treasure Island, the Bellagio, and Beau Rivage in Mississippi, and he played a pivotal role in the resurgence and expansion of the Las Vegas Strip in the 1990s.

The site where The Mirage site was previously home to a motel during the 1950s then the motel was torn down to become the Polynesian-themed Castaways Hotel and Casino. Wynn acquired the property 1987 from its owner Howard Hughes. After the purchase, Wynn was quick to demolish Castaways and begin construction on the Mirage. 

At first, the resort was announced under the name Golden Nugget after the existing Golden Nugget property he owned on Downtown Fremont Street at the time. After careful consideration, he later changed the name from Golden Nugget to “The Mirage” and purchased the name from the La Mirage Hotel and Casino and the Mirage Motel, which was renamed to the Glass Pool Inn and Key Largo after the purchase for $250,000.

The Mirage officially opened its doors on November 22, 1989. The Mirage remained under Wynn’s ownership until 2000, when his company was acquired by MGM Grand.

Mirage’s Legacy:

The Mirage, being one of the first heavily themed hotel and casinos in the Las Vegas Valley since Caesars Palace in 1979, began a period in Las Vegas’s history known as the “family-friendly era” where previously mob-run hotels and casinos were replaced by heavily themed resorts that catered mostly to families and children. This included the Excalibur in 1990, Treasure Island, MGM Grand, and Luxor in 1993, New York-New York in 1997, the Bellagio, and the Mandalay Bay, Venetian, and Paris in 1999.

Original Hard Rock Hotel & Casino:

Prior to Hard Rock International purchasing The Mirage, the company had another resort on the strip where the current Virgin Hotels Las Vegas sits today. The original Hard Rock Hotel & Casino was the first ever Hard Rock hotel ever to be built in the country. As of today, there are about 24 hotels not including 17 hotels under development and construction. 

The Las Vegas location was a trend setter and was known for its party scene, vast nightlife, entertainment and famous performances. LV opened its doors in March of 1995 and over the years expanded the property to include multiple hotel towers and additional expansions to accommodate the vast nightlife scene.

However in 2018, this all changed as in early January of that year, rumors floated around that Sir Richard Branson was going to be buying the Hard Rock hotel-casino and sure enough on March 30 an official announcement was made. This ended Hard Rock’s Las Vegas Hotel presence until 2022 when Hard Rock purchased The Mirage from MGM Resorts International for a whopping $1.08 Billion!

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino’s Planned Return:

So what exactly does Hard Rock have planned for their big Las Vegas return? Hard Rock is planning on demolishing the iconic Mirage Volcano to make way for a massive 800 – 1,000 room guitar shaped hotel tower. The guitar-shaped hotel will also include a casino with 200 slots and 12 table games.

Specific details have been very sparace and difficult to come by. As of now, there is no definitive decision as to whether the property is going to be closed during construction, partially open, etc.  

However, according to several sources, Hard Rock is planning a renovation and expansion of event and meeting space at the Mirage, a renovation of villas and the private gaming room, plus an “enhanced pool experience.” The planned renovations will also add 80,000 square feet of casino space and 83,000 square feet of convention space to the former Mirage. That’s accompanied by an addition of 1,164 slot machines and 161 table games. Renovations are expected to add nearly 3,000 theater seats, plus 596 hotel rooms and three food and beverage outlets to the property. 

No additional news, details or information have been shared at this time nor is there a specific timeline for the project. Currently as Hard Rock finalizes plans, seeks approvals and prepares for construction, The Mirage name will remain. Under the terms of the purchase agreement, according to the Dec. 2021 release, MGM Resorts will retain The Mirage name and brand, licensing it to Hard Rock royalty-free for a maximum period of three years while it finalizes its plans to rebrand the property.

There are also no plans or details announced regarding The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil show that has been a Mirage staple for many years. It is highly likely this show could remain as it fits perfectly within the Hard Rock theming.

Overall, this is definitely a wise business decision and investment as there are no guitar shaped buildings on the strip which will help make the property stand out. Many of the resorts on the strip look nearly identical with the exception of the heavily themed resorts, or well established resorts. Additionally, there is no other existing guitar shaped hotel except for Hard Rock’s Hollywood, Florida casino resort. While it will definitely be sad to see some classic strip icons go, in the long run it will definitely be worth it as new icons are being created.

One Last Look Inside The Mirage:

Before we say farewell to The Mirage, let’s take one last look inside the famous property.

Genius Business Decision?

Wow! What a gorgeous and well kept property. When MGM Resorts was asked for the reasoning behind the sale they stated it was to shift focus on their existing properties in Las Vegas and build on those experiences. Additionally, shortly after the sale, we saw MGM Resorts buy the famous and most popular strip resort Cosmopolitan for $1.6 billion. MGM is also allocating capital in preparation for the billion dollar investment for a new casino resort located in Osaka, Japan.

Overall I think this was a smart business decision by MGM Resorts since it allowed them to purchase the Cosmopolitan while allowing them to allocate funds for future projects, expansions and new construction. I personally can not wait to see the new Hard Rock property and the guitar hotel tower rise above the Vegas strip. 

What are your thoughts on The Mirage and upcoming changes to the resort? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts!

Navigating Toxic Workplaces: Advice, Tips & Guidance for Dealing with Managerial Challenges

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I recently had the pleasure of returning back to my community college and got to speak as an alumni speaker. I discussed my experiences in college so far, challenges I faced in the industry and where I am currently in my career. I wanted to take some time to discuss the challenges I faced and shed some light on some of these topics as I know many others may face these challenges too and may need some advice on what to do. 

One of my main goals when I started this blog was to dedicate specific content to act as guides and provide advice to those just starting out. I’m hoping within the next few months to really expand that area of the blog with more content and ideas I have in the works. In the meantime, I hope you find this useful or at least somewhat insightful. 

To clarify, the following incidents, challenges and hardships all happened at my last hotel job not at my current place of employment. Additionally, I would like to state for the record, my co-workers, front desk manager (at the time) and operations manager (at the time) were all amazing people. When I’m speaking about these topics, I’m talking about the managers above them and corporate.

Toxic Work Environment:

It wasn’t always this way… When I first joined the company I did their intern program and was very impressed with their family culture and values. But just like that it all came crashing down in a fiery ball. It was as if one day it was at the drop of a hat. Perhaps this was all going on before I came on and it just snowballed? Who knows… 

I constantly dealt with a certain specific manager who just never respected me, other employees and treated the hotel like a dictatorship. It always felt like this manager had it out for me. They always treated me differently than everyone else but not in a good way. It felt like I always had a target painted on my back. 

Let me give you an example. One day I’m working at the desk with one of my other co-workers and it was slow. Seeing it was slow, I decided to go use the restroom before I got busy again and while I had the chance. So I go to the back office so I can head to the bathroom and this manager stops me and gets into an attitude with me. This is how this interaction went (summarized of course):

Mngr: “Where are you going? You should be at the desk!”

“(Co-Worker) is at the desk. I’m using the restroom while it is slow. I needed to go but couldn’t since it was so busy”.

Mngr: “Oh well…next time you gotta ask or say something. Can’t you just disappear on me”.

“Oh… I have to ask permission to go to the bathroom now? I didn’t know I had to. What is this elementary school? I’m a grown adult. If I need to use the bathroom, I’m going to go nor will I ever just leave the desk unattended. As I said (Co-Worker) is at the desk. I’m sure it will be okay for a few minutes while it’s slow”.

Mngr: “Well… you can’t just leave them alone..”

“… As I’ve said multiple times, it’s slow. Plus they know since I told them I’d be right back… So  I’m going to the bathroom now”.

It was at this point I was so confused and couldn’t understand why I was being lectured and disrespected for simply being a human and going to the restroom. Can you imagine getting in trouble for going to the restroom? This is just one of several examples of the toxic work environment this manager and corporate (more on them shortly) caused not only for me but the other employees.  

At first I tried to give this manager the benefit of the doubt when they first came to the hotel. After many incidents (there are several… you’d be here for a week reading this if I included them all) I tried sitting down with them and speaking with them one on one about the incidents and how I found them unacceptable but this never did anything. 

When things got really bad, I complained to HR and their attitude was “Well it’s your word against ours. Good luck proving it. You have no ground to stand on. All this is verbal plus the messages you showed us don’t really do anything for your case. At this time we will not be making any changes at the hotel. If you are that unhappy, you can just put your two weeks in”. 

WOAH!!!! Did the Human Resources department just tell me I can quit and threaten me by saying “good luck proving it”? THEY SURE FLIPPING DID!!! Oh but wait… It gets worse! Every Time someone complained, HR and corporate ignored us and didn’t do anything about it. Seems every time this manager got wind we complained, they made it hell for us. Which brings me to my next topic…

Fear Tactics & Fear Driven Management

For those not familiar with the topic, Fear based leadership is when leaders lead by fear, threats or combination of both. Threats may include retaliation, disciplinary action, termination, etc. More often than not, fear-based leadership stems from the boss’s lack of confidence in their own abilities. Rather than let the light shine on them and reveal their flaws, they use fear so that they can survive—at the expense of the people they’re supposed to be inspiring to do their best work.

I never really knew how to describe how this hotel manager and corporate style of leadership was at times until I learned of this ineffective style in my principles of management course. Looking back and reflecting on everything, there are definitely examples of this happening. For example a normal leader would tell their team “Hey, please make sure we do (insert a task) like this from now on please because (insert reason). When we do it the other way it causes (problem or issue). Thank you”. 

Unfortunately, I got the opposite style which really got insanely difficult to deal with. “Do this like this or else I’ll write you up”. Most times when I heard this statement my thought to myself would be ‘Well you never specifically said or told us to do it like that before, This is the first time you are saying something about it. How are we supposed to know you wanted it like that? We are not mind readers”. Of course I’m thinking that but I would say something similar but choose my words carefully so I remained professional and did not make the situation worse. Again like I said, I could honestly write 50 blog posts about this stuff but I think you get the picture here.

Micromanagement

I never understood why managers think this strategy ever works. Do they know that this makes things worse by making employees less confident, more stressed and makes them more nervous. For crying out loud, just TRUST YOUR EMPLOYEES and let them do the jobs they were trained to do. Clearly they know what they are doing and are qualified otherwise they wouldn’t be working there. 

Now I get it as the manager of the hotel you’re on the line for everything and responsible for the entirety of the operation but come on… There is never an excuse for this kind of tactic. Again as I said TRUST YOUR EMPLOYEES!

One thing this manager always did was leave way earlier than they were supposed to when the hotel was sold out or if there were multiple events going on in the hotel. Typically, the manager was supposed to stay until a certain time when we were sold out and if there were events it was their job to check on the events and if needed jump in and help. Then instead of staying, they would constantly blow up my phone every five minutes and when I wouldn’t answer my phone they’d get mad and get disrespectful. It was worse when this happened in person since it’s not like a phone where you can just silence it and ignore it. 

Again, trust your damn employees. We don’t need you hawking over us every five seconds. Please just let your employees do their job, be there to support them and give them the tools to do their jobs successfully!

Advice, Tips & Guidance:

So what can you do if you find yourself in any of these situations?. The advice I offer is solely based on my situations and what I found works. Each situation is going to be different and may not be able to be handled the same. Always use your best judgment and do what you think is best. With that, here is my advice:

Speak Up!

Stand up for yourself! Don’t let any manager or supervisor treat you with disrespect, or treat you poorly! Now I’m not saying to just scream, yell or attack them for the littlest thing. What I’m saying here is if you find they keep acting disrespectful or treating you very poorly, it’s best to nib it in the bud but remain calm and professional. For example, pull them aside and speak with them privately after the incident or after the shift. If you don’t do this, you are setting a tone that this behavior is okay and it will only get worse.

Stay Positive:

There’s always positivity to be found in a negative or non ideal situation. One of the things that kept me around this job before moving on, besides other factors, was the people I worked with. We were like a tight knit family and became very close with each other. We made each other laugh and smile even on the toughest days when it seemed the odds were stacked against us. 

My best advice is for any sort of environment that is toxic, hostile or sounds similar to what I discussed, get out of that environment as soon as you can. It’s not worth your mental and physical health dealing with that day in and day out. If for some reason you can’t get out of there right away, try to find the positive things and remember what brought you there in the first place.

Know Your Value!

If you are constantly hustling, being a team player and aren’t getting any recognition or shown any appreciation, don’t get discouraged! Keep working hard and remember, when you go to apply for your next job, your future employer will see your value. How so, you may ask? If you put all you do on your resume and cover letter, people will notice you and recognize your value. Overall, if you’re not getting appreciated, definitely find yourself another place of employment/environment where you will be! Trust me, during the first few days of my new job when everyone was encouraging me and supporting me, it really was a welcomed change and reminded me it was all worth it in the end since I wouldn’t have ended up where I was without starting somewhere.

Work, Life, School Balance:

Remember you are not meant to be working 24/7 with no breaks or time for anything else. You have to remember to balance enough time for your college life (if applicable), your social life, and life in general. If you don’t, this is how you get mental and physical burnout. 

Burn-out is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions: feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativity or doubt related to one’s job; and reduced professional efficacy.

If you find yourself feeling burnt out, it is best to stop and take care of yourself. This is your body’s way of telling you it’s time to recharge your batteries. Here are somethings I found helpful for dealing with burnout:

  1. Get plenty of sleep each night.
  2. Go outside and take long walks in nature. 
  3. Relax to your favorite music, podcast, tv show or movie.
  4. Kick back with a good book.
  5. Immerse yourself in your hobbies.
  6. Meditate everyday or when stressed. (Deep breaths in, deep breaths out)  

Now I am not saying by any means to not work while in college. I think working while you are in college is extremely beneficial. I found taking what I was learning in the field and bringing it into the classroom really helped me grow and learn. Same goes for taking classroom knowledge and bringing it into the field. My other piece of personal advice is to never stop learning! Always be curious, ask questions and keep pushing to become better.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, while my last year or so at this company was not a pleasant experience, I feel like I did learn a lot, grow as a leader and become better prepared for the future and how to handle similar experiences if they arise. I am extremely grateful to my co-workers, supervisors and line level managers for all they have done. While we may have had our ups and downs together, I loved the time we had together and am grateful to still be close with them all. 

I hope this post was insightful and helpful for anyone facing similar challenges. If you are unsure what to do in your situation, write to us using the Career Advice & Tips button on our Career Resources page! 

Stay tuned for upcoming posts where I document my newest journey in the casino industry!

Wyndham Prototypes: Expectations vs. Reality

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Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc. is a hotel company headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey. The company is known as the largest hotel franchiser in the world, with 9,280 locations across 22 unique brands. Some of those brands include the well established Howard Johnson, Days Inn, Ramada, Super 8, Travelodge, Baymont, La Quinta, and Wyndham. There is partially a brand for every market out there (economy, extended stay, full service, luxury, etc.)

So what’s the problem with Wyndham? Well, many of these brands are very established meaning many locations are very old, outdated and are becoming less appealing. Throughout the years as Hilton, Marriott, IGH and many others rolled out new designs, updated their brands and upped their standards, Wyndham just fell silent and kept on going. So, now many of these brands across the country are becoming less appealing due to this. Another reason for this is with these brands being franchises, it also means on top of being outdated, some locations aren’t run very well giving Wydnham a bad image. Lastly, the standards Wyndham has are very soft compared to what other companies have. They are jokingly called the “relaxed” hotel company which ties into the first point made above. 

All these factors give Wyndham a poor image. However, it is worth pointing out that not all locations or brands are terrible. It all boils down to the ownership and management at that particular location. Between 2018 and 2021, Wyndham finally woke up and came out with new concepts, updated designs and rolled out new standards. In today’s post we will be taking an in depth look into Wyndham Hotels & Resorts most recent brand prototypes and what the future holds for some of these brands. So without further ado, let’s jump into our first brand!

Days Inn – Bask in the Sun

The Days Inn brand was founded in 1970 by Cecil B. Day, who opened the first location in Tybee Island, Georgia. From the very start, this brand was innovative and creative with playing with new concepts and ideas. For example, when the second location was constructed, it featured a restaurant and gift shop combination called Tasty World. In addition to this, the hotel also had on-site gasoline pumps to sell unbranded fuel to motel guests. Days Inn was one of the first hotel chains to offer discounts to senior citizens. It was also among the first to locate its properties along suburban and rural exits on the Interstate Highway System, as opposed to more urban locations.

The brand is now a part of the Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey. As of December 31, 2018, Days Inn includes 1,728 locations worldwide with 137,678 rooms.

Throughout the years under Wyndham’s control this brand has fallen from its roots and just sat quite with no new room designs or innovations done. Pair this with very loose and poor quality control measures, the brand really has fallen to a cheap, hit or miss roadside motel brand. Finally, after many years in 2018, the brand announced it would be refreshing everything from room designs, branding and more.

As someone who works for this brand, I have to say this new room design really excites me as it really embraces the original spirit of the brand and takes the color scheme of Days Inn and really builds on it. As someone really into marketing, I love when companies make subtle references to their brand by using their color scheme or logos in creative ways. I can definitely see, at least in my hotel, the rooms going for a higher rate once we roll out this design.

Howard Johnsons – Go Happy. Go Hojo.

The history and story behind this brand is actually very interesting and a cool story to really take a look at. The Howard Johnson brand actually started as a chain of famous restaurants that were the first to sell 28 flavors of ice cream and create the classic diner experience we all enjoy today. Continuing to build on the very successful concept, Johnson began pairing new restaurant locations with lodging to target more travelers and families. 

Sadly, much like many of Wyndham’s economy or mid-tiered brands, this brand has also suffered the same fate of falling far from its roots and developing a poor brand image. Perfect example, the Howard Johnson location not far from my hotel I work at is notorious for police activity, drugs, prostitution, and other questionable activities. The hotel really is a hive for all these troublesome people and activities. However, just because this one location is like this doesn’t mean they are all exactly like this. My point is many of these locations suffer similar issues while some locations are much better off. It honestly all depends on the operators and owners of the property.

I have to say out of all the prototypes released, this is one of my favorites since it really takes the classic Howard Johnson style and brings it into the 21st century. It really reminds me of something you would see from HGTV or from one of those renovation shows. Like I mentioned above, the past few years this brand really has strayed far from its roots. I feel like this design really shouts Howard Johnson. One thing I do dislike about the design is I feel like there is way too much going on with the first design with the blue accent walls while in the other room there is too little going on. I feel like these designs clash with each other since one room has too much furniture, accents and decorations while the other is slightly too simple. Regardless this is 100% a major improvement over what the brand currently has.

Super 8 – See You On the Road

Ron Rivett and Dennis Brown created the new Super 8 Motel corporation with each of them owning 50% of the stock in the new company. Super 8 got its iconic name from how much a room used to cost back then, $8.88 which is about $50.00 in today’s money. The first Super 8, with 60 rooms, opened in Aberdeen, South Dakota, in 1974, built near a Holiday Inn with just some drawings made by Rivett as blueprints. The stucco exterior with an English Tudor style was inspired by Rivett’s father-in-law, who was a stucco; the English Tudor style and placing of Super 8’s near Holiday Inns was an established procedure for setting up new Super 8’s for years to come.

Out of all the prototypes I looked at that Wyndham released, these were by far my least favorite by a long shot. I feel like all they really did was take dull, drab and outdated and tweaked it barely. It really feels like these rooms are just more updated versions of old dated rooms. I feel like there could have been more effort put into these rooms. The color pallet in each variation feels too dark and clashes with everything else in the room.  

Not only did I feel like the interior was not amazing, the exterior was no better. If you look at the images of what new locations would look like, they look like an office building and not a hotel. While I do give them credit for trying to stand out from the standard box like design, I feel like they could have done a better job of making it look less office-like and more welcoming and relaxing like a hotel should be. Even the lobby also has an office building and commercial like atmosphere to it. Regardless, it is definitely a step in the right direction for the brand over what exists now.    

Ramada

Like many of the brands we already discussed, Ramada also had very humble routes and was innovative from the very start. Founded by Marion W. Isbell with the investment help of Michael Robinson and Del Webb, the brand started in 1953. 

Ramada opened its first hotel, a 60-room facility, on U.S. Route 66 at Flagstaff, Arizona in 1954 and set up its headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, where the chain built the Sahara Hotel on North 1st Street downtown in 1956 (which later became the Ramada Inn Downtown) and a 300-room Ramada Inn in the 3800 block of East Van Buren in 1958 that would become the chain’s flagship property and headquarters. 

Inspired by rival hotel chain Holiday Inn, Ramada seeked to develop a chain of roadside motor hotels conveniently located along major highways which would provide lodgings with hotel-like quality at near-motel rates plus amenities such as TV, air conditioning, swimming pools, and on-premises restaurants.

I always found Ramada an odd brand because it’s so widespread. Some locations have ballrooms, event space and are full service. Those are generally the nicer locations. Have an old school Hilton feel to them. Meanwhile there are also the select service locations that are just dumpy roadside motels. 

One thing I find interesting about Ramada is how much nicer the locations are in Europe, Canada and Asia. It just speaks volumes of where the brand currently is and what it hopes to be. Overall, I find the rooms are pretty much copy and paste from the Days Inn prototype. For Days, it works all the colors and the design. I think here it’s just too similar to Days. Also the design for Days Inn works since that is a select service/economy brand whereas Ramada is more of a full service midscale brand. I think Ramada is trying to be something it’s not. It’s trying to become like a Hilton, Marriott or IGH brand which it will never come close to.

AmericInn

The AmericInn Franchise was founded by Jim Graves, and the first location opened in 1984. By 1990, there were more than 20 AmericInn properties located in Minnesota and Wisconsin. In 1994, AmericInn began franchising with the help of Wyman Nelson, an entrepreneur known for expanding the Perkins Restaurant and Bakery chain in the 1960s and 1970s.

Expansion outside the Midwestern United States began in 2000. AmericInn has 240 motels, with more than 80 percent of its locations in the Upper Midwest.

All AmericInn properties include a recreation area with pool and whirlpool, as well as fourteen different types of guest rooms. A complimentary hot breakfast, called “AmericInn Perk,” is also offered at each hotel and includes bacon, eggs, biscuits and gravy, waffles, pastries, cereals, juice, and fruit. Rooms are built with masonry block, sound deadening foam and heavy drywall between rooms, as well as concrete slabs, to minimize noise within rooms.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts acquired the brand in July 2017.

This honestly does not look like a brand Wyndham Hotels. It honestly has more of a Holiday Inn, Hilton or Marriott feel to it. We mentioned throughout this post, the contestant problems Wyndham has across its portfolio from poor cleanliness, bad management, outdated standards and more. AmericInn feels like the total opposite to all these issues. This is honestly the way Wyndham should be going portfolio wide. These rooms are definitely a good way to repair their damaged image from many of their brands without moving too far over to the luxury side. Genius move by the brand acquiring this chain back in 2017.

La Quinta

Just like all of these brands, La Quinta also started out as a separate independently owned and operated hotel company. The brand got its start in 1968 from a pair of brothers Sam and Phil Barshop. However unlike most of these brands, where many locations are poorly run, not clean or maintained, La Quinta has actually been setting the standards for new Wyndham brands and renovations. The brand is actually looked at as one of their top brands and is often compared to a Hilton or Marriott brand. Think about that for a second, most of the brands we have talked about, are not even remotely close to or comparable to Hilton or Marriott. This brand actually did such a good job, it’s now even helping the brands up their game and up their standards. 

The brand has also been so successful that it is now beginning to be used in dual branded hotel prototypes. A dual branded hotel comprises two similar hotels from the same brand family – such as a Residence Inn and Moxy by Marriott – in a single building. The brands share the same back of house areas and oftentimes share common areas.

Sadly, it is very difficult to find many development plans, images or renderings for the rooms that are publicly available. However on Wyndham’s franchising site, there are images showing what current locations look like.

https://development.wyndhamhotels.com/brand/la-quinta/

Overall, this is honestly Wyndham’s best and strongest brand they currently have in their portfolio. I would honestly love for all of their brands to get on La Quinta’s level. I think if Wyndham got their economy and mid-scale brands to this level, they could easily compete much better with the top hotel companies like Marriott, Hilton or IGH.

Final Thoughts

With Wyndham scrambling to play catch up to the competition, I think these new prototypes and standards will go a long way to improving all the brands and the experiences guests will have. 

Will these prototypes be enough though? I honestly don’t think so since Wydnham has such lax standards as it is. Many locations are poorly run and not maintained so in locations like this, I think this would just be a waste of time. You can make a hotel look as nice as you’d like but it won’t hide the problems of the hotel as maintenance wise or management wise. In locations like that, it’ll just look nice for a few months to a few years before it is back to where it is. However, in locations where management is good and the ownership cares, these upgrades can definitely go a long way. I honestly think Wyndham needs to step it up and follow in La Quinta’s footsteps since that is honestly their best brand (of course not including the luxury brands or resorts). 

What do you think of Wyndham Hotels and these new prototypes? Will these new changes convenience you to stay at a Wyndham Brand? Let us know your thoughts down below.