Extended Stay, Midprice Prototypes Launch

Extended stay brands Homewood Suites by Hilton, MainStay Suites and Hawthorn Suites this year each rolled out new prototypes, while midprice SpringHill Suites by Marriott opened the first four hotels based on a prototype it launched a year ago. Chains in these lodging segments traditionally update their physical configuration for new properties every four to six years. Their objective is twofold: to keep on top of increasingly sophisticated traveler expectations and to keep their brand front-and-center in the eyes of potential developers and franchisees looking for new projects.

Given the lodging industry this year is seeing a rebound after a protracted downturn, hotel companies are hopeful that developer confidence in the market's prospects will rebound as well, leading to more hotel development projects.

Launching a new prototype into the marketplace often impacts construction projects that already are underway. "The timing of a new prototype from development to full implementation in the market can run anywhere from one to two years," said Chad Waetzig, Marriott senior vice president for select service brands. The four new SpringHill Suites are in Lexington, Ky., Norfolk, Va., Southfield, Mich., and Billings, Mont.

Another 14 new SpringHills contain features of the newest prototype. "Progressive owners and franchisees, who have projects underway, will modify their plans to capture some of the new elements," Waetzig said. "It's really a continuum. Consequently, we end up with some transitional designs that fall somewhere between the previous generation prototype and the new."

Changes affect both the guest room and the hotel's public spaces. "In the suite, we've opened up the space to give travelers more room either to relax or work," Waetzig said. "We've made the public spaces more flexible as well, in response to feedback that guests want to be able to meet informally with colleagues while they're staying with us."

The first Homewood Suites built to the new specifications goes into construction in downtown Indianapolis in the first quarter of 2005 for completion a year later. Behind the new prototype was the brand's desire to build distribution in center cities, as opposed to its usual suburban or office park locations.

"Because we're getting so many inquiries for downtown sites, we developed new studio and one-bedroom room types intended primarily for urban rehabilitation projects," said Jim Holthouser, senior vice president of brand management. "The new rooms can be used in conjunction with existing room types to maximize key counts which, given the cost of land downtown, is a crucial factor for developers."

Launched in May, the new MainStay Suites prototype has five executed contracts. The first hotel to go into construction, and subsequently to open in mid-2005, will be in St. Roberts, Mo. Driving the new design was a desire to keep one step ahead of the competition in an increasingly crowded extended stay marketplace. "A brand has to keep evolving to capitalize on the latest trends in the market," said Aaron Katz, vice president of brand strategy and corporate development for Choice Hotels International, MainStay's parent.

Given that travelers typically book these hotels for weeks and even months, brands in this segment stress their residential ambiance. Accordingly, guest rooms in the new MainStay prototype feature full, rather than partial, kitchens and walk-in closets. As with SpringHill Suites, the public space has been reconceived as more of a community area in which guests should be more comfortable gathering.

The new prototype for Hawthorn Suites, which is part of U.S. Franchise Systems, was announced last month. The process of eliciting developer interest has just begun.