Tru by Hilton“innovative features:” becomes it disadvantage

 The Hive, a first floor experience that’s more than a lobby – 2,770 square-feet of open
space with unique ways for guests to engage with others or spend time alone – in one
of four distinct zones for lounging, working, eating or playing.
 The Play Zone, filled with table games, a large-screen TV (featuring DIRECTV), and
tiered, stadium-inspired seating.
 A centrally located Command Center – a re-envisioned front desk – featuring a social
media wall with real-time content to foster engagement among guests, and a 24/7
market offering fun snacks and refreshments, single-serve wine and beer*, healthy
light meal options and sundries for purchase.
 A complimentary “Build Your Own” breakfast consisting of a toppings bar with 30
sweet and savory items allowing guests to customize bagels, donuts, Greek yogurt and
oatmeal to satisfy their taste buds and cravings.
 Smart and efficiently designed guest rooms full of the things that matter most – all-
white comfortable platform beds, 55″ TVs, eight-foot wide windows, access to power
everywhere, and surprisingly spacious bathrooms.
 A fitness center that defines wellness trends, rather than follows them, with a concept
focused on cardio, strength and flexibility.
 A technology-forward mentality featuring segment-leading complimentary Wi-Fi
bandwidth allowing guests to download and stream content on their devices, plentiful
power sources, and mobile check-in, room selection and Digital Key available
through the Hilton HHonors mobile app.
 A collaboration with DIRECTV, offering guests more than 150 channels, like they
have at home.
 Rooms and linens cleaned by P&G Professional’s (NYSE: PG) top hospitality brands,
including Tide® ProfessionalTM, Swiffer® ProfessionalTMand Febreze®
ProfessionalTM to help enhance the guest experience and drive operational
efficiencies.
 A brand personality that’s full of life with a spirited culture grounded in a thoughtful,
reliable and unflappable approach to guest service.

Reasons behind failure:

Hilton claims that Tru is “changing the game with a revolutionary midscale brand.” this
seems like an Aloft Hotel with complimentary breakfast. As it stands, Hilton doesn’t really
have a direct competitor to Aloft, so this seems to be their answer.

Not meaning to bash Hilton here, because actually like the core of what they’re doing. They
love the Aloft brand, because it’s modern, reasonably priced, and they do a great job
managing expectations. They also do a good job of incorporating the amenities I value most.

And we see much of the same with Tru by Hilton, though they have free breakfast on top of
that, which is great.

But what sort of annoys us is the stereotyping and impracticality of the brand. Am I the only
one who is put off by the branding? Does everything have to be three letters? Does anyone
like mindless phrases littered all over the lobby?

I guess what borderline offends me about it is what Hilton thinks of us as consumers that
makes them think these three letter phrases resonate with us? Does anyone walk into a
property like this and say “oh, look at all these three letter words… this is totally speed.” I
don’t know, maybe I’m in the minority, as I’m sure they’ve done a lot of market research.

But here’s real problem. The one thing I hate about Tru by Hilton is that their rooms
won’t have desks. Which is ironic, since the infographic depicts someone working at a
desk. I wrote about this last month with Marriott, as they seem to be removing desks from
many of their hotel rooms as well. Seemingly whenever hotels target millennials they remove
desks from rooms. What does that say about what the major hotel brands think of
millennials?

Bottom line

I think the core of this concept is a good one, as it’s basically an updated version of a
Hampton Inn, and a competitor to Aloft Hotels. I do wish they’d tone down the branding a bit
in terms of all the quotes and three letter phrases. Less is more.

But real gripe is that Tru by Hilton rooms won’t have desks. For me that’s a deal killer,
and I really don’t get what hotels are thinking with this trend.

What do you make of the Tru by Hilton concept?

I believe that whoever did design the overall brand of Tru by Hilton tried way too hard to be
stylish and different — especially with goofy names such as The Hive, which seems like the
concept has thankfully abandoned. They failed, in opinion.

At first, I thought the concept was perfect for families on a budget — until I saw the size of
the room, which would be a tight squeeze for a family of four people: doable; but certainly
not comfortable.

The room rate was not the least expensive in that area of Oklahoma City, as I paid $112.61,
which included the room rate of $99.00 plus $13.61 in taxes — and I thought that that was
too expensive for what I received in return. At least one Hampton Inn hotel property offered
less expensive room rates; and yet I found self thinking that I would rather have stayed at a
Hampton Inn than this Tru by Hilton — including regarding the offerings for breakfast.

Although it is certainly not a terrible concept by any stretch of the imagination, the only time
I could see self actively seeking to stay at a Tru by Hilton hotel property in the foreseeable
future is if it is the least expensive option by a significant amount of money when compared
to other options within a certain radius. The hotel property is located approximately six miles
west of downtown Oklahoma City; and despite its name, it is located 4.6 miles north of
Oklahoma City Airport.

Reference :
https://thegate.boardingarea.com/-first-stay-at-a-tru-by-hilton-hotel-and-the-verdict-is/
https://onemileatatime.com/what-is-tru-by-hilton/