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This year, as we put together our annual story on the best new boutique hotels in the world—all with rooms for $150 or less a night—we noticed a surprising trend: Many chain hotels have started adopting boutique-type amenities. Here are the four most noteworthy new developments of the year:
Fairfield Inn & Suites is going local—make that hyper-local. The 670-strong chain has begun customizing its properties to better reflect its zip codes. The Fairfield in Washington, D.C.’s Chinatown, for instance, reopened in March featuring red-lantern-inspired light fixtures and a 7' x 22' graphic dragon mural in the lobby. Elsewhere, you’ll find a 400-pound glass-jellyfish chandelier in Santa Cruz and even a swanky rooftop bar in New York’s Times Square.
The world’s largest hotel chain, the Holiday Inn Brand, has spent $1 billion in the last few years reinventing its 400,000 rooms around the world. Now the brand is concentrating on its lobbies. In June, Holiday Inn introduced the prototype of a 24-hour gathering space they’re calling the Hub, which combines the communal spirit of a B&B with perks such as a sports bar (complete with big screens and signature cocktails), Wii consoles, and a made-to-order chef station.
Can a personal trainer whip an entire hotel chain into shape? Sheraton Hotels & Resorts is banking on it. This year, the company invested $120 million in fitness centers at its 400-plus hotels worldwide. Each will offer signature workout classes from NFL trainer Mark Verstegen. Guests can also get a free “workout in a bag” delivered to their room, with resistance bands, mats, and foam rollers—much better than an order of room-service nachos.
You may never have to shell out for a lame pay-per-view flick again at La Quinta Inns & Suites. This September, the chain rolled out its new “plug-and-play” feature in 50,000 rooms, as part of an extensive revamp of the in-room entertainment model. Guests can pack a cord (HDMI, tri-color composite cables, or Apple dongles), plug in their smartphone or other personal device, and view their movies and TV picks on new 32-inch flat-panel TVs.
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How about some current data on which chains are "pet friendly" and what they charge for their friendliness? And maybe a critical note on their breakfast fare?
Posted By Travel Dude on October 17, 2011, 3:14 PM
Answer to Travel Dude. You can usually find out if hotels are pet friendly by searching their Web sites. Fairfield Inn, mentioned in this article, is indeed pet friendly, $30/pet. The rooms are clean and well maintained.
As to the sports bar element mentioned above: enough with the TVs already. It's annoying as can be to have to be constantly barraged by generally useless information. From the moment you enter the airport until you go to bed at night? Really?
Posted By alisan on October 17, 2011, 3:36 PM