Tru By Hilton, Targetting Millenials

Hilton handout

Hilton targeting millennials with affordable hotel brand Tru - Hilton Worldwide is targeting young travelers with a new brand of affordable hotels that it says will shake up the sleepy midscale hotel market.

Dubbed Tru by Hilton, the brand will take on familiar roadside names like Comfort Inn by Choice Hotels and Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott with a focus on technology and modern design and will compete in the $90 to $100 a night price range, Hilton says.

Guests will be able to check in with their cellphones or tablets, watch 150 cable channels on 55-inch TVs in every room, and help themselves to more trendy breakfast choices like Greek yogurt and oatmeal.

Hilton has 102 hotels signed on to launch the brand and 30 more in the pipeline, including several in and around Chicago, spokeswoman Christine Miller said. The first hotels should be open by the end of the year.

Tru marks a return to the large midscale market for Hilton, which now has 13 brands. It formerly competed in the segment with Hampton Inn but renamed that brand Hampton by Hilton and moved it slightly upmarket.

"More than 40 percent of all U.S. hotel stays are within the midscale and economy sectors, and Tru by Hilton addresses a gap in the marketplace by appealing to the youthful mindset demographic, pushing the industry to marry quality and value," Jim Holthouser, Hilton's executive vice president for global brands, said in a statement. "We're breaking through the clutter of undistinguished offerings to capture the hearts of today's travelers."

While Hilton says it aims for Tru to "appeal cross-generationally," it stressed that it is going after the "millennial mindset," in particular. That is reflected in its choice of smaller rooms paired with larger public spaces for socializing, including a 2,770-square-foot lobby with table games, a big-screen TV and stadium-style seating, and its promise of a faster free Wi-Fi connection than its rivals. Artists' renderings released by Hilton show rooms with white walls and lobby areas with splashes of vivid primary colors, giving Tru a more contemporary look than its more traditional midscale competitors.

Tru's launch comes as the hotel industry has been rapidly consolidating. Marriott International is purchasing Starwood Hotels and Resorts for $12 billion, while AccorHotels recently acquired Fairmont, Raffles and Swissotels for $2.9 billion.

Hilton declined to discuss details of the Chicago locations Monday morning. It said Tru by Hilton will also be coming to Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Denver, Portland, Ore., and Nashville, Tenn.