New affordable hotel brand from Hilton pitched as upscale hostel
The newest hotel brand on the market could be described as the hostel experience, minus the bunk beds and young, drunken roommates.
Hilton has unveiled details on its latest hotel brand Motto, modeled after hostels that cater to young, budget-conscious backpackers and globetrotters.
The hotel group calls it a "micro-hotel" that will be strategically located in prime urban locations starting with New York, Boston, San Diego, London, Dublin and Lima, Peru next year.
Their latest concept is based on research which showed that hostel guests prefer booking rooms with friends and family over bunking with strangers.
As such, the average room is small at 163 square feet (14 square meters) and features space-saving Murphy or wall-beds, loft beds, segmented showers and toilet stalls, and multi-functional furniture that can be stowed when not in use.
Motto by Hilton hotels will also allow guests to split payments with their companions and control the lighting, temperature, TV and window coverings from their app-enabled smartphones.
Rooms come with sleeping kits to improve the slumber experience -- eye masks, essential oils, vitamin bars, white noise app, blackout window shades, or sound-absorbing materials throughout the room.
"Following extensive market research that focused on consumers' needs and wants, we discovered the opportunity for a brand that offers travelers a trifecta of centrally located, reasonably priced and less traditional lodging that provide a one-of-a-kind experience," said chief customers officer Jon Witter in a press release.
"These findings led us to create Motto by Hilton, a flexible environment that allows guests to design their stay, their way."
While price points have not been announced, Hilton says the rates will be "competitive" and vary by market.
