Hilton, the global hotel brand with more than 7,500 hotels and 22 brands, unveiled two new hotel brands this year.
The first is Spark, a low-cost option for travelers looking to save on accommodations—rooms range from just $84 to $105 a night—without sacrificing smart interiors and such perks as free breakfast, upbeat and work-friendly common spaces, and complimentary parking.
Hilton entered this space after years of field research, as well as data that showed that, annually, 68 million people stay in economy hotels—which make up 43% of the country’s overall hotel rooms—and none of those were owned by Hilton. Spark properties are also all renovations of existing hotels, an economically and environmentally sound decision. Six months after announcing Spark in January 2023, the company already had 150 properties in the pipeline. The first, in Mystic, Connecticut, opened in September.
This year, Hilton will also start opening LivSmart Studios, a brand developed in response to the trend of long-stay business travelers, a seismic and lasting shift across the industry. LivSmart Studios are designed to meet the specific needs of the traveling workforce—healthcare workers, consultants, construction crews—who often stay 20-plus days and need dedicated in-suite spaces for working and cooking.
Hilton is also betting that the LivSmart Studios audience, often younger and at the beginning of their careers, will grow into guests of the company’s higher-end brands, such as the Waldorf Astoria and Conrad. The company broke ground on the first LivSmart Studios in October, in Kokomo, Indiana, and has 350 deals for additional properties in various stages of negotiation.
Stirling Kelso
