To try and attract the next-generation travel, the 500-location Country Inns & Suites chain is trading its modest image for a glossier look.
According to parent, Carlson Rezidor, the hotel plans to renovate itself inside and out.
"The update (and prototype for properties to be built) will give the lobby an open layout with more natural light, a contemporary looking fireplace and a lighter color palette. The iconic front porch will disappear, replaced by an outdoor patio out back with a fire pit and contemporary seating, says Aurora Toth, a marketing executive with parent Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group," stated USA Today.
The current look for Country Inns properties has "an aesthetic incongruent with Generation Y/ Millennial Generation or male business traveler's tastes," says Glenn Haussman, editor-in-chief of industry publication, HotelInteractive.com. "The old design had more of a family and feminine appeal. The new design looks to balance the emotional connection one has with the 'country' but modernizing it to broaden its overall appeal," reported USA Today.
"They're on the cusp of being very important," says Christine Barton, a partner at The Boston Consulting Group, who recently authored a study about the needs of Millennial travelers, stated USA Today.
The competition is very intense between the hotel chains, as earlier this month, Marriott International announced that it's targeting Millennials by launching Moxy, a stylish budget chain in Europe being developed with the parent of retailer Ikea.
The design of the rooms will be small and lined with shelving, hooks that hang on the walls and cabinetry. Their lobbies will offer beneficent space for people to gather and socialize.
In the U.S., Starwood's Aloft, Hilton Worldwide's Home2 Suites by Hilton, and Hyatt's Hyatt Place also "focus more on that generation's preferences," Haussman says, reported USA Today.
However, Haussman also states that the new design will alienate some of Country Inn's die-hard customers.
"But that's a risk Carlson Rezidor had to take," he said, according to USA Today.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
