The last time Hilton Worldwide introduced a new brand, the extended-stay hotel category was rapidly growing as hospitality companies took advantage of the business-travel surge begun in the booming 1980s.

So it’s not surprising that the company’s new Home2 Suites by Hilton, which debuted yesterday with the opening of a 119-room property in Lafayette, N.C., is targeted toward that very market—which, 20 years later, is now somewhat underserved.

Hilton already has the upscale Homewood Suites line; Home2 Suites by Hilton is targeted toward the mid-tier, but with a “hip and savvy” personality. The product in this arena has been pretty bland up to this point: box properties with the basics, which means little to no communal space, simple furnishings, minimal amenities and efficiency-style units. What will make Home2 Suites different?

• The “Oasis”—an expanded living zone with a community table, individual work zones, a pantry, integrated guest laundry and an activity room.
• A guestroom design with a “working wall”—a series of modular, brand-designed millwork pieces that serve as workspace, closet and storage.
• Expanded amenities and services, such as complimentary Wi-Fi and high-speed Internet connections, iHome alarm clocks with iPod port and MP3 jack, 42-inch flat-screen TVs, continental breakfast, walking/exercise course, fitness facility, indoor pool, outdoor living rooms, outdoor grills and the Home2 MKT for grab-and-go items.
• Fundamentally sustainable design with no impact on the cost of operations or the guest experience with amenities such as EPA Water Sense plumbing fixtures by Kohler, bulk shower dispensers, dual-flush toilets and recycled flooring.

Mid-tier extended stay represents about 42 percent of the overall extended-stay market, according to Hilton. The company has already received significant interest from owners and developers, and has 56 hotels planned and 30 more in development, with most planned to be open and flying the Home2 Suites by Hilton flag within the next two years.

Locations still tend toward those with key users in the market, namely destinations with industrial hubs, universities, medical centers, and military bases, but in recent years extended-stay properties have become favorite choices for traveling families as well, as the category’s affordable price points and units’ kitchens and laundry facilities can help lower vacation costs.

For more information, visit www.Home2Suites.com.

Long the subject of jokes in movies and sitcoms, in-room adult movies may be harder to find at hotels in the future. Hoteliers aren’t suddenly pushing a family-values campaign, however, there just doesn’t seem to be as much money in dirty movies these days.

Marriott International recently announced that it would not be offering adult content as part of its in-room entertainment in any of the brand’s newly built properties. The company plans to extend this policy to all of its established locations over the next few years. What prompted the change?  Not, apparently, a concern for what guests are watching.

In a statement to Hotel Check-in, a Marriott spokesperson said that, “It is our practice to keep adult content out of the reach of children and unavailable to any adult who chooses not to view it. We have strong controls in place that allow guests to block these materials.” So it appears that neither political nor customer pressure had any impact on the decision.

LodgeNet, the company that supplies Marriott with its in-room entertainment, says that revenues have been declining in recent years. The reduced profits are contributed to lower hotel occupancy rates as well as a change in consumer habits: People bring their laptops for most of their entertainment needs.

The Marriott statement goes on to say, “Changing technology and how guests access entertainment has reduced the revenue hotels and their owners derive from in-room movies, including adult content. We are working with in-room entertainment providers and technology vendors to transition to the next generation of in-room entertainment. This new platform of Internet-based video-on-demand will facilitate our exit from the traditional hotel video systems that included adult content in the menu selection, and will also provide guests greater choice and control over what they watch across our system.”

In other words, it’s all about the money, and sex doesn’t seem to be selling as well as it used to.

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The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) began testing new software yesterday (Feb. 1, 2011) at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport on its advanced imaging technology (AIT) machines that will go a long way in assuaging privacy concerns about full-body scanners.

The software patch allows the computer rather than the human operator to evaluate the scanned image, and the software then eliminates passenger-specific images. If any potential threats are detected, it will show the location of the threat on a generic outline of a person. If no threats are detected, it won’t even show the generic outline and will simply display an “OK.”

TSA ATR Body Scanner generic image

Two additional airports—Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International (ATL) and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)—are scheduled to receive the new software for their AIT machines in the next few days.

“We are always looking for new technology and procedures that will both enhance security while strengthening privacy protections,” said TSA administrator John Pistole, in a statement. “Testing this new software will help us confirm test results that indicate it can provide the same high level of security as current advanced imaging technology units while further enhancing the privacy protections already in place.”

With this updated software, the TSA does not need to have an officer in a separate room viewing the images, since they will now be displayed on a monitor that is attached to the AIT unit in public view, so passengers and TSA staff can both see exactly what is being shown.

The testing should help the TSA find out whether the software is effective in detecting threats without violating passengers’ privacy.

Of the 500 odd machines already deployed at airports nationwide, many are millimeter wave AIT units while others are backscatter units. The machines and software used in the test are the millimeter wave AIT units from L-3 Communications—ProVision ATD or ProVision with Automated Target Recognition (ATR).

The TSA plans to test similar software on backscatter units in the future. A similar solution (Secure 1000 Single Pose with ClearPass ATR) from Rapiscan Systems, Inc., is set to debut in mid-2011, for which the TSA has awarded Rapiscan a $25 million contract.

Photos – TSA blog

File this under No Big Surprise: London hotels are raising their rates significantly in anticipation of the April wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton.

A room at the Waldorf Hilton, located about 15 minutes from where the wedding ceremony will take place at Westminster Abbey, normally prices rooms for about 269 GBP per night (roughly US$431).  According to the hotel’s website, visitors should expect to pay 349 GBP (US$559) a night on the weekend of the wedding. There are about 103,000 hotel rooms in central London, many of which are already booked for the days surrounding the April 29, 2011 nuptials.

But it’s not just traditional hoteliers who are expected to profit from the royal event; overnight stays in private homes are being auctioned off to the highest bidder. Everything from extra rooms to entire flats are listed on websites like Londonrentmyhouse.com, a practice that is common during major tourism events in London. Apartments are already being offered for the London 2012 Summer Olympics, and the yearly Wimbledon tennis tournament frequently sees tourists renting from well-located residents.

According to Visit London, the organization in charge of tourism for the U.K. city, officials expect at least 600,000 visitors to come for the spring wedding. Visit London also estimates that the event will generate anywhere from 30 to 50 million GBP in additional revenue for the city’s economy.

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