Hilton launched two brands in 2014 with Canopy and Curio Collection. Portland, Oregon is in the midst of a hotel construction boom and two new hotels are signed with Canopy and Curio Collection.
Canopy Portland Pearl District is one of the original 11 hotels announced in October 2014 in Hilton’s Canopy new hotel brand launch press release. Canopy Portland is planned as a nine story, 153-room lifestyle hotel.
The difference between Canopy and a lifestyle brand like Starwood’s Aloft Hotels is Hilton states no two Canopy hotels will be the same with each hotel featuring a locality design component. The hotel industry of the past decade focused on cookie-cutter designs easy and less expensive to build than uniquely designed hotels. Walk into a Hilton Garden Inn, Hyatt Place or Aloft and you might be hard-pressed from inside to distinguish one hotel from another around the country.
The new buzzword in the industry is ‘lifestyle’ with a focus on blending the lobby with the locality to create a more inviting space for the public in hopes the hotel will experience increased spending in the lobby for food and drinks.
Here is how Hilton describes its Canopy hotel brand,
Through Hilton Worldwide’s extensive research and analysis, Canopy by Hilton’s proposition and concept has been refined and validated at every step with both guests and owners alike. Beyond simply creating a positive stay, four essential elements define what it means to be a Canopy hotel:
- Great neighborhoods. Canopy by Hilton is the streetlamp of the neighborhood. We are all about being local, through design, food and beverage, art, and local know-how. No two Canopy hotels will be the same, and we know that’s what our guests want.
- Comfort and design. We take a people first approach to design. The energy from our great neighborhoods flows through our open, welcoming lobby space. This energy gives way to warm, inviting, and comfortable just-right rooms.
- More included value. We know our guests demand a more inclusive approach and surprising extras. So basic Wi-Fi and an artisanal breakfast are included, along with a local welcome gift and an evening tasting of local beer, wine, or spirits*.
- Our “positively yours” culture. With a “positively yours” service culture, hotel “Enthusiasts” will deliver a one-stop approach to front-of-house service.
“The demands and preferences of today’s travelers continue to evolve, and Canopy by Hilton creates something new for consumers in the lifestyle space,” said Jim Holthouser, executive vice president, global brands, Hilton Worldwide. “Canopy by Hilton will deliver more choice and control for guests than ever before, from a mobile straight-to-room arrival to surprising extras throughout each stay.”
Canopy by Hilton will develop through new-build and conversion projects in key urban neighborhoods and vibrant secondary markets around the world with properties expected to begin opening in 2015. Canopy by Hilton has 11 signed letters of intent to open in the following neighborhoods:
- Canopy Portland | Pearl District
- Canopy London | Neighborhood to be announced
- Canopy Miami | Brickell
- Canopy Washington, D.C. | Bethesda North
- Canopy San Diego | Gaslamp Quarter
- Canopy Nashville | Downtown
- Canopy Savannah | Historic District
- Canopy Indianapolis | City Centre
- Canopy Charlotte | Uptown
- Canopy Oklahoma City | Bricktown
- Canopy Ithaca | The Commons
Hilton’s Curio Collection is the new independent high-end brand from Hilton in the space occupied by brands like Starwood Luxury Collection and Marriott Autograph Collection. There are currently five Curio Collection Hotels open in the U.S.
The ‘Great Recession’ of 2008-10 brought down a lot of independent hotels with foreclosure. One of the effects of the banking crisis is the rise of new upper upscale hotel brands for independent hoteliers desiring the marketing arm of major brand affiliation. Bank financing terms are often more favorable for a hotel project aligned with a major brand.
A new hotel to be branded in Hilton’s Curio Collection is also in the works for Portland, Oregon. The 23-story hotel is planned with 300 rooms on the site of the former Pendleton Woolen Mills at 218 S.W. Jefferson Street. Plans include a rooftop restaurant and lounge with an opening date for 2016.
