Hampton Inn and Hampton Inn & Suites are the names of a chain of hotels trademarked by Hilton Hotels Corporation. Most Hampton Inns are owned and operated by franchisees, though a few are owned by Hilton Hotels. Hotels marked Hampton Inn & Suites offer suites in addition to the standard rooms found at a Hampton Inn. Hampton Inns are generally considered to be either budget or lower mid-priced hotels in most locations. As of August 2007, the chain had 1,400 hotels. Hampton Inn hotels are usually characterized by multistory stucco construction, though there are some exceptions to this in the midwest and in historical locations.
Contents |
History
Hampton Inns were originally owned by Promus Hotel Corporation, a Memphis, TN holding company that also owned Embassy Suites Hotels and Doubletree Hotels. In 1999, Promus Hotels was acquired by Hilton for $3.7 billion. Now, the Hampton brand is part of the Hilton Focused Service Group. The brand competes with AmericInn, Country Inn and Suites by Carlson, Fairfield Inn by Marriott and Comfort Inn. The first Hampton Inn opened in Memphis, Tennessee in the summer of 1984. It was a two story, exterior entrance building with 128 guest rooms. This hotel was located at 1585 Sycamore View Road. The hotel remained "The World's First Hampton Inn" until it closed in August 2005. At that time the hotel was sold by its current owner and was re-flagged as a Ramada Inn. Originally, Hampton hotels were given great latitude to customize the room decor and free hot breakfasts to suit local tastes. Since the acquisition by Hilton, nearly all of the decor, breakfast items, and signage is all dictated by the central corporate offices.
Make it Hampton
In early 2004, Hilton kicked off a $100 million renovation of the entire Hampton Inn chain entitled "Make it Hampton". Focused on "raising the bar" in customer service, "Make it Hampton" was the chain's response to similar renovations by competitors Courtyard by Marriott and Holiday Inn Express. Such changes to the chain included the installation of curved shower curtain rods in guest bathrooms, the inclusion of hot items to the daily On the House continental-style breakfast and the brand-new "Cloud Nine Bed Experience" -- a program which aimed to make all of the chain's beds more comfortable.
Cloud Nine Bed Experience
In 2006, during the second phase of the "Make it Hampton" program, the "Cloud Nine Bed Experience" plan was unveiled. The plan called for the replacement and upgrading of every bed in the entire Hampton Chain. As of 2007, every Hampton has upgraded its mattresses and box springs with Sealy pillow-top mattresses and box springs. According to Hampton Inn, pillows and sheets will be replaced with 'more comfortable' ones, with higher thread counts and different varieties for added comfort.
