Hampton Inn and amp; Spa?

Meetings & Conventions: Newsline newsline.gif (8042 bytes) Hampton Inn & Spa?
Limited-Service Brands Eye Resorts
Courtyard by Marriott Isla Verde Beach Resort Already well established in urban areas, limited-service properties are edging into resort markets. Brands such as Hampton Inn and Courtyard by Marriott are opening in such areas often with amenities typically associated with full-service hotels. The new 260-room Courtyard by Marriott Isla Verde Beach Resort opened this past January in Puerto Rico. It features a casino, in-room DVD/CD players, whirlpools overlooking the ocean and 3,100 square feet of meeting space.

Hampton Inn, a division of Hilton International, will soon have two properties in Puerto Rico. This summer, a 125-room hotel in Caguas, complete with a golf course, will join the 200-room Hampton Inn & Suites San Juan in the touristy Isla Verde district.

There is “no particular strategy” in building the brand in resort areas, said a spokesperson for Hampton Inns. Yet, hotel executives add amenities that make sense for the particular location in terms of competitive appeal.

This past December, the Homewood Suites by Hilton Mont Tremblant opened in the popular eastern Canadian ski resort, steps from the Tremblant Convention Centre. The 102-room hotel has fireplaces in every room.

Micheline Rancourt, the hotel’s director of sales and marketing, said it is the first Homewood Suites to open in a resort destination and will be a prototype for more Homewoods in resort locales.

• JONATHAN VATNER