Hotel upgrades, requested by guests, driving higher sales

Give the people what they want.

That was the sentiment behind a $120-million redesign effort launched last year by Red Roof Inn at nearly 121 hotels across the country.

The hotel improvements were made based on comments the Columbus, Ohio-based hotel chain received from thousands of guests staying in hotels in Texas, Georgia and Ohio.

And it appears that the upgrades have been a success.

The hotels that got the face lifts have seen a 10.6% increase in sales so far, compared to a 6% increase among all 350 hotels in the hotel chain, according to Red Roof Inn.

Based on the earlier guest comments, the hotel chain replaced in-room carpeting with hardwood floors, swapped out Formica counter tops with granite and added outlets above the night stand, among other improvements. Such upgrades have been made at Red Roof Inn hotels in San Diego, San Francisco and Sacramento.

Red Roof Inn President Andy Alexander said feedback from guests suggests that the granite counter tops and the hardwood floors give the room a cleaner smell.

“If it smells cleaner, it probably is cleaner,” he said.

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