Last year was full of milestones for Hilton's new midscale hotel brand, Tru by Hilton. The brand opened its first-ever property in Oklahoma City, which was then followed by eight additional hotel locations and its foray into international expansion with signed deals for three locations in Canada. In addition, the first-ever Tru by Hilton and Home2 Suites by Hilton dual-brand hotel opened in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Today, the brand has more than 470 hotels in various stages of development.
The brand was developed from the ground up using consumer and owner feedback, and was brought to market 16 months after it launched at the 2016 Americas Lodging Investment Summit.
The development specs behind the Tru brand may have something to do with its ability to open hotels so quickly. Developers have the option to scale Tru prototypes up to 130 rooms and down to 82 rooms without making significant adjustments needed to the house spaces. The land requirement for Tru by Hilton properties sits at 1.58 acres.
In May 2017, Hilton celebrated the grand opening of the first-ever Tru by Hilton – the company's 5,000th hotel – with the Tru by Hilton Oklahoma City Airport. Since the brand's first property opening in Oklahoma City, Tru by Hilton celebrated the opening of eight additional locations across the U.S. in McDonough, Ga.; Lancaster, Pa.; Cheyenne, Wyo.; York, Pa.; Murfreesboro, Tenn.; Stuttgart, Ark.; Las Vegas; and Portland, Maine.