Tru by Hilton’s first Orlando hotel is investment in post-pandemic future
General manager describes ‘purposefully minimal’ approach
In a two queen-bed guest room, Lori Rupp points out the bright primary colors, the wall hangers and the under-bed storage. “It’s kind of New York-style in that it’s not a big guest room,” she said.
Rupp is director of sales for Tru by Hilton Orlando Convention Center Area, which opened on Sept. 3 as the newest and largest hotel in the brand. With hotel occupancy rates in Orlando slumping at about 30%, this might seem a less than ideal time to open a new mid-range lodging.
But Tru is counting on the efficiency that went into their room design and its attention to keeping costs low to help weather the storm of the coronavirus pandemic.
“The concept of Tru is to have less expenses to operate than the luxury hotels but at the same time have a fresh approach,” said Noel Epelboim, CEO of Epelboim Development Group, which created the brand.
Tru hotels are based around the idea of cutting unnecessary space in the rooms in order to fit more units. This location on Westwood Boulevard near the Orange County Convention Center has 259 rooms and about 2,000 square feet of conference space.
“The brand concept is purposefully minimal,” general manager Dan Jordan said, noting the idea is to get people out of their rooms and hanging out in the communal spaces.
Orlando hotels had an average occupancy of 30.1% for the week ending Sept. 5, according to market analytics group STR. That represents a more than 40% drop from last year at the same time. Room rates are $85.97 on average, 12% off from last year.
The Tru by Hilton location has rooms starting at $64 when booked online.
The lobby is where the heart of the hotel can be found, with a pool table and other games, a self-serve market for snacks and drinks in
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