Sitting in my aisle seat on the runway at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport earlier this week, my trip to the Lodging Conference in Phoenix about to get underway, the woman occupying the middle seat in my row offered to trade me her middle seat for my aisle. I know on the surface, this would appear to be a win-win situation for both of us. She spends the next several hours in relative comfort; I spend the next several hours able only to move two or three inches in any direction while unable to easily reach the lavatory.
After carefully considering the offer from all angles, I politely declined. About 45 minutes later, approximately 38,000 feet over Ohio and minding my own business, my seatmate “accidentally” spilled a piping hot cup of tea on my legs.
Suddenly, I didn’t love my decision to wear shorts on the plane.
Anyway, I’m sure the visit to Phoenix will improve in the next couple days filled with talk of hotel development, transactions and financing. As Hotel News Now’s Finance Editor, this is my SXSW (only without as much South or Southwest). Thoughts of discussions about loan to value, capitalization rates and hotel supply are the only things helping keep my mind off the second-degree burns on my leg.
One meeting I am particularly looking forward to is a chat with Eric Danziger, president and CEO of Wyndham Hotel Group. A lot of talk during the company’s brand conference last week centered around the rebirth of the Howard Johnson brand. It’s clear this brand is Danziger’s baby.
Wyndham has put a lot of time and effort in making this brand relevant again. “I remember the days of Mom and Dad on the road, pulling over for the night at a Howard Johnson,” Danziger said during a press briefing with journalists at the brand conference. “I don’t see why it can’t be that way again.”
Danziger is betting on the brand equity contained with the Howard Johnson brand as the wild card that returns the hotel brand to its former glory. He even went so far as to compare owning that brand to owning Nike. While that might be a bit of a reach, there’s no doubt the Howard Johnson name has a boatload of name recognition, especially with the Baby Boomer generation.
But if you’ve spent any time on the HNN site, you know a lot has already been said about the rise of the millennial traveler. Heck, Wyndham officials themselves spent a lot of time talking about how best to deal with millennials during their brand conference. The leaders for Howard Johnson are going to have an uphill climb in front of them when it comes to finding a way for the brand to cut through the clutter of a dozen other brands also fighting for a slice of the millennial pie.
The brand refresh is a good first step. The design looks hip and modern and no doubt will resonate with younger travelers. But so do dozens of other brands. Looking hip and modern and appealing to the hip and modern are two different games.
The real challenge will be in convincing those people born after 1986 that this isn’t their father or grandfather’s brand any longer. It’ll be interesting to watch how Wyndham’s marketing gurus tackle bridging that generation gap.
I have a lot more to say on the subject, but the red glow emanating from my leg is getting distracting. Look for my video interview with Danziger in the coming days here on HNN where we will discuss the HoJo brand and numerous other topics.
Tweet of the Week
Apparently, the airline gods aren’t satisfied with having the hairs on my leg singed off. I landed at Sky Harbor International to find a wheel of my suitcase ever so gently and lovingly ripped off. I don’t like naming names, but this week’s Tweet of the Week—from a parody account—should give you an idea as to which airline I had the time of my life on.
The captain has turned off the Fasten Seat Belt sign. You are once again free to run amok in the cabin like the trash animals you are — Untitled Airlanes (@untitledairlane) September 13, 2013
Email Shawn A. Turner or find him on Twitter.
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