Hyatt has today announced details of its newest hotel brand. Keep in mind that now more than ever, hotel brands are being created for prospective hotel owners, rather than for hotel guests, as these all kind of run together, if you ask me.
In this post:
Details of the new Hyatt Select brand
Hyatt Select is described as the hotel group’s new “upper-midscale transient brand designed to meet the needs of modern travelers while delivering an efficient, cost-effective model for owners.” This will strengthen Hyatt’s upper-midscale presence, complementing Hyatt Studios, Hyatt’s other new extended-stay brand in the category, which recently had its first opening.
The goal for Hyatt Select is described as helping owners maximize their returns, while delivering an efficient guest experience. The brand will be flexible for both new-build and conversion environments, offering owners the opportunity to optimize existing assets, while minimizing upfront capital investments.
For owners, the Hyatt Select brand provides:
- A flexible prototype, as properties can range anywhere from 70-200 keys, offering adaptability across diverse markets
- A lean operating model, designed for transient travelers, with efficient staffing models to reduce labor costs while maintaining service quality
- Access to Hyatt’s global distribution, as owners can benefit from Hyatt’s commercial engine, including reservations system, revenue management tools, centralized commercial services, and the World of Hyatt loyalty program
For travelers, Hyatt Select hotels are supposed to offer a balance of efficiency and comfort:
- Complimentary breakfast will be offered, with a selection of hot and cold breakfast offerings requiring limited equipment
- A 24/7 market, with a self-serve grab-and-go concept, operated by a third-party provider, featuring a variety of food and snack options, as well as beer and wine
- Modern, comfortable rooms, designed to provide comfort and functionality, including free high-speed internet and workspaces for productivity
Here’s how Hyatt Chief Growth Officer Jim Chu describes this:
“For Hyatt, launching a new brand is never just about adding to our portfolio—it’s about strengthening our network in a way that benefits both owners and guests. Hyatt Select hotels will meet a specific need in the market by offering a cost-effective, conversion-friendly option for owners, while delivering an experience for guests who want reliability, comfort, and thoughtful design in the upper-midscale segment.”
“We’ve seen strong interest from owners both within and outside of our network who are looking for flexible conversion opportunities with access to Hyatt’s powerful commercial engine and distribution platform. The Hyatt Select brand will allow us to meet these distinct needs of owners and expand our brand presence for guests looking for a short stay option in secondary and tertiary markets.”
The introduction of Hyatt Select is part of the company’s evolution to a more brand-focused company, with five distinct brand portfolios catering to different market segments. This will be in the Essentials portfolio, alongside other select service brands.
Below you can see some renderings of what Hyatt Select properties may look like.
I’ve given up on trying to understand hotel brands
As a consumer, I’ve honestly given up on trying to rationalize all the new hotel brands that we see. As I mentioned at the beginning of the post, hotel groups create new brands not to be able to sell to consumers, but rather to be able to “sell” to hotel owners.
For the most part, the global hotel chains don’t own most of their hotels, but rather they have management or franchise agreements for them. The reason they create so many new brands is so they have something to pitch to investors.
They try to make each brand seem unique, in hopes of getting an owner to choose their brand over a competitor. That’s why there’s also such little innovation when it comes to new hotel brands. Instead I feel like we just see each of the major hotel brands introduce similar concepts over and over.
I remember back when Hyatt had very few brands, and was consistent. Nowadays I’m not sure I could even name two-thirds of the company’s brands off the top of my head (in fairness, that’s because I’m not a big all-inclusive guy).
So, what makes this different than the Hyatt Studios brand that we recently saw launched? Hyatt Studio is only for new-build properties, rooms have kitchen-like amenities, and breakfast is a grab & go concept. Other than that, the brands seem very similar in terms of quality, amenities, etc.
Is that really something worth creating a new hotel brand over? Well, I guess if you’re trying to get eyeballs from hotel owners, maybe it is. But for us guests? I don’t think too many people will view this as a game changer.
Honestly, I think it’s pretty remarkable that Hyatt describes this new brand as “helping owners maximize their returns, while delivering an efficient guest experience.” I mean, that doesn’t leave much to the imagination in terms of quality, brand standards, and guest experience. The goal is to maximize profits, while offering guests an “efficient” experience. When guests check into a Hyatt Select, do we think the front desk associates will say “I hope you have an efficient stay with us?”
I also find some of the claims to only make sense in a management consulting buzzword echo chamber. For example:
- “Efficient staffing models to reduce labor costs while maintaining service quality”
- “A thoughtfully curated selection of hot and cold breakfast offerings requiring limited equipment, ensuring efficiency without sacrificing quality”
Reduced labor costs while maintaining service quality? A breakfast selection with limited equipment required, without sacrificing quality? What are the odds of that actually being the case?
Bottom line
Hyatt Select is Hyatt’s newest hotel brand. It’s described as an upper-midscale transient brand that should help owners maximize their returns while delivering an efficient guest experience. Properties will have complimentary continental breakfast, a 24/7 grab & go market, and… well, not much more. This will be a conversion friendly brand that minimizes upfront capital investments.
What do you make of the new Hyatt Select concept?
do we think the front desk associates will say “I hope you have an efficient stay with us?”
maybe at the locations in Germany
Just for fun, I asked Claude about their description of the brand:
..."It sounds like AI could have generated that marketing description. It has qualities often found in AI-generated text for hotel brands:
Generic phrasing with hotel industry jargon ("upper-midscale," "transient brand")
Vague benefits without specific details ("meet the needs of modern travelers")
Formulaic structure that balances traveler benefits with owner benefits
Somewhat stilted language that lacks a distinctive voice
Just for fun, I asked Claude about their description of the brand:
"It sounds like AI could have generated that marketing description. It has qualities often found in AI-generated text for hotel brands:
Generic phrasing with hotel industry jargon ("upper-midscale," "transient brand")
Vague benefits without specific details ("meet the needs of modern travelers")
Formulaic structure that balances traveler benefits with owner benefits
Somewhat stilted language that lacks a distinctive voice
This description follows a common template for hotel brand positioning statements, combining traveler value proposition with business model benefits. While a human marketer could certainly write this, the generic quality and efficiency-focused language is characteristic of AI-generated hotel marketing copy.
Would you like me to suggest how this description could be improved to sound more distinctive and authentic?"
As I have heard/read from some commentary, this seems to be another reflection of that the actual customer of the hotel chains are the hotel operators, not the hotel guest.
Hyatt (and every other brand) is incentivized to open as many new properties as possible because that's how they get paid, and what the hotel operating companies (which are not Hyatt themselves) want. So to create more opportunities to open locations, they have to...
As I have heard/read from some commentary, this seems to be another reflection of that the actual customer of the hotel chains are the hotel operators, not the hotel guest.
Hyatt (and every other brand) is incentivized to open as many new properties as possible because that's how they get paid, and what the hotel operating companies (which are not Hyatt themselves) want. So to create more opportunities to open locations, they have to dip into these dregs of low end hotel formats.
Aside from irrational loyalty, this is just another box hotel. Do you really want to go out of your way to stay there?
Looks like a Holiday Inn Express.
It's basically Hyatt's answer to Hampton Inn, La Quinta, Comfort Inn, Fairfield Inn, etc
I've long said Hyatt's Hyatt Place was basically the offspring of Marriott's Fairfield and Courtyard. But Hyatt Place has a kitchen and higher labor costs because you theoretically need a bartender and/or cook, though many properties now cross-train front desk agents to do all these jobs. A stripped-down Hyatt Place without a bar or kitchen means owners can employ fewer workers while still getting some F&B revenue through outsourced salads, wraps, etc. But I'm skeptical...
I've long said Hyatt's Hyatt Place was basically the offspring of Marriott's Fairfield and Courtyard. But Hyatt Place has a kitchen and higher labor costs because you theoretically need a bartender and/or cook, though many properties now cross-train front desk agents to do all these jobs. A stripped-down Hyatt Place without a bar or kitchen means owners can employ fewer workers while still getting some F&B revenue through outsourced salads, wraps, etc. But I'm skeptical that whatever is brought in will be better than the gas station.
Yeah, this is basically Hampton by Hyatt. The "limited equipment for breakfast" describes a Hampton breakfast (convection oven and a coffee brewer for the urns is basically the only required kitchen equipment).
I was thinking it looks like a Comfort & sounds like a Comfort.
Some handy translations:
"Flexible Prototype" = Yes, you CAN convert that old Econo Lodge into one of our tasteful options: Small gray box, medium gray box, and gray box with a dank firepit by the door.
"Efficient Staffing Models" = No front desk, mandatory apps, and some underpaid and frightened contract custodians so fresh to America that they still smell like a turnip truck.
"World of Hyatt Loyalty Program" = Worthless scrip we throw at...
Some handy translations:
"Flexible Prototype" = Yes, you CAN convert that old Econo Lodge into one of our tasteful options: Small gray box, medium gray box, and gray box with a dank firepit by the door.
"Efficient Staffing Models" = No front desk, mandatory apps, and some underpaid and frightened contract custodians so fresh to America that they still smell like a turnip truck.
"World of Hyatt Loyalty Program" = Worthless scrip we throw at people when the air conditioner catches fire at 2am.
"Hot and Cold Breakfast Offerings" = The orange juice is still frozen solid, but the pitcher of milk is room-temp.
"Self-serve Grab-and-Go" = A vending machine.
"Beer and wine" = A FANCY vending machine.
"Modern, Comfortable Rooms with Workspaces for Productivity" = Six random green lights that can't be switched off, a rainfall shower head mounted so close to the wall it only cleans your toes, and a mini-fridge with a top surface that's almost flat enough to be a laptop desk.
BONUS: "Attuned to Local Hotspots" = You'll hear the nearby Interstate, be blinded by the truck stop neon, and fret all night that the Waffle House employees will break into your rented Altima in the parking lot.
the rumble HVAC (PTAC) units tell me everything i need to know
Why do they refer to the size of a hotel as a number of "keys" rather than a number of "rooms?"
It's just insider jargon.
The room pictures look exactly like most newer Hyatt Places
They are telling you everything you need to know about the brand. For consumers, it is a Hyatt Place in most respects. For owners, it is something that does not require a new build. It can be (re-)flagged cheaply, the properties can get the brand premium in terms of cost, but they don't have to pay much for staff. Every new brand announced lately is billed as "conversion friendly," which just means a furniture swap...
They are telling you everything you need to know about the brand. For consumers, it is a Hyatt Place in most respects. For owners, it is something that does not require a new build. It can be (re-)flagged cheaply, the properties can get the brand premium in terms of cost, but they don't have to pay much for staff. Every new brand announced lately is billed as "conversion friendly," which just means a furniture swap and a new coat of paint on an already existing limited service property (or office space).
I guess with the latest round of category adjustments, they needed something to be slotted into the Cat 1 bracket, as there isn't much left.
Looks like a gimmick to target corporate business travelers. Renderings look exactly like newer Hyatt Houses / Hyatt Places but with a light grey and white color palette instead of charcoals, browns, and black.
As I said earlier, it appears to be Hyatt Place without the bistro (which requires a kitchen and extra staff) and almost certainly with a reduced breakfast offering. Basically, they'll have a market with selling soft drinks, beer, and wine with pre-made sandwiches or salads made by a contractor. Housekeeping will almost certainly be weekly. So, probably half the staff required.
More brands - more Brand Explorer awards ;)
That's the only reason why I get mildly excited about a new Hyatt brand :)
I'm all for it if it expands Hyatt's footprint into more places. Looks like fine for the same kinds of stays I'd book at Hyatt Place or Hyatt House for.
@Lucky don't they also spin off new brands to not encroach on the territory of someone who has rights to say, a Hyatt Place? Don't these new brands also anger some current owners as a workaround to take some of their most loyal WoH customers?
Generally, only an owner of a high-end brand has a geographical franchise.
To me, this tells me that (1) nobody wants to build a Hyatt Regency these days and (2) Hyatt Place's brand standards require staffing at a level too expensive for cheap owners.
I also laugh at the renderings. Even many Hyatt Regency properties don't have slippers. The idea that a Hyatt Select will have slippers is absurd.
I bet they don’t provide the jacket in the rendering either. So those are probably slippers the guest brought from a Park Hyatt, lmao
The efficiency of Hyatt Select probably requires the guest to supply their own slippers for the stay.
It seems like this is a Hyatt Place without the bistro. Likely because owners don't want to pay for a bartender or a cook in the kitchen. So, basically the same caliber of hotel but with even fewer staff.
Before the pandemic, many Hyatt Place properties had a dedicated bartender or cook. Now, five years later, the front desk agent is often both the bartender and the cook.