Hilton Hotels has signed its first Spark branded hotel deal in mainland Europe and is aiming to build a large network for its newest hotel brand.
Set to open later this year, Spark by Hilton Stuttgart Sindelfingen is a conversion of a hotel in the German city that previously operated under the NH brand. The 103-room hotel will be renovated in the coming weeks in the style and colors of the Spark brand.
A strong German partner
The hotel will be operated under a franchise agreement with Aspire Hotels GmbH. Germany-based Aspire is a fast-growing hotel operator that took over its first franchise hotel in autumn 2023. In February 2024, the group opened the largest Ramada Encore in the EMEA region when it opened a 366-room hotel in Munich, close to the city’s main exhibition grounds.
“We are delighted to launch Spark by Hilton in Germany. This is a significant step in the brand’s expansion following its successful launch and rapid growth in the US,” said Patrick Fitzgibbon, Senior Vice President of Development EMEA at Hilton. “This is an important milestone in our journey to meet the significant demand for premium economy accommodations.”
Launched in September 2023, the Spark brand was designed from the outset as a flexible premium economy brand that could be created quickly by converting existing hotels to the format. Hilton says the brand has the greatest traction it has ever created for a new brand and in less than a year, the group has already opened nearly 50 Spark hotels and another 175 in the development pipeline.
Spark offers a simple offering without a fancy restaurant and a simple breakfast buffet. Rooms include a refrigerator, a multi-purpose work table and an open wardrobe.
Although Spark was launched in the US, it was intended from the start to be a truly international brand. In Europe, Hilton has already signed its first Spark in Romford, east London, where a former Ibis Styles hotel has been converted as the first example of Spark in the UK. In the US, the strong pipeline includes hotel conversions in Artesia and Nacogdoches.
We want to increase customer attractiveness
Hilton’s creation of Spark is an admission by a major hotel chain that it needs to focus on the cheaper end of the market if it wants to appeal to young customers who will spend big in the future. Without such initiatives, the average age of hotel loyalty program customers will continue to rise – a highly undesirable result.
Hilton’s competitor Marriott has also been working to improve its offering in the budget hotel segment. In the first half of 2024, the company introduced a new brand with the working title “Project Mid-T,” which is clearly focused on the mid-range segment and aims to create a brand that is easily accessible for converted hotels at low costs.
