Hotels

Hotels adopting airline-style pricing

Hotels

Our story about hotels adopting airline-style unbundled pricing first appeared on NBC News

Travelers booking hotel reservations online may soon notice that the process increasingly mirrors what it’s like to buy airline tickets.

Want early check-in or late check-out? More space, a higher floor or a garden view? Pool access or a “hydration station” (aka bottled water) in your room?

Check “yes” before you book and the cost will be added to your basic room rate.

How about milk and cookies for the kids or a gourmet snack box for your dog? Those bonus amenities can be waiting for you in your room, for an added, prepaid fee.

Artificial intelligence and other innovative technologies are turning hotel operators into travel retailers, selling much more than just rooms.

Individual properties can now creatively unbundle and repackage their room inventories, allowing guests to personalize their stays and increasing revenue.

But it can be tricky for a hotel to find the sweet spot between giving guests more control over the details of their stays and leaving them feeling like a hotel is charging for perks that guests expect for free.

Boutique perks

At the 14-room Lakehouse Inn in Lee, Massachusetts, a new AI-powered booking platform helps match guests with specific rooms and maximizes returns on each booking.

“Each of our rooms is unique, and previously guests could only book a room type, i.e., king or queen, and then call us if they wanted a specific room,” said co-owner Kurt Inderbitzin.

The Lakehouse Inn’s new booking platform asks prospective guests their preferred room size, bedding, location and view. Then it provides detailed photos and descriptions of a few specific rooms that meet the requests.

The question, then, becomes whether a guest is willing to pay more for a room that’s a little bit more to their liking.

Only 14% of U.S. hotel guests were willing to pay a premium for a room with a better view, and only 11% for a room on a higher floor, according to surveys conducted earlier this year by Atmosphere Research Group, a travel industry market research firm.

“I’m a budget traveler and never spend extra” on perks, said Debbie Twombly, 74, a substitute teacher in Astoria, Oregon.

While some guests may feel nickel-and-dimed if they are asked to pony up for once-standard amenities like bottled water or pool access, others will pay for amenities they view as contributing to the enjoyment of their stay.

Los Angeles-based leadership brand strategist Anne Taylor Hartzell, 50, is fine with paying extra for a better view. “I’ve also paid for a bottle of bubbles to be chilled and waiting in my room,” she said.

At the 79-room Inn at the Market, a boutique hotel tucked in Seattle’s historic Pike Place Market, hotel guests can prepay to have a bouquet of market flowers or a box of fresh macaron cookies from a bakery around the corner waiting in their rooms.

AI-powered amenities

It’s not just boutique inns that are taking advantage of new ways to create custom stays.

In 2024, more than 5,000 Wyndham hotels adopted new technology that allows properties to text guests 24 hours before check-in with locally tuned add-on offers.

These include early check-in at a Howard Johnson hotel near Disneyland, and a basket of sunscreen and beach toys at a Days Inn in Jekyll Island, Georgia.

“The most successful hotels are those offering add-ons that truly enhance the experience at a price that makes sense for both sides,” said Scott Strickland, Wyndham’s chief commercial officer.

Other large chains are also using new technology to expand optional attributes, amenities and add-on services offered during booking.

Among them are IHG Hotels & Resorts, Marriott International and Hilton Hotels, according to a closely watched global business travel forecast for next year.

A slippery slope

At a time when U.S. hotels are facing big challenges from owner rentals like Airbnb and VRBO, it can be tempting for properties to lean on new technology to offer ever more add-ons.

But this only works if hotels are prepared to deliver on all the products and experiences that technology permits them to offer to guests upfront.

“Letting guests reserve a fruit and cheese plate or rose petals on the bed upon arrival is great,” said Henry Harteveldt, president of Atmosphere Research Group.

“But it means a hotel has to make sure the cheese doesn’t look like it’s from the castaway bin at Safeway and that there are always fresh rose petals on hand and a staff member on duty who can artfully arrange them.”

Harteveldt said this means hotel owners need to ask themselves a new question: “Just because we can do this, should we?

Makeover at Kimpton Hotel Monaco Seattle

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Some years ago, we were led into our room at the Kimpton Hotel Monaco Seattle with the aviso that “it may look like a parrot has exploded in there.”

Indeed, the rooms and the public spaces at this downtown boutique hotel within walking distance of many attractions were known for decor described as “whimsical,” “eclectic,” and “extremely bold.”

But the hotel has undergone a major makeover. Now there is a refreshed, more refined color palette for all the rooms, a new signature restaurant, called Marin, and public spaces that are less in-your-face and far more inviting.

During a hosted one-night staycation, the StuckatTheAirport.com hotel review team lucked out with a giant, 500-square-foot King Premium Spa room that had a deep soaking tub and enough room to stretch out on the complimentary loaner yoga mat and even do some dancing.

For our late dinner in the new Marin restaurant, we just missed the last serving of Grilled British Columbia King Salmon, but thoroughly enjoyed the signature Smoked Trout Dip with decadent potato chips, a great Olympic Old Fashioned cocktail, steamed local Manila clams, and a grilled Pork Loin Chop with onions.

The full menu looks enticing, with many of the best items also on the 2-5 pm Happy Hour menu, so we’ll be back.

We also made a point of taking advantage of some of the hotel’s amenities.

The evening social hour with wine and nibbles was festive and fun, with generous pours and refills for everyone, including the exhausted-looking, but delightfully surprised guest walking in the door who’d just arrived off a long flight and ride in from the airport.

The hotel charges a daily $25 (plus tax) amenity fee, but in addition to bottled water and “free” Wifi, the benefits include a$10 lobby snack bar or Marin Restaurant credit, two tickets to the nearby SkyView Observatory ($60 value) or the Seattle Art Museum (also a $60 value), free EV charging, free post-paid postcards and free jewelry cleaning next door at Siamonto ( a $25 value).

Surprise staycation option by SEA Airport

Hotels

We’re big fans of luxury hotels that are connected to or just steps away from airport terminals.

And over the years, we’ve built special-occasion adventures using at-the-airport hotels such as JFK’s TWA Hotel, the Westin Denver International Airport, the Grand Hyatt DFW, the Grand Hyatt at SFO and others as home base.

Seattle, our hometown airport, has no at-the-airport hotel. But we found a hidden-gem property right near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) that works as either a great place to stay before an early flight or as a staycation location.

Cedarbrook Lodge

(Courtesy Cedarbrook Lodge)

Originally a retreat and training center for Washington Mutual, a savings and loan that went belly up in 2008, what is now Cedarbrook Lodge is tucked into a real neighborhood and sits on 18 lush acres dotted with walking trails, streams and koi-filled ponds.

167 comfy and well-appointed rooms are clustered around gathering areas called ‘Living Rooms’ with fireplaces, TVs, comfy sofas, refrigerators and microwaves. These areas also sport a stellar hotel amenity: complimentary snacks available 24/7 that include trail mix, chocolate-covered raisins, malt balls and a freezer stocked with Snoqualmie Ice Cream cups.

When we weren’t snacking on these treats, we visited the hotel’s fitness center, outdoor hot tub and the spa.

On our first night, we put together a light dinner from the bar bites menu at the hotel’s Copperleaf Restaurant and Bar, which has a surprisingly extensive wine and spirits list and a full menu featuring Northwest cuisine and locally-sourced ingredients.

The second night of our stay coincided with one of the hotel’s monthly Winemaker Dinners. We enjoyed a multi-course meal out on the patio prepared by Chef Josh and paired with intriguing guests and wines selected and presented by the knowledgeable crew from Ambassador Wines of Washington.

Convenience for travelers

We made note of the hotel’s very reasonable park and fly package for future adventures. And we appreciate that the hotel’s complimentary shuttle service runs not just to the airport, but also to the Seattle Link light rail station and the Tukwila Amtrak platform. That adds points to the property’s staycation-worthy credentials.

As a bonus, Cedarbrook Lodge is also one of the stops for Seattle’s Southside’s complimentary shuttle to and from the nearby Westfield Southcenter Mall, which has oodles of stores and restaurants, movie theaters, a bowling alley and arcade.

Indy 500 bound? Here’s a 50K hotel package.

Hotels,

During our most recent visit to Indianapolis, IN, we loved our stay at the Bottleworks Hotel, which occupies an Art Deco building that once housed the world’s largest Coca-Cola bottling plant.

For some reason, we were upgraded to a swanky suite which included a billiards table and a bonus loo we didn’t even notice until we were about to check out.

Any room at this boutique property would be a great choice anytime, but especially if you’re heading to Indy for the Indianapolis 500 car race on May 25, 2025.

If you’re feeling flush and want to make a grand weekend of it, though, InterContinental Indianapolis is offering an indulgent Indy 500 Weekend Package that costs $50,000 and is way over the top.

Here’s what’s included:

– A 3-night stay in the lavish Penthouse Suite;

– Friday night dinner for two the city’s highest rooftop bar and breakfast each morning.

– A Private Chef’s Table dinner in the Penthouse Suite on Saturday night;

– Two premier tickets to the 2025 Indianapolis 500;

– And round-trip police escort service to and from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Too rich for your purse? Classic rooms at the hotel start at $799 per night.

Travel tidbits from airports near you

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Pittsburgh Int’l Airport’s new terminal is almost done

(Image courtesy Gensler)

Later this week, we’ll be doing a hard hat tour of Pittsburgh International Airport’s new terminal, visiting the airport’s in-terminal day care center (yes, they have one!) and checking in on some of our favorite art pieces at PIT.

Stay tuned for pics.

Fresh art at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

SEA is the home base airport for the Stuck at the Airport team, and one thing we love about the airport is all the art. It’s wonderful and, often, reassuring to see favorite pieces before or after a flight.

And it’s always a treat to spot new art being added to the collection.

It’s not crazy to celebrate an anniversary at an airport

Our tradition of celebrating milestone anniversaries at new or cool airport hotels, such as the Hilton with a rooftop lounge that opened at Nashville International Airport not too long ago, made it into this Washington Post article about airport hotels.

This article is a perfect match for a story we wrote back in 2018 about the first airport hotels.

Airport hotels are no longer dominated by the staid, cheap, bed-for-a-night abodes that were standard for so many decades. New accommodations hark back to the luxury of early aviation, featuring top-notch amenities enjoyable by all. My latest in the @washingtonpost.com.

— Edward Russell (@byerussell.com) 2025-04-22T13:06:28.199Z