[MARKET WATCH]
The next time you check into a hotel, don’t be surprised if the front-desk clerk and bellhop are the same person. Or if there is no clerk or bellhop at all.
To cut costs as consumers cut their travel spending, some hotels are taking a page from airlines, adopting a no-frills policy. New York’s Hilton Midtown, the largest hotel in the city with almost 2,000 rooms, will in August cease to provide room service and will lay off 55 room-service staffers, according to a recent report in Crain’s New York Business. A spokesman for the hotel says it’s “committed to placing qualified employees in alternate positions within the hotel, where possible.” Catering to the whims of 2,000-plus guests is expensive and time-consuming, says Andrew Young, editorial director of Travelzoo. In October, the Hilton Hawaiian Village also dropped room service. “Much like airlines, hotels are looking for ways to maximize ancillary revenue and reduce costs,” Young says.
Read more about the no-frills approach that hotels have adopted at Market Watch.