Hilton Plans Hotels For Budget Travelers

Hilton Hotels Corp. has decided to open a chain of 100 inns for budget-conscious business travelers, the company said Thursday.

Hilton’s focus in the past has been on full-service hotels near downtown convention centers. The new Hilton Garden Inns, to be operated nationwide, will push it into a part of the business that has proved successful for Host Marriott Corp.’s popular Courtyard by Marriott chain.

The new venture was first reported in the Wall Street Journal, which interviewed Barron Hilton, chairman of the hotel and casino company.

Rooms at the Garden Inns will cost $60 to $80 a night and have microwaves, coffee makers, refrigerators and easy plug-in for portable computers, said Hilton spokeswoman Jeanne Datz.

Each of the hotels will have 90 to 250 rooms.