Jul. 31--Hampton Inn introduced a new compact hotel design Monday for small towns typically with populations of 20,000 to 50,000 and business generators such as a university or manufacturing plant. 

The 17-year-old Hampton brand has more than 1,100 hotels open, and 99 percent of them are franchised hotels. The average size is typically 90- to-130 rooms. 

Like other limited-service hotels, Hampton Inns and Hampton Inns & Suites do not have public restaurants or lounges. They typically have a pool and offer a free continental breakfast to guests. 

The newly designed prototype will have 52-58 rooms, a pool and a continental breakfast in a home-like lobby area. 

They will have the same amenities, look and feel as the popular Hampton brand, said Phil Cordell, senior vice president, Hampton brand management. 

This year, another 80-to-100 Hampton Inns are expected to open, Cordell said. "This (designing for smaller markets) is a way to support that growth." 

The first prototype smaller Hampton is expected to open next year. They can be built in six to eight months, which is 25-30 percent faster. 

Chuck Pinkowski, a Memphis-based consultant to the hospitality industry, sees the new prototype Hampton hotels as a good solution to reach new markets and new franchisees as urban markets have gotten crowded with hotels. 

"It's getting tougher to sell franchises (in urban markets) without stepping into the shadow of another Hampton Inn," Pinkowski said. 

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