company with the requisite skill set is Waterford Hotel Group, based in Connecticut. It operates several properties serving major airport markets, including the Sheraton Hartford Hotel at Bradley |
Airport in Connecticut, the Hyatt Place at Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport and the dual-branded Aloft Arundel Mills BWI Airport and Element Arundel Mills BWI Airport. |
The renovated lobby at Sheraton Hartford Hotel at Bradley Airport, operated by Waterford Hotel Group.
& More by Sheraton was added to the Sheraton Hartford Hotel at Bradley Airport as part of the renovation.
Airport hotels, according to Duane Schroder, chief growth officer at Waterford Hotel Group, have a rhythm all their own, where, because demand is fluid on account of weather, flight delays or cancellations,
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hotel staff must remain agile and vigilant. General managers work in tandem with airport operations and airlines to get ahead of disruptions.
Like the Hilton Los Angeles Airport, the Sheraton Hartford Hotel at Bradley Airport recently completed a renovation of its public spaces, transforming the lobby, meeting and event spaces, executive lounge and fitness center at the hotel, which is directly connected to Bradley International Airport. The project was completed in phases to minimize disruption during peak travel periods. As Schroder explained, the renovation was a necessary step not only to upgrade the hotel but to improve one of its key ancillary revenue drivers: meetings business.“ It adds a whole other layer of strategy,” Schroder said.
The Sheraton Hartford is not alone; increasingly, airport hotels are becoming more than just stopovers for weary travelers. And it starts with meetings.“ The idea of meetings at the airport is part of the new business model,” said Jan Freitag, national director of hospitality analytics for CoStar Group. Living in Nashville gives him an intimate understanding of this trend. Hilton BNA Nashville Airport Terminal, which opened in 2024, is directly connected to the airport’ s main terminal lobby by a pedestrian bridge. It’ s not your grandfather’ s airport hotel: Guests are afforded runway and downtown views from a rooftop
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July / August 2026 hotelsmag. com 15 |