What you need to know about Hilton’s new lifestyle brand Tempo

With major hotel companies announcing new brands left and right, it’s hard to keep up with all of them. But of all the announcements coming out in the last few years, few have been as exciting as Hilton’s new Tempo by Hilton, designed to cater to “active, ambitious travelers.”

Last month, the very first Tempo hotel opened in New York’s flashy and fast-paced Times Square, and there are more than 35 others in development.

Whether you’re a Hilton Honors loyalist or one of those ambitious lifestyle travelers the hotel is designed to serve, here’s a quick look at the brand and its first property to help you decide if it’s worth a stay.

What is Tempo by Hilton?

Tempo by Hilton is a new lifestyle brand with one property open in New York City called Tempo by Hilton New York Times Square; dozens more are in the pipeline. While lifestyle brands are a dime a dozen these days, it seems like Hilton really worked to make this brand something special for its targeted guests, putting a special emphasis on smart room design, wellness, food and drink, location and more.

As we shared in our guide to every Hilton brand, Hilton pitches the brand to investors like this:

Tempo by Hilton is a stylish and contemporary lifestyle hotel brand dedicated to exceeding the expectations of the ambitious, yet balanced, class of discerning traveler — the modern achiever. Thoughtfully designed and uplifting, Tempo offers dynamic public space including an open lobby concept with dedicated spaces to relax and work, as well as premium culinary options, such as the brand’s signature coffee fuel bar, a casual breakfast café and an inviting bar experience. Each Tempo will include well-being offerings, state-of-the-art fitness facilities and programs, as well as flexible meeting and working spaces.

Or, as we translated it, “These hotels are meant to feature a midcentury modern style — so travelers can feel like they’re sleeping in a West Elm catalog.”

The rooms are designed to change with guests

For the Tempo by Hilton, wellness is front and center, and this is demonstrated in several ways, starting in the rooms. All rooms feature different zones designed for different parts of the day. The “Power Down” amenities help you fall and stay asleep, while the “Power Up” amenities in the “Get Ready Zone” help you wake up fresh to get your day going.

These areas include different lighting options that adjust with guests throughout the day: bright lights to help you get ready and soothing, dim lights to help you relax. There are also a functional desk for working, a closet space and an oversized bath suite featuring mirrors with built-in Bluetooth speakers.

For a really special room experience in New York, consider booking one of the Ball Drop Rooms with clear views of both the famous Ball Drop in Times Square on New Year’s Eve and the celebrity-filled entertainment down on the street below.

Certain rooms take wellness to the next level

According to Hilton, each Tempo property will have wellness-focused amenities to help guests stay balanced while traveling. At the Tempo by Hilton New York Times Square, that might mean booking one of the hotel’s nine wellness rooms.

Wellness rooms include a Peloton bike so you can get your spin on overlooking the lights of Times Square, as well as a Peloton yoga mat and resistance bands. A Therabody Theragun Elite and Wave Roller help you work out the kinks after a busy day exploring New York City or working out with the in-room equipment.

The bar program also has a wellness spin

Hilton knows that many modern travelers have shifted away from alcoholic drinks, so it launched a special bar menu with “Spirited” and “Free-Spirited” cocktails. Spirited drinks, according to a statement from Hilton, offer “refined, well-balanced drinks containing alcohol.” On the other hand, the Free-Spirited drinks replicate “cocktails in every way — presentation, flavor profile, mouthfeel, and sophistication — but are made without alcohol.”

Travelers can sample those drinks, with or without alcohol, at the hotel’s cocktail bar Highball. Menu options include drinks like “Black is the New Pink” with Patron Reposado tequila, Montelobos Espadin mezcal, black ancho agave and Stiegl Radler grapefruit (pictured above, $23). The Free-Spirited version substitutes the tequila and mezcal for Lyre’s Agave Blanco and Lyre’s Highland Malt, and the Stiegl Radler grapefruit is swapped for Fever Tree sparkling grapefruit ($16).

The menu at Highball also features breakfast, lunch and dinner selections ranging from avocado toast to Impossible burgers, seared salmon and the Waldorf salad, a nod to Hilton’s own history.

While we’ll have to wait to see how each individual property tailors its menus to local foods and flavors, you can count on seeing healthy and balanced options across the board.

New Tempo by Hilton locations are in the works

With more than 30 Tempo locations in the works, it won’t be long before the brand (and its wellness-centered approach to hospitality) are found worldwide. Next in line to open is Tempo by Hilton Nashville Downtown Nashville Yards, a 16-story property near Broadway with 306 rooms. Others include a second Nashville property — Tempo by Hilton Nashville Midtown, an 11-story, 161-room hotel set to open in 2024 — and venues in Memphis, San Diego and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Related: The best hotels to book in Nashville for the full Music City experience

Bottom line

While pretty much every major hotel company, including Hilton, has announced new budget-friendly brands in recent months, we’re stoked to see a new lifestyle brand start to take off. The first location in New York really seemed to be a stunner. Of course, we’ll soon have a full review of the property, but until then, we’ll keep you updated with future openings of Tempo by Hilton and all it has to offer.