Watford becomes centre for hotel innovation

Hilton International is to use its Watford hotel to experiment with new ideas which could eventually be used all over the world.

Watford is now the centre of innovations for both Hilton and Jarvis. Last year Jarvis Hotels said its hotel in the Hertfordshire town will become the testing site for new telephones, television and e-mail systems.

Hilton, which announced the new cutting-edge status of Watford at its annual results briefing, said it was using the hotel because it was in the same town as its head office.

Hilton chief executive David Michels, who remarked in passing that the Watford Hilton was "an exceptionally ugly building", nevertheless added that the new ideas tried there could be the key to how Hilton hotels developed worldwide in the future.

Michels said: "We have already started to do funny things with it. See-through bathrooms, televisions in strange places, different types of catering. And we will trial all our new uniforms there."

Hilton marketing director Mike Ashton added: "If we can do it in Watford we can do it anywhere."

The experiments have already led to some important adaptations. The see-through bathrooms now have blinds fitted so that those who do not wish to be observed on the lavatory can control their privacy.

Watford Hilton has not often made the news although its exterior was filmed as the fictional hotel used by Alan Partridge, the television comic character played by Steve Coogan.