We do a lot of referral business from airport to downtown. But an airport hotel, he adds, does not compete with a downtown hotel. In North America, Hilton International has hotels at Montreal and Toronto airports. It is now owned by the British company Ladbroke Group. An airport hotel, Hirst said, faces particular demands.
Many people are on time changes.
Some people are wanting breakfast when others are wanting lunch and others are wanting dinner. There is tremendous pressure from the delayed aircraft factor, because suddenly you get a phone call, and you could be picking up 50 to 200 rooms without any notice at all. These pressures, Hirst said, create a need for large food storage capacity and sufficient eating areas. Airport hotels in general can be expected to have very large freezers. The Orly Hilton has a new high-tech kitchen that allows it to plan for sudden increases in the number of diners.