It was designed to compete against Comfort Inn and La Quinta,[5] and the first Tru by Hilton hotels were expected to open late in the same year.

The brand uses platform beds instead of box springs and uses a landing zone where guests can place their luggage and hang their clothes rather than a dresser.

[10] Tru by Hilton was designed to be scalable so that properties could vary in size and still fit in urban, suburban, airport or highway adjacent settings.

[11] The brand's initial locations were in the Atlanta, Cheyenne, WY, Dallas, Houston, Chicago, St. Louis: St. Charles, Missouri, Denver, Portland, Boise, ID,[12] Oklahoma City and Nashville markets.

[3][9] The hotels offer limited food and beverage options and feature a social area characterized by a large central lobby, referred to as The Hive, that is divided into sections for eating, working, playing and lounging.