What does Hampton Inn’s popularity say about us, with Bloomberg’s Patrick Clark

Aug 29, 2025
27 mins

Episode Description

The Sunday Long Read chats with Bloomberg’s Patrick Clark about one of his latest articles: a deep dive into the hotel chain Hampton Inn, and why its reputation as being "rigorously OK” has led, unexpectedly, to world domination. 

Read Patrick's story : American Mid: Hampton Inn’s Good-Enough Formula for World Domination

As Americans take some of their last summer vacations this Labor Day weekend, Clark digs into everything from Hampton Inn’s “good-enough” business formula, to the perceived value of a free hotel breakfast, to the reporting process when writing about the country’s largest hotel chain. 

Clark covers housing, hotels and real estate for Bloomberg.

This episode of The Sunday Long Read Podcast was hosted by Amanda Ulrich and produced by Justin Greenawald. The Sunday Long Read Podcast is executive produced by Étienne Lajoie.

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