And the microhotel concept appeals to companies like Marriott and Hilton, which recently introduced the Motto brand, because it allows them “to get more dots on the map,” said Michael Bellisario, lodging analyst for Baird. “The more properties and brands they have in all cities,” the greater potential for repeat business.

The idea of small hotel rooms arrived in the United States in 1989. The Microtel brand, introduced in Rochester, served value-conscious guests by offering rooms half the size of traditional hotel rooms, with rates that were also half the cost. But industry experts do not consider Microtel, now owned by Wyndham, a microhotel brand by current standards, since its guest room sizes tend to be significantly larger than those of most newer microhotels.

Generally, microhotels today have guest rooms that range in size from about 115 to 220 square feet, depending on the number and size of beds. A typical room at an urban hotel in the United States can range from 250 to 300 square feet.

Other large hotel companies have rolled out their own brands: Introduced in 2014, Marriott’s Moxy has 44 hotels in Europe, Asia and North America today and has signed contracts for another 96. Hilton’s Motto, announced last fall, has over a dozen projects under development in Europe, the United States and South America.

While another brand, Mama Shelter — developed by former Club Med hotel operators — considers its properties boutique hotels, its guest rooms can be as small as 118 square feet. There are currently nine Mama Shelter hotels, with 10 more under development. Accor owns 49 percent of the brand.