In addition to five hotels joining the network, the current Comfort Hotel St. Albans has become the four-star Clarion Collection Hotel St. Albans.
Choice Hotels Europe, the company behind the Comfort, Quality and Clarion brands in Europe and part of Choice Hotels International, one of the largest lodging franchisors in the world, today announced that five more properties have been added to its network located in The Midlands, Hampshire and Ireland.
The Midlands now benefits from two further Choice Hotels brand properties with the addition of Quality Hotel Wolverhampton, formerly The Connaught Hotel, and Quality Hotel Birmingham Airport/NEC re-opening its doors for business under new management. This brings the number of Choice Hotels properties in the region to seven. The 60-room Quality Hotel Wolverhampton is a short walk from Wolverhampton city centre, and offers easy access to the M6, M5 and M42 motorways. Quality Hotel Birmingham Airport/NEC is now owned and operated by Hospitality First, under franchise agreement with Choice Hotels Europe, and is a short distance from Birmingham International Airport, Birmingham NEC, as well as the City Centre.
The Makeney Hall Hotel is now Clarion Collection Hotel Makeney Hall. The magnificent 46-room Victorian country mansion is situated in the heart of Derbyshire and set in six acres of landscaped gardens. Close to East Midlands airport, it is ideally situated for local business destinations and the nearby Peak District.
Clarion Collection Hotel Winchester Royal dates back to the 16th century and is located near the centre of the historic town and close to the M3 and Hampshire business destinations and South Coast. Both the Winchester and Makeney properties are part of the strategic agreement signed with Akkeron Hotels Group Limited earlier this year, which has so far resulted in seven Akkeron hotels operating under Choice Hotels franchise agreements in the UK.
Dublin’s gibson hotel has joined Choice’s Ascend Hotel Collection, a portfolio of distinctive independent hotels, providing guests with an upscale boutique hotel experience backed by one of the world’s largest hospitality franchisors. Located in Dublin’s new cultural hub, the 252-room hotel is 10 minutes from the airport and a short stroll along the Liffey River to the city centre. The property features cutting-edge design and many rooms include private balconies with stunning views of interior courtyards or the Dublin skyline. Since the beginning of this year, Ascend Hotel Collection has opened 38 hotels, many in top business and leisure destinations like Napa Valley, Miami and Cape Cod, and the Dublin property brings the number of Ascend Hotel Collections to 108 worldwide. The gibson hotel is now one of four Choice brand hotels located in the Irish capital city.
In addition to five hotels joining the network, the current Comfort Hotel St. Albans has become the four-star Clarion Collection Hotel St. Albans. The former home of Samuel Ryder, founder of the Ryder Cup, dates back to the Edwardian era, and the 60-room hotel has undergone extensive re-furbishment to provide greatly enhanced hotel facilities.
All six properties offer meetings and conference rooms with facilities for 80 to 500 guests and free wireless internet access throughout.
Duncan Berry, UK CEO, Choice Hotels Europe commented: “We are pleased to welcome these five hotels to our network of European properties which offer outstanding service and facilities to leisure and business travellers alike.”
The Choice Hotels Europe portfolio of franchised hotels offers business and leisure travellers a full spectrum from premium economy to luxury hotels. Choice Hotels Europe franchises nearly 500 hotels across Europe alone. Brands franchised by Choice in Europe include Clarion, described as four- five star, Quality, which sits in the three-star bracket and provides a mid-scale full service offering and Comfort, Choice Hotels International’s largest brand worldwide and known for value and reliability.
Photo caption: Quality Hotel Wolverhampton.
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