Sonia Egyhazym.
The Sleep Inn hotels will reflect the brand’s Designed to Dream prototype, providing a timeless, simply stylish, nature-inspired aesthetic that appeal to guests. The MainStay Suites prototype features an open-concept design with sleek and modern amenities.
ROCKVILLE, MD. – Choice Hotels International, Inc. has signed an agreement with Jay Virk to develop 15 new-construction midscale hotels in the Western region of the U.S. through 2026.
Five Sleep Inn hotels and five dual-brand Sleep Inn and MainStay Suites properties will be built across California and Arizona:
- Sleep Inn hotels: Elk Grove, Manteca, Three Rivers, Turlock, and Watsonville, Calif.
- Sleep Inn and MainStay Suites dual-brand locations: Phoenix; Merced, Palmdale, Palm Desert, and Porterville, Calif.
"Our decades of midscale expertise and proven brands continue to attract developers coast to coast," said Brian Quinn, vice president, head of development, new construction brands, Choice Hotels. "The Sleep Inn brand's refreshed prototype appeals to owners by having the lowest cost-to-build in the segment. In addition, the Sleep Inn and MainStay Suites dual-brand offers operational efficiencies and a diverse model that serves business, leisure and extended-stay guests – we're proud that this concept now has over 100 hotels open or in the pipeline."
Jay Virk is an award-winning hotel developer based in Clovis, Calif. "Choice is an innovator, both in the midscale segment and in the resources they provide to franchisees, which is why we sought this agreement," said Jay Virk. "The Sleep Inn and MainStay Suites brands provide guests with flexibility to suit a variety of travel occasions. We're excited to collaborate with Choice for the first time and can't wait to open these hotels for guests traveling to California and Phoenix."
The Sleep Inn hotels will reflect the brand's Designed to Dream prototype, providing a timeless, simply stylish, nature-inspired aesthetic that appeal to guests. The MainStay Suites prototype features an open-concept design with sleek and modern amenities.
Choice Hotels Expands Upscale Brands Development Teams
Choice Hotels also announced the promotion of Sonia Egyhazy to regional vice president of franchise development for Cambria Hotels. "Choice Hotels' growth in the upscale segment is a top priority for the company, and the continued success of Cambria Hotels and the Ascend Hotel Collection is key to strengthening our foothold in the ever-growing upscale segment," said Mark Shalala, vice president, franchise development, upscale brands, Choice Hotels. "Cambria and Ascend have allowed us to expand our upscale footprint to meet guest and developer demand. We now have nearly 20,000 upscale rooms open in the U.S. and over 47,000 globally.
"Sonia has played an important role in the Cambria brand's expansion throughout the Mid-Atlantic having forged relationships with some of the industry's top developers. She has demonstrated a tremendous work ethic and a deep understanding of real estate, feasibility, development, and finance – all of which are critical to executing the Cambria growth strategy and success in her new role," continued Shalala.
Egyhazy previously served as director of franchise sales for Cambria in the Mid-Atlantic since 2015. In her new role, Egyhazy will manage the Cambria development team, supporting their efforts to source projects and execute new franchise agreements, and drive growth in targeted markets for the brand in the U.S.
In addition, Jake Fischer and Jeff Johnson have joined the company's upscale development teams, supporting Cambria Hotels and the Ascend Hotel Collection, respectively.
"Jeff and Jake bring nearly 40 years of combined experience in hospitality, real estate, development and sales, and we are thrilled to add their expertise to our development efforts in the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions to fuel growth for the brands," said Shalala.
As the new Cambria director of franchise sales in the Mid-Atlantic, Fischer will assume Egyhazy's development responsibilities. Fischer started his career in operations for the Hyatt Hotels Corporation and, most recently, held the position of vice president of real estate and business development at The Hotel Group. Johnson returns to Choice Hotels as director of franchise development for the Ascend Hotel Collection in the Midwest. In his previous stint with the company, he held a variety of roles in sales. Throughout his career, he has also been a managing director and consultant at GRANT Hospitality, director of hotel commercial management at American Express Global Business Travel, and the director of sales for Wyndham International.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
