This development activity adds more than 9,700 guestrooms to the company's existing rooms, which now stand at more than half a million.
ROCKVILLE, MD. – Choice Hotels International, Inc. added 107 properties globally during the third quarter of 2013. Additionally, the company experienced robust franchise sales activity in US, executing a total of 129 new domestic franchise agreements during the third quarter of 2013, a 45-percent increase over the same period last year.
Hotel openings this quarter included properties in 36 U.S. states and 11 countries. This development activity adds more than 9,700 guestrooms to the company’s existing rooms, which now stand at more than half a million. The Choice Hotels International portfolio of franchised hotels offers leisure and business travelers a full spectrum of options from economy to upscale hotels and resorts.
Development for Choice Hotels International’s iconic Comfort family of brands continues to grow. The third quarter witnessed more hotels opening with the new generation “Truly Yours” design for both the Comfort Inn and Comfort Suites brands. These prototypes for the Comfort brands were created in collaboration with Gensler, a leading architecture, design and strategy firm with world-renowned brand and hospitality practices. The overall new aesthetic is contemporary while still maintaining the Comfort brand’s signature warm and inviting look and feel.
Interest in the brand has been strong, particularly since the roll-out of the Comfort Re-Imagined brand improvement program. At its annual convention in May, Choice Hotels International announced that it would commit $40 million in incentives to the Comfort brands’ landmark property improvement incentive program, which is intended to accelerate and expand re-investment in the core system. Licensees have expressed a high level of enthusiasm for this program, as evidenced by the several hundred incentive applications received during this past quarter.
“Choice’s flagship Comfort brands have a tradition of success and continue to perform. This quarter, with our Comfort Re-Imagined brand improvement program gaining momentum, we experienced significant development activity for both Comfort Inn and Comfort Suites,” said David Pepper, senior vice president of global development for Choice Hotels International. “That solid foundation allows Choice Hotels to continue to advance into the upscale tier and more international markets through the strategic growth of our emerging Cambria Suites brand and the rapid expansion of Ascend Hotel Collection.”
Ascend Hotel Collection, Choice’s fast growing portfolio of independent upscale hotels and resorts, continues to gain prominence as it expands into more key destinations. Ascend Hotel Collection properties can now be found throughout the world in North America, Europe, the Caribbean, Central America, and Australia. During the third quarter of 2013, the first Ascend property opened in Ireland, the gibson hotel in Dublin; and the Collection added another property in Australia, The Castlereagh Boutique Hotel in Sydney.
Choice Hotels International’s emerging, all new-construction upscale brand, Cambria Suites, continues its strategic expansion into major markets. During the third quarter of 2013, the brand celebrated a groundbreaking event for the Cambria Suites Phoenix-Desert Ridge in Arizona. Desert Ridge is one of Arizona’s largest master planned communities. Cambria Suites Phoenix-Desert Ridge will also serve as home to the brand’s national training kitchen for its on-property restaurants, called Reflect, and its new innovative business catering concept, which was also unveiled during the third quarter of 2013.
Photo caption: During the third quarter of 2013, the first Ascend property opened in Ireland, the gibson hotel in Dublin.
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