Choice Hotels International, Inc. announced robust system growth with the addition of 88 newly opened franchised properties during the first quarter of 2013. Additionally, the company has executed a total of 83 new domestic contracts within the first quarter of 2013, a 30-percent increase over the same period of the prior year.
Ascend Hotel Collection, a membership program comprised of exquisite independent hotels, continued its exceptional growth into the first quarter of 2013, with 28 new membership agreements signed compared to three membership agreements during the same time last year. Much of this growth is a direct result of Choice Hotels International’s strategic marketing alliance with timeshare company Bluegreen Vacations, a relationship which enables the company to further extend the Ascend Hotel Collection portfolio into even more outstanding resort destinations. Continue reading →
Sleep Inn by Choice Hotels International, Inc., announced that it has reached the milestone of 100 Designed to Dream® hotels. The Designed to Dream program includes a simply stylish new-build prototype and cost-effective renovation program for existing Sleep Inn hotels across the United States. Launched in May 2010, the Designed to Dream concept is driving increased customer satisfaction scores, new construction for Sleep Inn hotels and higher average performance.
Sleep Inn currently ranks at the top for new construction within the Choice Hotels family of 11 brands. In 2012, executed deals and new construction applications for Sleep Inn jumped 145% and 186%, respectively, compared to 2011, paving the way for continued robust growth this year and next. The growth is fueled in part by the refresh program, with renovated Designed to Dream hotels experiencing higher average performance over and above expected performance. Continue reading →
Funds Expand and Accelerate Successful Nationwide Comfort Brand Refresh
Choice Hotels International, Inc. announced a landmark $40 million property improvement incentive program to build on the success of the ongoing system-wide refresh strategy of its more than 1,900 domestic Comfort Inn and Comfort Suites hotels launched last year. The Comfort Re-Imagined brand strategy has been making great strides. Committed to gaining even more ground, Choice Hotels introduced this incentive to encourage hotels to perform their renovations quickly and completely. This is yet another dynamic component of the brand’s sweeping multi-year, multi-faceted approach to provide greater consistency of quality across the company’s biggest brand and ongoing increases in guest satisfaction. Continue reading →
Choice Hotels International announced today that it has entered into a relationship with buuteeq, a leading cloud-based digital marketing provider for lodging operators.
The new qualified vendor agreement gives 5,000 Choice Hotels franchisees in the United States access to buuteeq’s products and services that provide the capability to create and manage their own property-level websites with direct booking capabilities. Now, franchisees can gain a competitive edge with industry-leading tools designed to maximize their online marketing efforts and streamline the booking experience for their guests. Continue reading →
Ascend Hotel Collection recently announced its debut in Baltimore with three boutique hotels in the vibrant waterfront neighborhoods of Inner Harbor and historic Fells Point.
The properties – Inn at Henderson’s Wharf, Pier 5 and Admiral Fell Inn – expand Ascend Hotel Collection’s lineup to 80 independent hotels. Today’s news comes on the heels of the announcement last month that the fast-growing portfolio has added boutique hotels in Napa Valley, Sedona, Carmel and New Orleans. The momentum continues, with 30 signed agreements for additional properties in such premier destinations as Las Vegas, Aruba, Miami, Orlando and Cape Cod.
The group’s new Baltimore hotels are owned and managed by Meyer Jabara Hotels, an award-winning hospitality company that owns and operates more than 20 lodgings in 13 states. Continue reading →
LONDON—With an eye cast on expanding its presence across the continent, Choice Hotels Europe is focusing its early attention on adding to its portfolio in the United Kingdom.
Steve Joyce, president and CEO for Choice Hotels International, had made it clear in recent statements that expansion in Europe is a must for the Maryland-based franchising giant with more than 6,200 hotels comprising nearly a half-million rooms around the world. Duncan Berry, chief executive for Choice Hotels Europe, has helped set the stage for that growth since joining the company as chief operating officer in 2008.
Beginning in 2010, Choice has been upgrading its portfolio by terminating the contracts of sub-par properties, Berry said. Continue reading →
