Choice Hotels Closes First Quarter With 10 Contracts for New Cambria Suites Brand
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Choice Hotels Closes First Quarter With 10 Contracts for New Cambria Suites Brand
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Category: Worldwide
This is a press release selected by our editorial committee and published online for free on 2006-06-01
Momentum keeps building for Cambria Suites, the new all-suites, select-service, upscale brand launched by Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH) in January 2005. The company entered 2006 with 13 executed contracts for the brand, and first quarter 2006 saw the execution of 10 more contracts.
Two Cambria Suites hotels -- one in Boise, Idaho, and one in Green Bay, Wisconsin -- currently are under construction. A virtual tour of a Cambria Suites hotel, as well as live construction footage from the Cambria Suites in Boise, can be viewed at http://www.cambriasuites.com.
"We had a strong first year of development, and we met the excitement generated by that activity with an even more robust first quarter," said Brad LeBlanc, vice president, franchise sales, for the Cambria Suites brand. "We have every reason to believe the development momentum will continue, especially with all the positive feedback we continue to receive from current and potential developers. People see the value in the Cambria product for multiple markets -- from mixed-use developments and airport locations to suburban spots and even urban areas."
"The Cambria Suites brand represents Choice Hotels' continuing ability to think outside the box and create a truly unique hotel experience," said Sanket Patel, president of SBP Development, which is developing three Cambria Suites properties in Maryland. "We believe this is the future of all-suites lodging."
Developers also are buying into the brand because of Choice Hotels' focus on franchisee return on investment and the organization's dedicated support, which includes Cambria Suites brand-specific directors of local sales and a Cambria-focused franchise service team. And the strong reception extends beyond traditional hoteliers. To date, owners of restaurants, apartment buildings and construction companies have contracted to build Cambria Suites.
"Franchisees are excited about what this hotel has to offer: a strong F&B and amenities package, larger-than-industry-average rooms and stylish decor," said William Edmundson, vice president of brand management and strategy for the Cambria Suites brand. "They can see that this hotel meets the needs of both the business traveler and the leisure traveler."
In addition to the 23 contracts executed to date, Swift Hospitality in Freeport, Illinois, signed a letter of intent for five properties. Though most of the locations for these properties have not yet been selected, Swift Hospitality has selected Appleton, Wisconsin, as one of the five sites. Choice also entered into an agreement with Badger Midwest Holdings, LLC, of Cambridge, Wisconsin, in which Badger agreed to develop 10 Cambria Suites brand properties.
Sites for future Cambria Suites brand hotels include Boise, Idaho; Green Bay, Wis.; Madison, Wis.; Savannah, Ga.; Ft. Myers, Fla.; Akron/Canton, Ohio; metro Phoenix, Ariz.; Southport, N.C.; Appleton, Wis.; Bloomington, Minn., near the Mall of America; Ontario, Calif.; Wilmington, N.C.; Somerset, N.J.; Columbus, Ohio; Oak Creek, Wis.; Fort Collins, Co.; Denver Airport, Co.; Victorville, Calif.; Baltimore, Md., at the Inner Harbor; Baltimore-Washington International Airport, Md.; Scottsdale, Ariz.; Kent Island, Md. and Cathedral City, Calif.
Cambria Suites is a hip, stylish new hotel brand from Choice Hotels launched in January 2005 in response to strong market demand for a new select- service, upscale hotel product. The hotel boasts a square signature tower and its design -- which utilizes warm neutral colors, bold jewel accents, natural materials and soft, subtle texture -- is more intimate and less institutional. All Cambria Suites hotels will have fitness facilities, named Reflect; an indoor pool with hot tub; and 1,000 square feet of meeting space. Properties also will offer the latest in technology, from two flat-panel televisions in every guestroom and a large-screen plasma television in the lobby to mp3 jacks and CD/DVD players in the guestrooms. The hotel will offer both wired and wireless high-speed Internet access throughout the hotel.
The two-story hotel lobby will include Reflect, a Lounge that will include a barista bar serving premium coffee drinks as well as a hot and cold paid-for breakfast buffet and an evening menu with appetizers, soups, salads, sandwiches, entrees and alcoholic drinks; and Refill, a 24-7 convenience store that will stock freshly prepared "grab 'n' go" items from Reflect as well as traditional convenience store fare and healthier, non-traditional food items.
Guestrooms will be 25 percent larger than traditional hotel rooms and feature a pullout sleeper sofa, overstuffed lounge chair, ottoman/coffee table, microwave, refrigerator and moveable, oversized desk. The living and sleeping spaces are separated by an Asian-inspired decorative grid wall with accent pieces.
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