ROCKVILLE, Maryland—Cambria Hotels, an upscale brand franchised by Choice Hotels International, Inc., introduced a new hotel prototype option to accelerate its growth in destinations where guests want to stay and developers want to invest. Designed specifically for secondary and leisure markets, the prototype option will help provide developers the flexibility to build Cambria hotels at a reduced cost while maintaining the sense of space, sense of place, and the brand hallmarks upscale guests prefer.
“Cambria Hotels is a strategic, long-term priority for Choice Hotels, as is lowering the total cost of ownership for our franchisees across our well-segmented brand portfolio. With this focus at the forefront, we created a new prototype option that provides developers with more ways to build a Cambria hotel, which we expect will allow us to rapidly advance our upscale brand growth,” said Patrick Pacious, president and chief executive officer, Choice Hotels. “Cambria has always offered flexibility for owners, and this new prototype with custom design options offers developers the right-sized Cambria for the right market to help maximize their investment—while also preserving the core upscale brand hallmarks guests love.”
Building on the strong value proposition that developers have come to expect from the Cambria Hotels brand, the new prototype option offers:
- A cost-effective prototype: The ability to develop hotels in secondary and leisure markets that demand a lower cost-per-key by reducing square footage in the right places by 20 percent, while staying true to the upscale brand characteristics.
- Operationally efficient: Optimized staffing structure with a reduction in FTEs from current brand requirements, due to reduction in rooms, public areas, and the housekeeping upon request model to drive performance.
- Streamlined F&B concept: Right-sized bar and enhanced marketplace, with a 35 percent smaller kitchen featuring programmable vector cooking technology and a reduced culinary staffing model.
- A new option to grow with Cambria: Opportunity to bring Cambria Hotels’ experience to over 300 secondary and leisure markets where a significant portion of upscale-branded hotels are 15 years or older.
- Flexible design: Design options to build Cambria hotels in the right markets, including structural design at entry canopy, lobby, and journey to room.
- Customization that allows for locally inspired art and lobby packages, with the ease of 50 percent computer-aided design drawings and standard furniture, fixtures, and equipment that owers the expense of design and architecture services to complete the build.
- The brand hallmarks that guests expect from Cambria.
“Since the beginning of 2020, we’ve increased the Cambria portfolio by 16 percent as we brought the brand to more urban markets. In fact, the brand has now entered eight of the top 10 markets and 36 of the top 50 in the United States,” said Janis Cannon, senior vice president, upscale brands, Choice Hotels. “As we continue to focus on operational efficiencies and increasing owner profitability, we have identified a significant growth opportunity in secondary and leisure markets which will bring Cambria’s defining brand hallmarks to a wider customer base in new markets coast to coast. This new prototype option will help accelerate expansion into these areas where our design-forward experience and upscale service will be best-in-market, translating to increased performance for owners.”
The new hotel prototype option will deliver the brand hallmarks and amenities that appeal to travelers, including:
- Tailored sensibility and locally inspired design, reflecting the personality of the surrounding community.
- Bar-forward food and beverage concept, featuring fresh food, local craft beer, wine, and cocktails. Also features a marketplace for to-go options including a selection of adult beverages like canned cocktails and splits of wine.
- Contemporary guestrooms, complete with fixtures, abundant lighting, and bedding.
- Spa-inspired bathrooms with Bluetooth mirrors.
- Arrival advantage that gives guests visual orientations of their priority needs, allowing them to identify key areas of the hotel, such as the front desk and elevator, immediately upon arrival.
- Outdoor spaces for work or relaxation.
“The Cambria brand has expanded through new construction and adaptive reuse projects, and this new prototype option builds on that with a flexible, cost-efficient design for developers in markets that have a distribution potential to significantly grow the existing Cambria customer base,” said Mark Shalala, senior vice president of development, upscale brands, Choice Hotels. “This new option will be extremely appealing to a broader pool of developers across multiple segments, applicable to developers focused on midscale, upper midscale, and upscale projects. Whether it’s an upscale developer pursuing opportunities in leisure destinations or a traditionally midscale developer looking to capture upscale demand in secondary or smaller markets, this option gives developers flexibility to customize their project to the market and creates opportunities for more owners to grow with Cambria.”
There are currently over 130 Cambria hotels open or in the pipeline across the United States in popular cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles, Nashville, New Orleans, Phoenix, and Washington, D.C.
