ROCKVILLE, Maryland—Choice Hotels International, Inc. announced its Suburban Extended Stay Hotel brand is getting a new look. Rebranded as Suburban Studios, the next-generation product builds on Suburban’s commitment to providing travelers with simple accommodations while offering hotel owners the opportunity to reposition their property into the economy extended-stay segment.
“When we added Suburban, one of the first extended stay brands on the market, to our portfolio nearly two decades ago, we did so with the intent of fulfilling an emerging need in the industry for hotel owners and longer-staying guests. Today, the travel landscape has evolved with demand for extended stay products at an all-time high, and our commitment to innovating new ways to drive value for our franchisees and guests remains,” said Patrick Pacious, president and CEO, Choice Hotels. “The modernization of Suburban signals that the brand is poised for growth, and that Choice is dedicated to expanding its foothold in the extended-stay segment with the best investment opportunity for franchisees and experience for guests.”
In addition to its low-cost, flexible conversion model, Suburban Studios offers several benefits to help developers diversify their portfolios and take advantage of opportunities within the extended-stay segment, including:
- Development support and flexible prototypes to bring projects to market quickly.
- An operating model to help keep hotels easy and affordable to run.
- Proprietary kitchen-in-a-box design and modular building options, designed to streamline the repositioning process.
- Operational, training, marketing, and technology programs, tools, and resources tailored to extended stay.
- Support from a conversion sales team with a site scoring tool to identify markets with the high return on investment.
“Economy extended stay has always been a developer favorite because of the category’s demonstrated resiliency and returns, but the fact remains: There is a significant imbalance between demand and current market supply. So, when our development community asked for another product to capitalize on this industry white space more efficiently, we listened,” said David Pepper, chief development officer, Choice Hotels. “The refreshed Suburban Studios offers an industry-first opportunity for owners to transform existing assets in transient markets into an extended stay property backed by the segment leader in Choice Hotels, while also providing exactly what guests want during longer stays.”
Designed to appeal to extended-stay travelers, Suburban Studios provides a “Welcome Home” experience for longer-term guests, including:
- Guestrooms equipped with extra space.
- In-room kitchens with the essentials.
- Modern design and service.
- The flexibility to book longer stays on the go.
“Suburban Studios is all about delivering the basics in a better way—for guests and franchisees,” said Anna Scozzafava, vice president and general manager, extended stay, Choice Hotels. “As longtime leaders in the extended-stay segment, Choice knows what travelers want most during extended periods away from home and the next generation of Suburban delivers on precisely that with its ‘Longer Stays Made Easy’ promise of all the comforts of home at a welcoming price point.”
Choice Hotels currently has more than 70 Suburban Extended Stay properties in its portfolio, with plans to open the first Suburban Studios hotel in Chicago, Illinois, later this year. In addition, more than 27 Suburban Studio hotels are in the development pipeline.
