ROCKVILLE, Md.—Choice Hotels‘ Comfort brand—Comfort Inn and Comfort Suites—plans to again open more than one hotel per week in 2018 with a pipeline of nearly 300 properties, 80 percent of which are new construction. From 2013 through 2019, Choice, along with its franchisees, will have invested $2.5 billion in its flagship brand driven by system-wide updates to the hotels’ public spaces and guestrooms known as its ‘Move to Modern’ initiative.
Anne Smith, Choice’s vice president of brand management and design, says that the brand’s transformation has fortified its position in the upper midscale segment and led to one of the largest pipelines in the brand’s history. “The Comfort brand has undergone a renaissance,” Smith says. “With over 1,800 properties across North America, we’re everywhere guests want to travel, whether on leisure or business, and we look forward to bringing the brand to even more major markets in 2018.”
The brand is slated to open in several primary markets in 2018, including Austin, Texas; Asheville, N.C.; Columbus, Ohio; Dallas; Denver; Nashville, Tenn.; New York; Oklahoma City; Philadelphia; and San Diego. The recent Comfort hotel openings are located across the country and include a mix of new construction and conversion projects.
Brian Quinn, head of development for new construction brands at Choice Hotels, adds, “Developer interest in the Comfort brand remains strong due to the brand’s prototype, value proposition, and strong return on investment.”
Top photo: Comfort Inn Rochester
