IRVING, Texas—During the third quarter of 2016, La Quinta grew its geographic reach by opening 15 new franchised hotels totaling approximately 1,300 rooms and signed 21 new franchise agreements, increasing its development pipeline to 239 hotels totaling approximately 21,800 rooms. La Quinta’s geographically diverse pipeline extends the brand’s distribution into higher RevPAR markets, facilitating its entry into 38 new Smith Travel Research market tracts in the U.S.
La Quinta Inn & Suites locations that opened during the third quarter include Alabama – Cullman; Arizona – Kingman, Page at Lake Powell and Williams-Grand Canyon Area; California – Morgan Hill-San Jose South; Colorado – Durango; Georgia – Forsyth; Illinois – Effingham; Louisiana – Lake Charles-Westlake; Oklahoma – Weatherford; Pennsylvania – Mechanicsburg-Harrisburg and Philadelphia Airport; Tennessee – Loudon; Texas – Plano-Legacy; and South America – Medellin, Colombia.
La Quinta franchise development activity remains strong both domestically and internationally, the company reports. The 21 new franchise agreements include contracts for new hotel locations in several urban markets including the Gaslamp District in San Diego, Calif., the Greenway Plaza area of Houston, Texas, and the Boca del Rio section of Veracruz, Mexico, as well as the leisure destination of Orlando, Fla., near SeaWorld. Of the 239 hotels in La Quinta’s development pipeline, 89 percent are comprised of new construction developments.
“We continue to see growth domestically and internationally as we introduce the brand to new business and leisure travelers in North America and Latin America,” said Rajiv Trivedi, La Quinta’s executive vice president and chief development officer. “We are thrilled to work with developers and franchisee partners who are embracing our value proposition so we can continue to bring innovation to the hotel marketplace and broaden our geographic reach.”
