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Choice Hotels expands in Australia, New Zealand

Sarah Stowe

Choice Hotels is expanding and recently welcomed two venues in South Australia and New Zealand into its extensive portfolio.

Brands underneath the Choice Hotels banner include the Ascend Hotel Collection, Clarion, Quality, Comfort and Econo Lodge.

In South Australia, family-owned and operated Comfort Inn The Lakes in the Mt Gambier region has joined the Choice Hotels network.

The Quality Suites Amore in New Zealand’s south island city of Christchurch is the latest Choice Hotels franchise across the Tasman.

Trent Fraser, CEO of Choice Hotels Asia-Pac, said “It’s undeniable that the hotel and travel industry has been dramatically impacted as a result of the pandemic, but as we begin to journey through to the other side of it, I am thrilled to welcome these new properties at such a critical time. 

“As we start to emerge from the COVID-19 crisis, it’s  pleasing to see such overwhelming support and cooperation from both our new and existing franchisees.” 

Trent said hotels in the network are already seeing the benefits since travel restrictions have eased.

“We’re steadily on the road to recovery, and it’s more important now than ever for owners, particularly those who are operating as an independent, to consider the benefits of partnering with a brand.

“The resources available to them via marketing programs, and a well-established and global distribution footprint have shown their value in a time of crisis.”

Choice Hotels Asia-Pac is a fully-owned subsidiary of Choice Hotels International, a publicly listed company in the US.

The global business has more than 7,000 hotels and 570,000 rooms across35 countries and territories.