Choice Hotels Australasia has added two new properties to its Ascend Hotel Collection; a move that will see the brand continue to cement its presence in Australia, a market it entered only last year.

The properties include Kingscliff’s Paradiso Resort on the New South Wales/Queensland border and Balgownie Estate Vineyard Resort & Spa in the Yarra Valley, Victoria.

The recent acquisitions bring the group’s total number of Ascend Hotel Collection properties to five, which operates in line with the brand’s current focus. 

“Growing the Ascend Hotel Collection is a priority for Choice Hotels in 2014,” said Trent Fraser, the CEO of Choice Hotels Australasia.

“We have an aggressive expansion strategy in place which is targeting a further five hotels in 2014 and we are firmly on track to meet this number.” 

He added expansion across the nation’s cities will be a key focus for the brand. “Choice Hotels is also looking to expand even further into key destinations such as Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne.”  

The Ascend Hotel Collection is designed to offer guests a unique holiday experience all the while enabling hotel owners to grow their own businesses by tapping in to Choice Hotels’ global resources, which cover the likes of reservations and marketing functions.