As a trying and historic year for the lodging industry comes to an end, Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH) is proud to announce that the company successfully opened 524 new hotels in 2009, thanks to the final addition of 42 new hotels for the month of December, marking a grand total of more than 43,000 guest rooms.
Now totaling 524 new hotels across 11 brands representing 43,991 guestrooms in 45 states and 15 countries spanning five continents.
A list of the company's new hotels according to brand:
• Comfort Inn - 109 new hotels
• Comfort Suites - 81 new hotels
• Quality - 104 new hotels
• Sleep Inn - 32 new hotels
• Clarion - 45 new hotels
• Cambria Suites - Six new hotels
• MainStay Suites - Two new hotels
• Suburban Extended Stay Hotel - Five new hotels
• Econo Lodge - 69 new hotels
• Rodeway Inn - 52 new hotels
• Ascend Collection - 19 new member hotels
Among these different brands are hotels operating under 25 different brand affiliations with a mixture of suites, inns and suites, resorts, hotels, and inns. New Choice-brand hotels for 2009 averaged a little less than 84 rooms per property with a median number of 70 guestrooms.
Internationally, Australia is home to the largest number of new Choice-brand hotels for 2009, with a total of 19 properties. Domestically it should come as no surprise that Texas opened the most hotels in the U.S. with 45 new Choice-brand properties.
The title for this year's largest hotel goes to the OHANA Waikiki Beachcomber, an Ascend Collection hotel of Oahu, Hawaii, coming in at 495 rooms, with a business center, bar, lounge, outdoor pool with poolside bar, restaurant, gift shop, fitness center, sundry shop and indoor parking. The hotel's guestrooms have balconies, many of which offer breathtaking ocean views , flat screen/Plasma TVs, plush premium bedding, granite bath countertops, free wireless high-speed Internet access, refrigerators and in-room safes.
The smallest hotel for 2009 is the luxurious and stylish beachfront Clarion Suites hotel of Perth, Australia, offering restaurant and lounge, playground, news stand and continental breakfast with 12 guestrooms featuring microwaves, refrigerators, robes, in-bath whirlpools, DVD players, safes and balconies with ocean views.
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