Q&A: Does Choice Hotels Franchise in the UK?

Choice Hotels owns 11 different brands that operate across the globe and collectively comprise over 6,800 hotels and more than 500,000 rooms. The Choice Hotels franchise is a key player in the hospitality industry; so how can you get involved?

Does Choice Hotels Franchise in the UK?

Yes – in fact, it’s the world’s largest hotel franchise. Becoming a Choice Hotels franchisee is an attractive business proposition. By joining up with one of its brands, you’d be carrying a name with worldwide recognition.

A number of Choice Hotel brands have a presence in the UK. There are 11 Comfort Inns across the country; five in London and others dotted around Manchester, Birmingham and Sunderland. The boutique brand Ascend, which is targeted at a premium market, has two high-end hotels in the UK: one in Belfast and the other in Harrogate. Clarion – another first-class Choice Hotel Brand – has branched out to London, Exeter, St Albans, Huddersfield and Leeds.

Choice Hotels has plenty of success stories in the UK, and there’s no reason why you can’t lead the next one. The hotel franchise is on the lookout for new franchisees across the UK who can carry the weight of its brand. To pursue this franchise opportunity, just get in contact with your local Choice Hotel franchise representative via the hotel chain’s website.

In the future, Choice Hotels has plans to grow its international footprint even further, especially in Spanish and South American markets. So, if you’re based in one of these locations, why not help the hotel franchise expand the business internationally?

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© Choice Hotels

The History of Choice Hotels

The Choice Hotels brand dates back to 1939. Originally, it was a non-profit referral chain called Quality Courts United that connected a number of different American hotel brands. In the 1960s, Stewart Bainum Sr. opened his first Quality Courts franchise. By the end of the decade, he’d become the company’s CEO and developed the brand into one of the world’s biggest portfolios of hotel chains.

If you don’t know the brand very well, here are some of the company’s key milestones:

• 1981 – Comfort Inn was founded. It’s now the group’s flagship hotel, with huge brand awareness in the US. Comfort Inn was designed to compete in the mid-scale hotel market alongside Days Inn and Best Western, and prides itself on friendly staff and reliable customer service. Today, it offers accommodation to travellers from California to Beijing, and has recently undergone a facelift; hundreds of its hotels have been refurbished to suit modern tastes. Most destinations now have a fitness centre or pool - one of these, in North Conway, New Hampshire, won a best of choice award from Choice Hotels for its consistently high standards.
• Late 1980s – Sleep Inn (Comfort Inn’s budget sister-brand) was launched. Choice Hotels had now expanded into a range of different markets.
• 1996 – The company was launched on the New York Stock Exchange and, in the following decade, the business cemented its presence in the US market.
• 2005 – Cambria Hotels was launched to cater for a business audience. It has since grown into an international chain with hotels in 100 different destinations.
• 2013 – Choice Hotels moved its headquarters to Rockville, Maryland
• 2018 – Choice Hotels acquired WoodSpring Suites. This budget brand completes Choice Hotel’s current portfolio of 11 hotel chains.
• Today – Choice Hotels now has a range of different hotel brands that are tailored to economy, mid-scale and upscale sectors in forty different countries across the world.

Choice Hotel’s brand portfolio currently includes:

• Comfort Inn
• Comfort
• Cambria Suites
• Quality Inn
• Clarion Hotel
• Sleep Inn
• Rodeway Inn
• Econo Lodge
• Mainstay Suites
• Suburban Extended Stay Hotel
• Ascend Collection

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franchisors can generate revenue from third party sources.

Experience – You will need to have a positive track record of managing hotels or real estate.

Training and support – In return for your investment, you will benefit from a high-quality induction programme. Part of a market leading brand, Choice Hotels’ franchising team are experts in their field. So, you can rest assured that you will be supervised by the top brains in the hotel industry. There are a number of different training schemes available to new franchisees:

• Choice Hotels’ Total Lodging by Choice (TLC) Orientation programme – This is compulsory for owners and General Managers. It’s held 10 times a year in Silver Spring, Maryland, and involves 39 hours of industry tuition.
• Hospitality Operations Success Training (HOST) – Owners and general managers must also complete this four-day scheme. It involves around 30 hours of classroom-based learning and 2-4 hours of on-the-job training. Choice Hotels states that the cost for enrolling onto the programme will be less than £800, but you will have to pay for travel, accommodation and food.
• ChoiceADVANTAGE – This training package is compulsory for all general managers, assistant general managers and front office managers. You’ll complete 10-16 hours of classroom learning and 15-26 hours of on-the-job training. This scheme will take place at your hotel.
• CHESS – This optional three-day workshop is open to sales professionals to help them refine their skills, but the owner, general manager and any other hotel staff member can also take part. It costs under £400 per person.

© Choice Hotels

Become a Choice Hotels franchisee

Although Choice Hotels’ portfolio of brands may not be particularly well-known in the UK, the franchise benefits from huge consumer awareness in the US. A key player in America’s hospitality industry, Choice Hotels has demonstrated that its brands have what it takes to make it in the sector. This means it’s a fantastic opportunity for savvy investors looking for their next business venture.

By joining forces with Choice Hotels, you can work under an established brand and benefit from the franchise team’s expertise. But there are a huge variety of different hotel franchise opportunities within the sector if Choice Hotels isn’t quite right for you.