Skip to content

Search

Latest Stories

Choice extended-stay brands perform above average in COVID-19 downturn

Occupancy for the company’s MainStay, WoodSpring and new Everhome brands at 67 percent in May

CHOICE HOTELS INTERNATIONAL’S extended-stay brands are seeing higher occupancy than the rest of the industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. This follows a trend for other brands in the extended-stay segment.

Choice’s extended-stay brands include WoodSpring Suites and Suburban Extended Stay in the economy segment, as well as MainStay Suites and recently launched Everhome Suites in midscale. The brands’ performance was noted by Pat Pacious, Choice’s CEO, in the company’s “The Road Forward” video conference held in lieu of its annual convention.


Extended-stay occupancy was significantly higher than industry, Pacious said, but particularly for WoodSpring.

“The brand’s occupancy was above 70 percent for the month of May, making one of if not the best-performing brands in the industry,” Pacious said.

Other highlights for the brands include:

  • Choice’s extended stay brands saw average occupancy of more than 68 percent in March compared to the U.S. industry average of approximately 40 percent. The brands’ occupancy stood at 60 percent in April, more than double the industry average of 25 percent. May’s average occupancy for the brands was 67 percent.
  • The extended-stay brands also outperformed on RevPAR from March and April. Industry-wide RevPAR declined 52 percent in March and 80 percent in April, but RevPAR for the company’s extended stay brands declined less than 14 percent and 29 percent respectively.
  • Most of Choice’s extended stay portfolio remained open during the month of April, a month that saw significant hotel closings because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This growing market presents tremendous potential and opportunity for developers and lenders, as the extended stay segment currently accounts for 20 percent of demand in the industry, but existing supply only makes up 9 percent of the domestic hotel landscape,” said Ron Burgett, Choice’s senior vice president for franchise development, extended stay.

Choice had 410 extended-stay hotels in the U.S. in the first quarter, a nearly 10 percent year-over-year increase, after opening 17 so far this year. It has 300 of the hotels in the pipeline. The openings include 11 new WoodSpring hotels and 6 new hotels across the MainStay Suites and Suburban Extended Stay properties.

“Our extended stay brands have shown their appeal time and time again for guests in search of a welcoming environment, convenient accommodations and affordable long-term rates – a demand that remains regardless of the broader travel environment,” said Anna Scozzafava, vice president, brand strategy and operations, extended stay, Choice Hotels. “Essential workers, for example, have long utilized extended stay hotels as a home base while traveling for work, and our brands were able to support that growing need during the COVID-19 pandemic. As consumer travel begins to recover, we are confident our extended stay brands will continue to attract and retain guests.”

And the company is recovering, Pacious said in the video.

“The worst systemwide occupancy week for Choice was April 5 at 28 percent,” Pacious said. “While no one can predict the future, it appears that this was rock bottom. We’re now in our 10th week of recovery and our systemwide occupancy as of May 31 was just shy of 45 percent.”

Extended-stay brands across the scale, but particularly economy or select-service, have performed better than average throughout the pandemic, according to the latest report from hotel investment advisors The Highland Group.

More for you

ExStay Washington DC

Third regional ExStay workshop set for D.C.

Summary:

  • ESLA and Kalibri will hold the third ExStay workshop on July 30 in Washington, D.C., following sessions in Atlanta and Dallas.
  • The event will feature experts from brands, operators, data firms and advisory groups.
  • Sessions will cover investment and include Q&As on developing, renovating, converting and operating extended stay assets.

THE EXTENDED STAY Lodging Association and Kalibri Labs will host the third quarterly ExStay workshop on July 30 in Washington, D.C., following earlier sessions in Atlanta and Dallas. The event will bring together extended stay lodging executives for networking.

Keep ReadingShow less
Deloitte value-seeking report 2025

Study: Consumers seek value over low prices

Summary:

  • Consumers are prioritizing value over low prices, pushing brands—including hotels—to adapt, Deloitte finds.
  • Economic uncertainty and inflation are driving caution and shifting views on pricing and spending.
  • Value-seeking by generations: 49 percent of Gen X, 43 percent of Boomers, 40 percent of Millennials and 44 percent of Gen Z.

AMID ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY and inflation, U.S. consumers are prioritizing value over low prices, favoring brands with added benefits, according to a Deloitte study. This shift is reshaping the market as companies, including hotels, adapt to changing expectations.

Keep ReadingShow less
Red Roof partners with FreedomPay to streamline payments in 700+ U.S. hotels
Photo credit: Red Roof

Red Roof taps FreedomPay for 700+ hotels

Summary:

  • Red Roof is contracting with FreedomPay to provide payments across its 700+ U.S. hotels.
  • The company will gain an integrated solution, improved service, cost savings and efficiency.
  • The company is investing in people and technology to advance the brand, president Zack Gharib told Asian Hospitality.

RED ROOF IS contracting with FreedomPay to provide payments across its portfolio of more than 700 hotels in the U.S. The company will receive an integrated payment solution, upgraded service, cost savings and operational efficiency, according to a statement.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gen Z Shifts Hotel Shopping: Tech, Experiences & Values

Survey: Gen Z redefines hotel shopping

Summary:

  • Younger consumers are redefining hotel discovery through platform-hopping and peer input, according to SOCi.
  • Fragmented search and discovery are reshaping how trust is built.
  • About one-third of consumers aged 18–34 report less brand loyalty than a year ago.

GEN Z IS RESHAPING hotel shopping through multiple platforms, peer input and real-time research, according to SOCi, a marketing platform for multi-location businesses. Unlike previous generations who relied on a single search engine or map app, the younger consumer moves through a series of smaller decisions - starting on TikTok, checking Reddit or Yelp and ending with a Google Maps search.

Keep ReadingShow less
Hotel Tech Advances; Outpaces Operational Readiness

Report: Tech outpaces readiness in hotels

  • A gap is growing between technological potential and operational readiness, with many hotel teams still early in AI use.
  • Distribution teams are evolving with limited resources and uneven investment in talent and automation.
  • The report outlines how commercial teams in hospitality are managing transformation.

THERE IS A widening gap between technological potential and operational readiness, with many hotel staff still early in using AI effectively, according to “The State of Distribution 2025” report. Despite the availability of technology, training, systems and workflows remain in development.

The second edition of the industry benchmark report—published by NYU SPS Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality and its Hospitality Innovation Hub, in collaboration with RateGain Travel Technologies and HEDNA—noted that as traveler expectations rise, aligning people, processes and platforms is becoming a driver of performance.

Keep ReadingShow less