Skip to content

Search

Latest Stories

Choice launches 'Lobby in a Box' to streamline extended-stay conversions

The package includes elements of a marketplace offering on-the-go food, beverages and travel essentials

Choice launches 'Lobby in a Box' to streamline extended-stay conversions

CHOICE HOTELS INTERNATIONAL recently introduced Lobby in a Box, a modular design package that allows hoteliers to transform lobby dining areas into multifunctional, revenue-generating spaces in around 120 days. The offering is designed for extended-stay brands, including Suburban Studios and MainStay Suites.

The package enables the conversion of standard lobby dining spaces in transient hotels, allowing hoteliers to create new income streams for the MainStay brand through a marketplace offering on-the-go food, beverages and travel essentials, Choice said in a statement. The program allows hotel owners to meet the needs of long-staying guests who prefer in-room dining with kitchens.


“As demand for extended-stay accommodations continues to exceed supply, solutions like Lobby in a Box and Kitchen in a Box help franchisees seize opportunities in a growing market while providing long-staying guests a superior experience,”  said Matt McElhare, Choice’s vice president and lead of extended-stay brands. “Our goal is to simplify the conversion process and maximize hotel owners’ return on investment by giving them the tools to create functional and profitable spaces.”

Building on the Kitchen in a Box solution, which enables hotel owners to install kitchens in guestrooms within 3 to 4 months, Lobby in a Box supports Choice's expansion into extended-stay markets, providing a faster, cost-effective alternative to new construction.

Hotel owners using these modular solutions are seeing results.

Rushi Vaidya, who converted his transient hotel into a Suburban Studios extended-stay property using Kitchen in a Box, reported a 43 percent increase in year-over-year RevPAR and a 10.2 percent improvement in guest satisfaction scores.

"The quick conversion and support from Choice Hotels allowed us to transform our property efficiently, leading to gains in both revenue and guest satisfaction," Vaidya said.

Partners Nick Patel and Supan Shah, owners of MainStay Suites in Columbus, Ohio, echoed similar sentiments about Lobby in a Box.

"The design is functional and tailored to the needs of extended-stay guests. Choice Hotels' support and focus on innovation in this segment has been key to our success," they said.

Since its launch in spring 2022, Kitchen in a Box has been implemented in more than 30 hotels, with six more in progress, including three integrating Lobby in a Box into their renovations, the statement said. These design elements support Choice Hotels' growth in the extended-stay segment, with the company set to open its 500th extended-stay property this year.

"With support from our team of over 70 extended-stay experts, we convert transient hotels into extended-stay properties quickly," said Ron Burgett, Choice’s senior vice president of extended-stay development.

Choice also recently relaunched Radisson Individuals in the Americas as an upper-upscale soft brand for full-service, boutique, and independent hotels, making it available to owners for the first time since Choice’s 2022 acquisition of Radisson Hotels Americas.

More for you

Peachtree Group's Residence Inn by Marriott under construction in downtown San Antonio, topping out milestone reached, June 2025

Peachtree tops out San Antonio Residence Inn

Peachtree Hotel to Open in Summer 2026 with 117 Extended-Stay Rooms

PEACHTREE GROUP HELD a “topping out” for its Residence Inn by Marriott in downtown San Antonio, Texas, marking completion of the structural phase of the 10-story, 117-room hotel. The property, co-developed with Austin-based Merritt Development Group, is scheduled to open in summer 2026.

The extended-stay hotel will be owned by Peachtree and managed by its hospitality management division, the company said in a statement.

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India plane crash 2025
Photo by Sam PANTHAKY / AFP

Air India reducing flights after deadly crash

AIR INDIA WILL reduce international service on widebody aircraft by 15 percent through at least mid-July, according to media reports. The decision comes less than a week after the June 12 crash of an Air India airliner carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members in Ahmedabad, India, that killed 246 but left one survivor among the passengers.

The airline said the reduced service due to the safety inspection of aircraft and ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, which have disrupted operations, resulting in 83 flight cancellations over the past six days, according to ABC News. Passengers can either reschedule their flights at no additional cost or receive a full refund.

Keep ReadingShow less
hihotels executive team honored for long-term service and loyalty in hospitality

Hihotels recognizes eight company leaders

EIGHT LEADERS OF hihotels by Hospitality International, Inc. are being recognized by the company for their combined 121 years of service. The company was established in 1982 as an alternative to other, established brands.

The honorees include Paul Vakharia, hihotels’ senior director of franchise development for the Northeast Region who has been with the company for 25 years. Chhaya Patel, franchise development coordinator, also has been with the company for 25 years.

Keep ReadingShow less
ICE Raid Resumes in Hotels & Farms After DHS Reversal
Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images

Reuters: ICE resumes hotel immigration raids

ICE Reverses Decision to Pause Raids on Key Industries

U.S. IMMIGRATION OFFICIALS have reversed enforcement limits at hotels, farms, restaurants and food processing plants days after issuing them, following conflicting statements by President Donald Trump, according to Reuters. ICE leadership told field office heads on Monday it would withdraw last week's directive that paused raids on those businesses.

ICE officials were told a daily quota of 3,000 arrests—10 times the average last year under former President Joe Biden—would remain in effect, two former officials said in the report. ICE field office heads raised concerns they could not meet the quota without raids at the previously exempted businesses, Reuters reported, citing a source.

However, it was not clear why the directive was reversed.

Keep ReadingShow less
San Francisco museum to open Indo-American hotelier exhibit in 2026 honoring Indian American pioneers
Photo courtesy of Beth LaBerge/KQED

Tenderloin Museum plans Indian hotelier exhibit

What is the Indo-American Hotelier Exhibit in San Francisco?

THE TENDERLOIN MUSEUM in San Francisco is launching the Indo-American Hotelier History Exhibit, the first permanent U.S. exhibition of its kind. The exhibit, opening in 2026 as part of the museum’s expansion, will document Indian immigrants’ role in the U.S. hospitality industry, beginning in San Francisco’s Tenderloin.

It will document the role of Indian immigrants in the U.S. hospitality industry, beginning in San Francisco’s Tenderloin, AAHOA said in a statement.

Keep ReadingShow less