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Westcor opens avid, Candlewood dual brand

The Coralville, Iowa, hotel is the 80th opening for the avid brand

IHG’s new dual-brand avid hotels and Candlewood Suites in Coralville, Iowa

Westcor JD Royal Hospitality recently opened the dual-branded avid hotel Coralville and Candlewood Suites Coralville in Iowa City, both part of IHG Hotels & Resorts.

What makes this IHG hotel unique in Coralville, Iowa?

IHG HOTELS & RESORTS’ dual-brand avid hotels Coralville and Candlewood Suites Coralville in Coralville, Iowa, are now open. The property is owned by Westcor JD Royal Hospitality, led by Mona and Pankaj Patel.

This is the brand’s 80thproperty in the U.S., second in Iowa and fourth dual-branded avid hotels and Candlewood Suites since the prototype launched in 2021, IHG said in a statement.


“We’re proud to introduce the first avid hotels and Candlewood Suites dual-brand property to Coralville, as this hotel is one of the largest of its kind in the U.S.,” said the Patels. “This pairing is designed to meet the needs of both short-term and extended-stay guests, delivering a stay that feels just right. At avid hotels Coralville – Iowa City, every detail focuses on the essentials—no matter where your travels take you.”

The 71-room avid and 68-room Candlewood are near the University of Iowa and the Antique Car Museum of Iowa and includes a fitness center.

Avid hotels, IHG’s second-largest brand by system size, is its fastest-growing new-build brand with 131 hotels in the pipeline. In February, avid hotel Harrisburg NE – Hershey Area opened in Pennsylvania with 80 rooms, operated by SNP Management, LLC. Following avid hotel Coralville – Iowa City, Score Hospitality Inc will open avid hotel Victorville – Hesperia, its first in California.

Karen Gilbride, IHG’s vice president for avid hotels, Atwell Suites and Garner hotels, said avid hotels drive strong commercial results and guest loyalty, reflected in some of the highest satisfaction scores in the IHG portfolio.

“Its approach is simple yet effective,” she said. “Since opening our first property in 2018, we’ve grown to 80 hotels and are accelerating our momentum—expanding into new markets and strengthening our presence in existing ones. It’s clear our ‘just right’ strategy continues to resonate with both guests and owners. Looking ahead, we remain focused on enhancing owner returns and elevating the guest experience. One key initiative this year is our revamped breakfast offering—delivering more of what guests want at a reduced operating cost to owners—which we’re excited to roll out at avid hotel Coralville – Iowa City.”

IHG nearly doubled its global conversion signings from 2023 to 2024, with conversions making up about 60 percent of global openings and 40 percent of signings in the first quarter of 2025. Brands including Vignette Collection, voco hotels and Garner hotels recorded the most openings and signings last year.


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