Skift Take
Choice Hotels has managed to turn their awkward duckling Cambria into a swan. The brand's turnaround tells a broader story about sector trends.
Choice Hotels began to push upmarket when it debuted the Cambria brand in 2005. The hotel franchisor lacked upscale expertise, as it had been best known for midscale brands, such as Quality Inn and Comfort Inn, and economy brands, like Rodeway Inn.
Today, 74 Cambrias are open, with 62 in the pipeline. "About 25% of the brand opened in the past two years," said Indy Adenaw, a senior vice president at Choice Hotels.
Cambria stumbled at first, and the brand's recent traction speaks to broader hotel trends.
The Initial StumbleCambria launched as an all-suites brand for all new construction, partly to differentiate it as a premium product. Yet this design wasn't popular. The first hotel opened in Boise, Idaho, in 2007, and developers' uptake after that was slow.
One reason: The brand's target audience was young, higher-income urban professionals, and they were easiest to attract in big cities.
However, big city developers found it relatively more difficult to build hotels with suites 25% larger than average rooms. They gravitated instead to other brands with a traditional mix of room formats.
Smaller Rooms, Bigger Profits