Choice Hotels International, Inc. yesterday celebrated the official grand opening of its new franchised Cambria Suites hotel in Rapid City, the first Cambria Suites property in South Dakota. Representatives from Choice Hotels, Swift Hospitality Group and Rapid City’s CVB and Chamber of Commerce were in attendance to commemorate the brand milestone, including David Swift, CEO, Swift Hospitality Group; Matt Jacobs, senior director of operations, Swift Hospitality Group; Sam Cannon, general manager, Cambria Suites Rapid City; and Michael Murphy, senior vice president, Cambria Suites.

The $12.5 million, 74,000-square-foot, four-story building has 1,500 square feet of meeting room space, as well as a fitness center and indoor pool area. The hotel is the first and only Cambria Suites hotel to feature a stacked stone exterior instead of brick, reflecting the architecture of the region.

“We are thrilled to have opened our first Cambria Suites hotel in South Dakota,” said Michael Murphy, senior vice president of Cambria Suites. “Cambria Suites offers a strong value for business and leisure travelers visiting Rapid City. This hotel is designed to help you maintain a work-life balance while on the road like no other brand in the area.”

The 111-suite hotel is located at 3333 Outfitters Road, just off of exit 61 along Interstate 90, and next to Cabela’s.

Each room is a spacious suite that’s larger than most standard hotel rooms, and includes separate work and living areas with ergonomic chairs, movable desks and luxury linens. The hotel offers the latest in technology, each room including two flat-screen LCD televisions, two phones and remote printing capabilities. Free high-speed wired and wireless Internet access is available throughout the hotel so that guests can stay connected even while vacationing.

The Rapid City Cambria Suites hotel is the second of this hotel chain that Swift Hospitality Group has franchised, after opening the Appleton, Wis., hotel in September 2007. Swift Hospitality Group provides real estate consulting, market analysis development services and management services to individuals and businesses planning to invest in select hospitality properties.

David Swift, president and chief executive officer of Swift Hospitality Group, remarked, “We were very much looking forward to expanding the Cambria Suites brand to the Rapid City market, so it’s great to see it finally come to fruition.”

Like all Cambria Suites hotels, the Rapid City property features: Reflect, a casual dining and gathering area serving a dinner menu, liquor, wine, beer, freshly prepared grab-and-go gourmet salads and sandwiches, a barista bar featuring Wolfgang Puck® coffee and a hot breakfast buffet; Refresh, a state-of-the-art fitness center with an elegant pool and hot tub/spa area; and Refill, a 24-7 convenience store that offers energy drinks, snacks and sundries.