IHG announces HPT to invest $165 Million in renovations
IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) announced today that 77 Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites hotels owned by Hospitality Properties Trust and managed by IHG are undergoing renovations, with HPT investing approximately $165 million in the improvements.
The first phase of renovations is complete, with 26 Candlewood Suites in markets including Atlanta.mobi, Boston, Chicago, Dallas and Phoenix boasting new kitchen and bath designs, among other changes. All renovations across both brands are expected to be complete by September 2012, with a total of 58 Candlewood Suites and 19 Staybridge Suites making the changes.
“These renovations will have a positive effect on our brand portfolios as a whole,” said Robert Radomski, vice president, Global Brand Management, Extended-Stay Brands, IHG. “We expect that these changes will increase guest satisfaction and should result in an uplift in ADR at renovated hotels, which will in turn drive higher overall brand ADR and RevPAR. We also think we’ll see higher owner satisfaction and the potential for more development opportunities.”
All of the renovated hotels will use components of new schemes designed in conjunction with graduate students at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), one of the nation’s top interior design schools. Staybridge Suites hotels will offer one of two schemes: the “Vista” scheme, which focuses on fresh color, blending blue, green and terra-cotta shades; or a refreshed version of an existing brand scheme, “Chocolate,” with components of the SCAD designs in the kitchens and bathrooms. The Staybridge Suites hotels will also feature the brand’s Outdoor Living Room, a place where guests can relax and interact alfresco surrounded by amenities such as comfortable outdoor all-weather furniture, fire pits, grills and music. The Gathering Table, a bar-height, granite-topped island surrounded by stools that encourages guest interaction during breakfast and evening Social receptions, will also be added to the Great Room area.
Candlewood Suites hotels will feature elements of the “Nest” scheme, a light, clean and refreshing design with earthy green hues. The focus of renovations at Candlewood Suites properties has been kitchens, bathrooms, case goods, lighting, artwork, new flat-screen televisions, updates to the reception area and new exterior paint.
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New schemes at both brands offer sustainability, flexibility and storage solutions; the latter two are especially important to extended-stay travelers, who live in hotels for weeks or months at a time.