Choice Unveils New Cambria Prototype

Choice Hotels International on Thursday announced a smaller prototype of its upscale Cambria brand, designed to launch the brand in secondary locations, according to the company.

The new prototype includes less square footage than the 130 U.S. Cambria properties currently open, largely in urban areas, or in the pipeline. The prototype’s kitchen, for example, is 35 percent smaller than existing Cambria properties, but the design elements and guest amenities remain the same.

The upshot, according to Choice, is an opportunity for developers to build Cambria properties at a lower cost in secondary U.S. markets, where the company said in a statement “a significant portion of upscale-branded hotels are 15 years or older” and for which the prototype specifically was designed.

“Cambria Hotels is a strategic, long-term priority for Choice Hotels, as is lowering the total cost of ownership for our franchisees across our well-segmented brand portfolio,” Choice president and CEO Patrick Pacious said in a statement. “With this focus at the forefront, we created a new prototype option that provides developers with more ways to build a Cambria hotel, which we expect will allow us to rapidly advance our upscale brand growth.”

Chris Davis www.businesstravelnews.com