Choice Hotels Elevates Upscale Offerings

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USA | Choice Hotels has elevated its global portfolio to new heights, driven by upscale and upper upscale growth internationally.

Choice Hotels International, Inc. has continued to expand its international footprint, with 31 hotels and more than 3,300 rooms on-boarded year-to-date outside of the U.S., and over 11,000 rooms added to the pipeline over the same period, resulting in a net pipeline increase of 95 percent since the beginning of the year.

This growth is fueled in large part by the company's gains in the upscale and upper-upscale segment, which encompass hotel brand debuts in new markets across Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America, Europe, China and Australia. These developments include recent Radisson Blu and Cambria signings in Argentina and Canada respectively and the company's latest announcement to significantly expand in the Chinese market through a new long-term distribution and master franchise agreement with SSAW Hotels & Resorts. This agreement immediately adds 68 upscale and upper upscale, full-service SSAW properties — totalling more than 9,500 rooms — to the Ascend Collection, with prospects to add more hotels. This continued growth is supported by Choice Hotels' investments in technology to help its hotels succeed, including its recent partnership with Mews, a property management system that connects seamlessly with Choice Hotels' award-winning proprietary tools, providing more options to franchisees to unleash the power of the Choice Hotels system.

"For the past several years, Choice Hotels' international segment has achieved consistent annual growth across a number of meaningful metrics, and we're poised to reach new milestones," said Ricardo Losada Revol, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the International division at Choice Hotels International.

"This momentum is a testament to the strength of our agile, personalised service model, our world-class franchisee success system, and the cutting-edge tech tools that support it, all of which we continue to invest in to enhance the benefits owners gain by being part of Choice Hotels."

With 180 hotels representing over 25,000 rooms, the Caribbean and Latin America region remains a stronghold for Choice Hotel's growth in the Americas, particularly in the upscale segment. In 2025, the company opened several properties in exciting locations including the Radisson San Luis Potosí, Mexico and the Radisson Riviera Panama. In May, it opened V Grand Hotel, a member of Radisson Individuals in Medellin, Colombia. This hotel offers guests an immersive connection to the city through curated cultural experiences, wellness offerings, and personalised service — all within the comfort of an upper-upscale setting in the city's trendy El Poblado district.

Choice Hotels will also enter new markets in the region this year: In Q3, it will open a Radisson Blu in Bariloche, Argentina, a charming Patagonian town that attracts tourists year-round for its unparallelled skiing experiences and scenic views.  The newly constructed 80-room, full-service property located directly at Lake Nahuel Huapi gives guests a breathtaking view of the town's mountain landscape. Choice Hotels also plans to introduce an Ascend Collection hotel in Calama, Chile's gateway to the renowned Atacama Desert, and a Radisson hotel in Suriname's capital, Paramaribo, later this year.

Building on a 27-year strategic relationship, Choice Hotels has recently renewed for 20 additional years its Exclusive Master Franchise Agreement with Atlantica Hospitality International in Brazil, which currently includes nearly 70 hotels with more than 10,000 rooms across segments.

The agreement with SSAW, a leader in the upscale business hotel and resort segment in China, adds prominent brands, Pagoda, Narada, SSAW Garden and Boutique, and Ginlan Jia, that are expected to be bookable on ChoiceHotels.com this year. The portfolio includes five-star hotels such as the 440-room Garden SSAW Hotel Beijing, which blends historic and modern design and gives easy access to Beijing's top cultural attractions, and the Narada Grand Hotel Zhejiang, once host of the G20 summit, a top choice for business travellers and anyone looking to explore the rich cultural heritage of Hangzhou.

Choice Hotels also continues to expand its midscale and upper midscale presence across the Asia-Pacific region, with five hotel openings year-to-date and three others expected to open later this year. In 2025, the company opened two Comfort Inn hotels in Grafton, New South Wales and in Robe, South Australia; a Comfort Hotel in Tanabe, Japan; and in India, a Clarion Hotel in Kochi and a Quality Inn to Rajkot.

Choice Hotels continues to scale its presence in Europe through strategic relationships and direct franchise agreements, adding 19 hotels year to date. In 2025, the company onboarded five hotels in Scandinavia through its business relationship with Strawberry (formerly Nordic Choice Hotels), including The Ice Hotel in Sweden,and expects to add four more hotels later this year. Part of the Ascend Collection, the Ice Hotel gives guests a stay unlike any other with guestrooms completely made of ice.

In France, Choice Hotels added 34 properties between 2024 and 2025, including Comfort branded aparthotels by the French Riviera and in the fairytale town of Annecy through its strategic partnership with Zenitude; In Spain, it added six hotels in 2024 through its franchise agreement with Faranda Hotels, including its stunning Galician seaside hotel, Hotel Faranda Rías Altas and expects to add five more hotels this year including those through its collaboration with Sercotel.

Choice Hotels has executed a new deal to introduce its first Cambria Hotel in Canada. Expected to open in 2026, the hotel will be located in Thunder Bay, Ontario, and will cater to business and leisure travellers flying through Thunder Bay International Airport and adventure-seekers who want to enjoy the area's popular outdoor excursions. The company will also nearly double the Ascend Collection's market share in Quebec with six new openings planned this year and two expect openings in British Columbia.

Choice Hotel's international hotels participate in Choice Privileges, the award-winning rewards program that allows guests to earn and redeem points for reward nights at over 7,000 Choice-branded hotels across a diverse portfolio of brands in nearly 40 countries and territories, including more than 180,000 upscale and luxury rooms in top destinations around the world.

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