Choice Hotels EMEA has announced a refresh of its Ascend Hotel Collection portfolio across the region, which presently consists of a network of over 70 independent boutique hotels.
The refreshed EMEA Ascend Collection will see properties offering a ‘Haven of Hygge’ in some of the region’s most favored destinations.
The hotels’ unique story will be at the heart of the revitalized brand, with each hotel free to create its own hallmarks within Ascend Collection’s positioning framework. Franchisees will shape their unique identity and develop brand stories in the next two years with support from Choice Hotels EMEA.
Hotels will also have access to the Choice Hotels toolkit, designed to help franchisees create their own narrative and transform it into authentic guest experiences.
Franchisees will be able to create their own experience touchpoints or ‘hallmarks,’ with each working to develop on three types of hallmarks which, collectively, will highlight their individuality and enhance their personalities:
- Hotels must define their Icon: This will express the hotel’s character, linking them with the surrounding community. This can be a physical space, experience or objects that will enable guests to explore new things.
- The hotel’s Rewarding Rituals: Small and signature touches that will build anticipation and leave a lasting impression while connecting guests more closely to the hotel’s story. This can be a unique arrival experience, daily afternoon tea with a twist or surprising in-room amenities.
- The United in Kind hallmark: This captures the hotel’s connection with its community. This can range from a volunteering program, local partnership or direct support for causes in the area and will be an opportunity for hotels to make a lasting positive impact and improve the community.
Keeping customer experience at the forefront while driving revenue and optimizing operational efficiencies, the refreshed brand will offer both “clarity and definition,” said Choice Hotels EMEA CEO Jonathan Mills.
“As part of Choice Hotels, every Ascend Hotel in the collection benefits from our global scale and distribution while retaining the distinctive character and creative autonomy of a family-run independent. Whether it’s a centuries-old country estate or a contemporary urban design hotel, Ascend Hotels offer guests one-of-a-kind experiences and environments with the assurance of a warm and welcoming community. Guests staying at any of our wonderfully original Ascend Hotel Collection properties will find a modern, charismatic brand that welcomes every guest as family,” Mills said.
The reimagined brand builds on Choice Hotels EMEA’s 15-year history of global collection of hotels.
The Ascend Collection joins hundreds of Comfort, Clarion and Quality hotels in the region, already transitioning to the refreshed brands. The refresh of Ascend Collection completes Choice Hotels EMEA’s brand re-energization strategy, with Comfort, Clarion and Quality Inn properties already adopting the new brand direction. The company’s Sleep Inn brand was recently launched in the EMEA region.
The Ascend Collection’s revitalization is in response to independent consumer research conducted in the U.K., Germany and France, which showed that upscale travelers in the EMEA region look for unique, character-rich environments which don’t follow a uniform pattern.
Choice Hotels International was among the first hotel companies in 2008 to introduce a hotel collection in the U.S. Four hotels joined the Ascend Collection the same year, establishing its foundation for growth in the U.S. and Europe.
Besides the Ascend Collection brand, Choice Hotels EMEA portfolio also includes Clarion, Quality, Comfort and Sleep Inn. In Europe, the Ascend Collection brand consists of more than 70 properties in the Nordic region, Spain, Ireland, Italy and Turkey.