Choice Hotels International has launched ‘Lobby in a Box,’ a proprietary and exclusive design solution for its extended stay hotel conversions.
The design package will empower hoteliers to convert public areas, such as lobby dining areas, into multifunctional, revenue-generating spaces within 120 days for its Suburban Studios and MainStay Suites brands.
This new initiative helps Choice widen its footprint into key extended stay markets, which have high barriers to entry and where conversions provide a faster, cost-effective solution to new-build properties.
Delivered in a ready-to-assemble crate, Lobby in a Box offers an alternative to convert standard lobby spaces and make it suitable for extended stay guests, who usually prefer in-room dining thanks to the fully equipped kitchens at the rooms. Lobby in Box offers hotel owners with an alternative to transform the existing lobby dining paces in transient hotels and create new income opportunities for the MainStay brand, by adding a marketplace, with grab-and-go options, essential travel items and more.
Lobby in a Box builds on Choice’s previous turnkey solution, Kitchen in a Box, which enables hotel owners to install fully equipped kitchens inside the guestrooms within three-four months.
Solutions like Kitchen in a Box and Lobby in a Box are helping franchisees seize opportunities in a growing market, while offering long-term guests an elevated, customized experience, Choice said in a statement.
“At Choice Hotels, we are proud to be pioneers and innovators in the extended stay segment,” said Matt McElhare, vice president and lead for extended stay brands for Choice Hotels. “Our goal is to simplify the conversion process and help maximize hotel owner’ return on investment by giving them the tools to create spaces that can be both functional and profitable.”
There has been overwhelming demand for extended stay options, with demand surpassing supply. In such a situation, solutions like Kitchen in a Box and Lobby in a Box meet the requirement for fast and efficient conversions, Choice said in a release. In most cases, securing financing for conversions is more accessible than for new build properties, owing to the lower risk profile associated with repurposing existing properties.
Since it was launched in spring 2022, Kitchen in a Box has been used in more than 30 open hotels, with six more in the pipeline (including three that are also adding Lobby in a Box into their renovations).
Choice has two conversion extended stay brands — budget-focused Suburban Studios and midscale MainStay Suites.