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The Residence Inn by Marriott Richmond West is open in Midlothian, Virginia. It is owned by Shamin Hotels, led by CEO Neil Amin in Chester, Virginia. The 111-suite extended=stay hotel is near Johnston-Willis Hospital and 20 minutes from downtown Richmond. Other nearby attractions are Richmond Ice Zone, Huguenot Park, Chesterfield Towne Center and River City Sportsplex. The pet-friendly hotel's amenities include a meeting room, an indoor swimming pool and a fitness center. "When on the road for an extended period, our guests need space to spread out, maintain their life's pace and restore their energy to keep a healthy balance and routine while traveling. This new hotel offers a seamless blend of modern style and functionality that allows them to settle in and thrive," said Diane Mayer, vice president and global brand manager for Residence Inn at Marriott International.

SONESTA INTERNATIONAL HOTELS Corp. executed approximately 15 franchise agreements, adding more than 1,900 keys in the first quarter of 2024. These new franchise hotels span Sonesta's brands, including The James, Sonesta ES Suites, Sonesta Essential, Americas Best Value Inn, Red Lion Hotels, Red Lion Inn & Suites, and Sonesta Hotels & Resorts, Sonesta said in a statement. "The 15 signed franchise agreements during the first quarter underscore Sonesta's momentum as we welcome new owners into our growing portfolio and expand our market presence," said Keith Pierce, Sonesta's executive vice president and the president of franchise and development. "With a fast, friendly, and flexible approach and a seamless conversion process for our franchisees, we expect continued growth throughout 2024." These agreements highlight Sonesta's appeal as a conversion option compared to larger competitors, the statement added. The company said hotel owners are attracted to the company's focus on maximizing ROI through property rebranding. It offers owners various options across upper upscale, lifestyle, upscale, midscale, extended-stay and premium economy segments.

WITH A ROCK and roll theme, Best Western Hotels & Resorts held its annual conference in Cleveland on Oct. 28 to 30. During the event, which marked the completion of the first year of the company's former general counsel Larry Cuculic as president and CEO, the company launched a new extended-stay brand, Home by BWH. Thousands of Best Western members attended the conference, with the theme "BW Rocks 2022." Cuculic, who took over for long-time president and CEO David Kong last year, gave an update on his first year. "When my journey began in this position last year, I was anxious," Cuculic said in the first general session of the recent conference. "The honor of the position and the responsibilities are absolutely huge. Consider, though, that being anxious is actually a good thing. It's a good thing. It's a reflection of my wanting to do my best for you."

The Home2 Suites by Hilton-Richmond is open in Richmond, Indiana. It is owned by The Witness Group led by Sachin Patel, Sagar Patel and Aakash Patel as principals and executive leadership team. It is managed by Hotel Equities of Atlanta. The 100-room extended-stay hotel is near Richmond Mall, the Indiana Football Hall of Fame, and Indiana University East. Dayton International Airport. Amenities include an indoor saline pool and electric vehicle charging stations. It is pet friendly. "The hotel staff has prioritized the health and safety of patrons by implementing HE's industry leading HEalth First standards of cleanliness and safety protocol as part of the early operations training," said David Rosenberg HE's vice president of operations. "These protocols, which are above and beyond brand standards, along with the team's delivery of superior customer service will give guests complete confidence during their stay and will position the hotel as a leader in the Richmond market."

The My Place Hotel-Green Bay is now open in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It is owned by Asharam, LLC led by Principal Atul Patel. The 64-room extended-stay hotel is the 61st My Place hotel in the U.S. and the second in Wisconsin. It is part of My Place's Trend Hotels & Suites brand launched earlier this year. It is near Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers. "My Place is the perfect fit for this area. With a seamless building and opening process, we are excited to continue bringing family like hospitality to our guests," said Patel. Terry Kline, My Place executive vice president for franchise sales, said the My Place Hotel-Green Bay is suited to the current COVID-19 pandemic crisis. "As we continue to make sense of the new normal that continues to change around us, we look forward to the bright future ahead of us as we inspire future guests with our spirit of hospitality in Green Bay," said Kline.

THE NUMBER OF U.S. hotel rooms under construction in June reached its highest level in 16 months, according to CoStar. The construction volume increased year-over-year for four consecutive months, with upscale and upper midscale segments dominating pipeline activity. "The number of rooms in construction has grown year-over-year for four consecutive months," said Isaac Collazo, STR's vice president, analytics. "While upscale and upper midscale continue to dominate, accounting for about 50 percent of all rooms in the final phase of the pipeline, the pace of activity in these segments has slowed compared to last year. Midscale and economy have shown the most growth, up 42 percent and 34 percent, respectively, with newer brands and extended-stay accounting for most of the new construction across the midscale segment." Approximately 157,713 rooms were under construction in June, up 5.5 percent from the same month last year. Additionally, 266,619 rooms were in the final planning phase, a 9.8 percent increase from June 2023. The planning stage saw 333,827 rooms, a rise of 38.7 percent compared to the previous year.