Major Canadian hotel investment breathes new life into Comfort brand
Revitalization coincides with North American rebrand
Toronto – (October 8, 2019) – InnVest Hotels and Choice Hotels Canada proudly announce the revitalization of 53 InnVest-owned Comfort Inn properties across Canada with a $100-million investment over the next few years. The investment coincides with a new Comfort brand identity and the recent launch of a new ad campaign which highlights the refresh of the Comfort brand across North America.
The roll-out begins in Winnipeg with the prototype, expected to be complete in early 2020, followed by the complete renovation of the remaining 52 properties including a full modernization of the exterior, expanded breakfast rooms and elevated experience with enhanced technology in all 4,127 guestrooms.
Together with 10 new-build Comfort brand hotels planned in the Choice development pipeline for Canada for this year and next, these properties will strengthen and modernize the well-loved brand throughout Canada.
Trusted by both business and leisure travellers for more than 25 years, Comfort hotels in Canada are being updated with new lobbies, guest rooms and a modern brand identity. Choice Hotels Canada and InnVest Hotels collaborated on the partner selection of architecture firm Turner Fleischer for exterior work. Design firm Moncur was selected for interior renovations, which will feature sleek and highly functional guest rooms and lobby spaces.
“This will be a total transformation of one of our flagship hotel brands and we are looking forward to collaborating with InnVest on this exciting national project,” said Brian Leon, president of Choice Hotels Canada. “We are confident our guests will embrace the new modern look and feel of our Comfort properties.”
The changes don’t stop there. The InnVest-owned Comfort hotels are working to reduce their environmental impact: diminishing single-use plastics, introducing hydration stations and providing bulk-sized bathroom amenities for guests—diverting more than 1.5 million miniature shampoo and conditioner bottles from landfills every year.
“At InnVest we believe in doing what is best forr our guests, employees and the environment,” said Jeff Hyslop, Senior Vice President of Asset Management at InnVest Hotels. “We are thrilled with our partnership with Choice Hotels Canada and are very excited to be working together to elevate our hotels to enhance the guest experience and implement changes that will have true, lasting impact.”
The new Choice Hotels multi-media advertising campaign features the tagline “Our Business Is You.” The redesigned Comfort hotels and logo take centre stage in the campaign, marking an important milestone as the brand completes a multi-year transformation across North America. The campaign leverages the consumer truth that “business” can be defined broadly—from meeting with clients to planning a family reunion. The campaign will also feature Choice Hotel’s diverse portfolio of brands, which includes Sleep Inn, Clarion, and Quality, reinforcing that Choice offers a hotel brand to meet every travellers’ needs.
About InnVest
With 81 hotels in its portfolio, representing 14 internationally recognized hotel brands, InnVest is the largest owner of hotels in Canada. In addition, the management team oversees the day-to-day activities of almost 70 hotels, making InnVest the largest operator of hotels in Canada. InnVest’s portfolio is geographically diverse with hotels from Vancouver, British Columbia to Corner Brook, Newfoundland — from roadside inns to luxury urban properties. At InnVest, our mission is simple – to deliver outstanding guest experiences and superior returns on quality hospitality investment.
About Choice Hotels Canada
Choice Hotels Canada® is one of the largest and most successful lodging franchisors in the country with more than 350 properties currently open or under development. The Choice® family of hotel brands provide business and leisure travellers with a range of high-quality lodging options, including limited to full-service hotels in the upscale, mid-scale, extended stay and economy segments. Brands in Canada include Ascend Hotel Collection®, ComfortTM, Sleep Inn®, Quality®, Clarion®, MainStay Suites®, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel®, Econo Lodge® and Rodeway Inn®. All hotels are independently owned and operated. Choice Hotels Canada® is master franchisee of Choice Hotels International, Inc., which franchises more than 7,000 hotels, representing nearly 570,000 rooms, in over 40 countries and territories as of December 31, 2018. The award-winning Choice Privileges® loyalty program offers members benefits from everyday rewards to exceptional experiences. For more information, visit www.choicehotels.com.
For more information, please contact:
Lauren Wasley
Carlaw Communications
T:647-883-9439
E: lauren@carlawcommunications.com