IHG Hotels and Resorts has unveiled new prototype options for developers of its three suites brands – Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites and Atwell Suites.
The room prototypes offer slimmer configurations aimed at “shorter-stay guests”, while prioritizing “the retention of identifiable and guest-loved brand hallmarks, including ample in-room storage and kitchen space”.
In the case of Staybridge Suites – the brand which European travellers will be most familiar with – the new Smart Studio room configuration offers developers the option of a room bay measuring 13 feet instead of the current 16 feet, with streamlined kitchen equipment and fixtures and optimized millwork cabinetry.
IHG said that this option could comprise as much as 25 per cent of the overall room mix at a Staybridge property, allowing developers to maximise revenue potential.
The Candlewood Suites Beacon 4.2 prototype similarly reduces the room bay measurement from 16 foot 8 inches to 12 foot 6 inches, offering developer to add up to 12 suites on a similarly sized site.
Finally the new Atwell Suites prototype reduces the room bay measurement from 16 foot 8 inches to 12 foot 6 inches – again adding up to 12 suites to developments. Developers can also now choose from a one-storey lobby option in addition to the existing two-storey configuration.
IHG launched the Atwell Suites brand in 2019, and the rollout has been relatively slow with just three properties open including the recently unveiled Atwell Suites Austin Airport – although the group says there are more than 40 Atwell properties in the pipeline.
While clearly aimed at enticing more developers to take up the brands, IHG’s SVP of development, mainstream brands – US and Canada, Kevin Schramm, said the new concepts “reflect guest and owner feedback, and enable new and existing owners to deliver our modern suite experiences – in various forms – to more markets without compromising consistency or quality”.
The new prototype options will be available by the second quarter of this year, with the first properties featuring them set to open “as early as 2025”. Initially the designs will only be available for US developments.
The move to adapt three of IHG’s extended stay brands follows the launch of several new brands by rival hotel groups, including Marriott’s StudioRes offering and Hilton’s LivSmart Studios.
