CHOICE HOTELS INTERNATIONAL recently introduced Lobby in a Box, a modular design package that allows hoteliers to transform lobby dining areas into multifunctional, revenue-generating spaces in around 120 days. The offering is designed for extended-stay brands, including Suburban Studios and MainStay Suites.
The package enables the conversion of standard lobby dining spaces in transient hotels, allowing hoteliers to create new income streams for the MainStay brand through a marketplace offering on-the-go food, beverages and travel essentials, Choice said in a statement. The program allows hotel owners to meet the needs of long-staying guests who prefer in-room dining with kitchens.
“As demand for extended-stay accommodations continues to exceed supply, solutions like Lobby in a Box and Kitchen in a Box help franchisees seize opportunities in a growing market while providing long-staying guests a superior experience,” said Matt McElhare, Choice’s vice president and lead of extended-stay brands. “Our goal is to simplify the conversion process and maximize hotel owners’ return on investment by giving them the tools to create functional and profitable spaces.”
Building on the Kitchen in a Box solution, which enables hotel owners to install kitchens in guestrooms within 3 to 4 months, Lobby in a Box supports Choice’s expansion into extended-stay markets, providing a faster, cost-effective alternative to new construction.
Hotel owners using these modular solutions are seeing results.
Rushi Vaidya, who converted his transient hotel into a Suburban Studios extended-stay property using Kitchen in a Box, reported a 43 percent increase in year-over-year RevPAR and a 10.2 percent improvement in guest satisfaction scores.
“The quick conversion and support from Choice Hotels allowed us to transform our property efficiently, leading to gains in both revenue and guest satisfaction,” Vaidya said.
Partners Nick Patel and Supan Shah, owners of MainStay Suites in Columbus, Ohio, echoed similar sentiments about Lobby in a Box.
“The design is functional and tailored to the needs of extended-stay guests. Choice Hotels’ support and focus on innovation in this segment has been key to our success,” they said.
Since its launch in spring 2022, Kitchen in a Box has been implemented in more than 30 hotels, with six more in progress, including three integrating Lobby in a Box into their renovations, the statement said. These design elements support Choice Hotels’ growth in the extended-stay segment, with the company set to open its 500th extended-stay property this year.
“With support from our team of over 70 extended-stay experts, we convert transient hotels into extended-stay properties quickly,” said Ron Burgett, Choice’s senior vice president of extended-stay development.
Choice also recently relaunched Radisson Individuals in the Americas as an upper-upscale soft brand for full-service, boutique, and independent hotels, making it available to owners for the first time since Choice’s 2022 acquisition of Radisson Hotels Americas.
