Choice Hotels International revealed a new MainStay Suites prototype at the 63rd annual Choice Hotels Convention in Las Vegas in a move to boost declining RevPAR.
“Guest expectations are rising, and we need to step things up to meet them,” Caragh McLaughlin, head of brand strategy for MainStay Suites, said at the conference, and warned owners that they would need to update their designs sooner rather than later. “Don’t make us make you renovate,” she said.
The newest prototype of MainStay Suites, Choice’s midscale extended stay brand, includes updates to The ‘Breakfast Room’ as well as home design updates throughout the property.
“Inspired by both hotel and home design trends, our new prototype design incorporates an open-concept community room and outdoor living area, with spaces for guests to relax, socialize and work as well as sleeker amenities, modernized décor and new appliances in all suites,” McLaughlin said in a statement. “The prototype was created with input from extended stay travelers and developers, and builds on the success of the 57 open MainStay Suites.”
New offerings in the updated MainStay Suites prototype include the ‘Breakfast Room,’ which provides guests with access to a traditional continental breakfast in addition to high-top communal tables with recharge capabilities for travelers. Signature aspects of the brand were also updated, including the MainStay roof line, MainStay Marketplace and guest suites.
MainStay Suites is also unveiling new on-property ‘Like Home’ programs to complement the new prototype, including a communal white board to inspire social engagement among guests, a lending library with frequently-requested items available for guests to borrow and food and beverage updates in all properties. Guests looking to cook in their rooms can now borrow rice cookers or crock pots for free—a step that Joe Marrone, director of brand programs at Choice Hotels, said would boost guest satisfaction while eliminating the need for hotel owners to buy these items for every room.
“The new prototype is attractive to developers looking to capitalize on both the business and leisure extended stay market demand,” Brian Quinn, VP, franchise development, Choice Hotels, said in a statement. "Given the success we've experienced with our Sleep Inn-MainStay Suites dual-brand concept, updating the MainStay Suites standalone prototype was the natural next step."