Choice Hotels International has awarded franchise agreements to Victor Patel of VRL Hotels to develop new Cambria Hotels in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Tenn.
The 140-room Cambria Hotel Gatlinburg is expected to open in 2022 and will include a rooftop bar and restaurant. The proposed 140-room Cambria Hotel Pigeon Forge, meanwhile, is expected to open in 2024.
These agreements further the brand's traction in Tennessee, which includes the already open Cambria Hotel Nashville Downtown as well as the soon-to-open Cambria Hotel Nashville Airport and a future property in Nashville's West End neighborhood.
"The Cambria Hotels brand had robust development activity heading into the recent downturn, and we continue to grow despite the current challenging landscape," said Mark Shalala, SVP of development, upscale brands for Choice. "Since June, we've added five new hotels coast to coast—from Madeira Beach, Fla., to Sonoma, Calif.—and our developers continue to be heavily invested in the growth of the brand, as evidenced by these new franchise agreements in two highly sought-after leisure markets in Tennessee. We look forward to building on our success as we close out the year and begin a new one with more excitement on the horizon for the brand."
Patel, who is developing the Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge Cambrias, has more than 15 years of experience with building hotels, including additional Choice-branded properties. There are currently more than 50 Cambria hotels open across the U.S.