Magnuson expands global portfolio by 10 hotels in 30 days

Magnuson Worldwide has added nearly a dozen new hotels in the last 30 days to its branded portfolio and the "By Magnuson Worldwide" soft brand collection.

New hotels joining the brand include the new Magnuson Hotel Vow in Palmerston, Ontario; Magnuson Hotel Howell Michigan (a former Best Western); M Star Hotel Little Rock in Arkansas (a former Motel 6) and the Magnuson Hotel Hampton, a former La Quinta and the company's fourth branded hotel in Virginia.
 

For the "By Magnuson Worldwide" collection, the Best Travel Inn Phillipsburg in New Jersey joined from America’s Best Value Inns. The Western Motel Hardin is upgrading to the collection as Magnuson's first soft-branded property in Montana. The Crescent Victoria Margate, meanwhile, is the first collection property in the UK.

Further afield, the Running Mon Sunrise Resort and Marina in the Bahamas just joined the collection as a resort hotel.

New independent properties include the Northwick Hotel in the UK, which is a part of the Great National Hotels, as well as the Rama Inn in Bells, Tenn.

Earlier this year, CEO Tom Magnuson emphasized the need for independent hotels to compete not only with the corporate brands but the sharing economy as the UK's market undergoes fundamental changes. “Fundamental industry changes have been taking place in the UK,” Magnuson said in the spring. “Eight or nine years ago, it was 80 percent or 90 percent unbranded. People didn’t want to think about a brand—but there has been a huge increase in brands with Travelodge and Premier Inn, and now that 80 percent to 90 percent is 49 percent. The brands are tipping the scale.”