New stayAPT Suites extended-stay brand plots rapid growth

A new extended-stay brand officially launched Jan. 23: stayAPT Suites. Led by industry veteran Gary DeLapp, the brand expects to launch its first 12 newly constructed hotels this year, with an additional 30 locations to follow in 2021.

The new chain expects to build a portfolio of more than 100 corporate-owned hotels and more than 200 franchise locations within the next five years. StayAPT Suites currently has two franchise locations in development, both set to open this year.

DeLapp, the company’s president/CEO, has a long history in the extended-stay industry. Over his career, he has served as president/CEO of WoodSpring Hotels, Extended Stay Hotels and Affordable Suites of America.  

DeLapp told Hotel Management stayAPT Suites properties will be more residential than a typical hotel. “Just by the 500-square-foot-room, you don’t see that in the industry,” he said. Guestrooms will include an open-concept living room with a sleeper sofa, a lounge chair and a 55-inch television; a fully equipped kitchen; and a separate bedroom with a second television, a walk-in closet and a work area. The company plans to unveil its interior room design in the coming month.

The brand will offer two- and three-story construction models ranging from 59 to 89 units. The hotel’s prototype will make it ideal for sites ranging from 1.8 to 2.1 acres in size. The development has no restricted territories and is designed to fit in large, medium or tertiary markets. The hotel will cater to business, relocation and leisure travelers and offer stays from one night to longer than a month.

DeLapp also described stayAPT Suites as a “game changer” in terms of its labor model. Depending on room count, he said each hotel will call for an average of 2.5 to five employees.

StayAPT Suites’ first hotel is slated to open this May in Fort Belvoir, Va. Additional openings in 2020 are scheduled in:

  • Charlotte (Northlake), N.C.
  • Goldsboro, N.C.
  • Raleigh/Morrisville, N.C.
  • Greenville, S.C.
  • Greer, S.C.
  • Columbia/Irmo, S.C.
  • North Charleston, S.C.
  • Rock Hill, S.C.
  • Chattanooga, Tenn.
  • Houston/Webster, Texas
  • Montgomery, Ala.

Though the brand’s first year of openings is focused on the South, DeLapp told Hotel Management that the Matthews, N.C.-based company is looking to go “coast to coast.” Already, he said the company is looking at a couple of projects in the Midwest and some out West.

"The reaction we've received from guests and potential investors has been overwhelmingly positive,” DeLapp said in a statement. “Guests have been blown away with the amount of space found in each suite, the separate, distinct room design and the overall functionality. It's like nothing else they've experienced in the category. It's a game-changer for long-term lodging."