ROCKVILLE, MD. - Choice Hotels International, Inc. announced its Premier and "Best of Choice" award winners at the company's 65th annual convention in Las Vegas.

The elite Premier award designations – Premier Legacy, Premier Developer and Premier Hotelier – acknowledged three of the company's top franchisees from 2018. Each of the winners were recognized for providing exceptional guest experiences, commitment to development, and embodiment of the Choice Hotels brand promise:

• Premier Legacy Winner – Champ Patel, founder of Champion Hotels Group, is both an experienced hotel owner and a leader in the community who uses his success in business as a platform to help others. Patel opened his first hotel – an Econo Lodge in Weatherford, Oklahoma – in 1983 and now has a portfolio of close to 50 Choice-branded properties.
• Premier Developer Winner – With development projects that span coast-to-coast in the nation's top metropolitan markets, Gold Coast Premier Properties sees no end in sight to the company's growth. Gold Coast has opened WoodSpring Suites hotels in Miami and Naples, Fla., with over a dozen projects in the pipeline in Florida, California, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
• Premier Hotelier Winner – David Burton, executive vice president of the Burton Hotel Group, serves as a leader and advocate on public policy issues that are critical to all hoteliers. Burton currently owns three Comfort hotels and three Sleep Inn & Suites that are award-winning year-after-year for their remarkable guest service.

"Our Premier and Best of Choice award winners embody Choice Hotels' dedication to exemplary service," said David Pepper, chief development officer, Choice Hotels. "We take great pride in cultivating long-lasting relationships with our owners, and each of these winners has helped Choice Hotels raise the bar for excellence in hospitality, innovation and development."  

The "Best of Choice" award winners were selected from each Choice Hotels brand for their commitment to superior guest service and operational excellence, and rank among the top properties in Choice Hotels' portfolio. Below is the full list of the 2019 "Best of Choice" award winners:

• The Bolling Wilson Hotel, an Ascend Hotel Collection Member (Wytheville, Va.) – The historic boutique hotel offers a unique upscale lodging experience in downtown Wytheville. The 30-room hotel, conveniently located off Interstates 81 and 77, features different decor themes on each floor, a vibrant restaurant and a scenic rooftop venue for meetings, weddings, and social gatherings.
• Cambria Hotel New Orleans Downtown Warehouse District (New Orleans) – Ranked the no. 1 hotel in New Orleans by TripAdvisor, the hotel offers an upscale experience that echoes the dynamic spirit of the city itself. Located in the heart of the Warehouse District and a 10-minute walk from the French Quarter, this quintessential New Orleans hotel gives travelers access to the city's best restaurants, finest cocktail bars, hippest music venues, and most iconic attractions.
• Comfort Suites (Hartville, Ohio) – Featuring the Comfort brand's elevated look and feel, the hotel provides guests with a refreshing experience and amenities that exceed their expectations. The hotel offers complimentary Wi-Fi, a hearty-and-healthy hot breakfast with the brand's signature waffles, along with an indoor pool and hot tub. Easily accessible from Interstate 77, the hotel is nearby several local attractions, such as the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Wright State University.
• Comfort Inn & Suites (North Conway, N.H.) – Great for business, leisure, solo or family travel, the hotel offers a relaxing and modern lodging experience. Guests have easy access to several nearby attractions, including White Mountain National Forest and Mount Washington.
• Sleep Inn (Ellenboro, W. Va.) – A short drive from North Bend State Park, guests of the Sleep Inn hotel in Ellenboro are never far from boating, fishing and hiking adventures. Visitors can enjoy the hotel's simply stylish decor and amenities, such as free hot breakfast, indoor heated pool, exercise room, and business center.
• Quality Inn Oakwood (Spokane, Wash.) – Nestled between downtown Spokane and the surrounding forests, the hotel is ideal for business and leisure travelers alike. The hotel is a short drive to the Mount Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park, Whitworth University, Spokane Convention Center, and Dwight Merkel Sports Complex. The Quality Inn Oakwood is also equipped with a free electric-vehicle charging station for guests traveling with energy efficient automobiles.
• Clarion Inn Conference Center (Gonzales, La.) – The hotel provides guests easy access to the area's top attractions, such as Tiger Stadium and the Pelican Point Golf Club. Visitors may enjoy the property's lush gardens, seasonal outdoor pool, nearly 10,000-square-feet event space, and award-winning restaurant, Mike Anderson's Seafood.
• MainStay Suites Rogers Near I-49 (Rogers, Ark.) – The all-suite hotel offers guests all the comforts of home with its residential style accommodations, free high-speed internet access, free continental breakfast, fitness center, and weekly housekeeping and guest laundry services.
• WoodSpring Suites Columbus Urbancrest (Grove City, Ohio) – This extended stay hotel offers guests a welcoming and reliable experience for their long-term stays. The WoodSpring Suites Columbus Urbancrest is conveniently located near the Ohio State University, OSU Hospital, Wexner Medical Center, Ohio Stadium, Buckeye Athletics, Martha Morehouse Medical Plaza and John Glenn Columbus International Airport.
• Suburban Extended Stay Hotel (Triadelphia, W. Va.) – The award-winning hotel in Triadelphia has previously been honored for its outstanding customer service and operational excellence. Located near various attractions, the hotel offers guest seeking long-term stays access to West Virginia Independence Hall, Wheeling Island Casino, and Wesbanco Arena.
• Econo Lodge (Sioux Center, Iowa) – This Sioux Center hotel is committed to reducing its carbon footprint and actively participates in environmentally-sustainable practices. The pet-friendly Econo Lodge is near the All Seasons Center, Centre Mall, and the Ice Cream Capital of the World Visitor Center.
• Rodeway Inn & Suites (Needles, Calif.) – Located off Interstate 40, the hotel provides an affordable lodging experience near attractions like Jack Smith Park, the Colorado River, and the historic mining town of Oatman, Ariz.

Choice Hotels Announces Refreshed Look of Its Four Popular Midscale Brand Logos
Choice Hotels International, Inc. celebrated its 80th anniversary this year and continued midscale leadership by unveiling refreshed logos for Quality Inn, Clarion, Sleep Inn, and MainStay Suites at its 65th annual convention. Amidst the successful transformation of Choice's flagship Comfort brand and following the recent launch of the Clarion Pointe brand extension, the updated logos exemplify Choice's leadership across all their midscale hotel brands with a fresh and modern look.

The new logos were designed to reflect both the brands' tradition and potential. All will include a "By Choice Hotels" tagline, which lends the company's full power to the brands - starting from the first moment guests see the signage.

"We never stop innovating at Choice, and the new brand identities embrace a modern look and feel without sacrificing the brand equity and rich history guests value today," said Anne Smith, vice president, brand management, design and compliance, Choice Hotels. "The 'By Choice Hotels' endorsement on each logo received overwhelmingly positive feedback from consumers. And owners told us that the connection to our master brand is a value add for their business."

Hotel owners will begin transitioning their signage to the new logos, and all guests can expect to see the new brand logos over the next two to three years on the hotel's exterior and on digital and social channels, including choicehotels.com. Each brand logo is unique to its personality:

• Quality Inn capitalizes on its 80 years of rich history and strong awareness by leveraging the recognizable "Q" and green that signals value, while modernizing for the future.
• Clarion used learnings from the new Clarion Pointe extension to design its revamped, kinetic logo, which signals its strong foothold in the focused service segment.
• Sleep Inn's value proposition as a simply stylish, all new-construction brand translates seamlessly to a cursive logo and eclipsing moon against its signature purple background.
• MainStay's updated blue logo - an ambigram of its M.S. initials - reimagines the brand promise of "live like home" and communicates calm and comfort, especially for extended-stay guests.

Choice's midscale brands, Comfort, Quality Inn, Clarion, Clarion Pointe, Sleep Inn, and MainStay Suites, expect to open more than 150 hotels combined in 2019, including in cities like Brooklyn, N.Y.; Nashville, Tenn.; Oklahoma City; San Antonio; and San Diego.