Choice Hotels Asia-Pac will return the Ascend Hotel Collection brand to New Zealand for the first time since 2016, with historic boutique hotel, The Classic Villa, announced as one of six new member properties to join the booming franchise network.
The boutique Italian style property in central Christchurch offers 12 rooms and is operated by hoteliers Peter Morrison and Jan Clarke, with Peter also currently serving as the World President of global tourism promotion and professional network, Skal.
The return of the brand to New Zealand comes as one of five new additions to the network across the Quality Inn, Comfort inn and Econo Lodge brands, with properties located in regional NSW, Victoria and South Australia.
Two properties in Tamworth – the 23-room and cottage Quality Inn Ashby House and the 62-room CH Boutique Hotel, as Ascend Hotel Collection – have bolstered the group’s presence in the north-western NSW town. Further north, the Comfort Inn City Centre Armidale features 40 rooms across a variety of categories and was the first accommodation provider in Australia to be certified carbon neutral under the National Carbon Offset Standards (NCOS).
In Wodonga, on the NSW/Vic state line, Choice Hotels Asia-Pac has added the 10-room Econo Lodge Border Gateway. The hotel is run by Duncan McLaren, whose father owns and operates the Econo Lodge Alabaster in Cowra.
Over in Adelaide, the group has also welcomed the Quality Inn O’Connell in the city’s north. The 24-room property offers close access to Adelaide Oval and is also less than 10kms from Adelaide Airport. The hotel is one of four operated by the company’s South Australian Regional Leader, Greg Winston.
Choice Hotels Asia-Pac CEO, Trent Fraser, welcomed the six properties to the network, saying it was pleasing for the group to be building its presence in regional Australian towns.
“Each new property brings its own diverse and unique character and visitor experience to the Choice Hotels Asia-Pac family and we look forward to welcoming guests through their doors.”