Choice Hotels EMEA continues to renew its brands with the refresh of Clarion Hotels, having started the renewal of the Comfort brand last month.
As part of its recently announced brand portfolio renewal in the EMEA region, Choice Hotels has launched the refresh of its Clarion brand. In the third quarter of 2022, the renewal of the Quality brand will begin. Finally, this year should see the introduction of the Sleep brand for the first time in EMEA.
This renewal will come about following the analysis of research conducted in key markets regarding post-pandemic travel requirements.
Alongside this research, Clarion hotels will be expected to reflect their own personality through their design, whilst offering a richer experience that meets new guest expectations.
Clarion's design philosophy has been carefully considered to ensure that the brand's hotels reflect the local culture, allowing guests to enjoy an 'authentic' experience and franchisees to customise their design choices to suit their needs.
Through this refresh, Clarion hotels will all have three key customisable elements in common:
- The Clarion Café: this will be the central point of the hotel allowing guests to eat, relax and work. Menus will be based on local and seasonal products. Properties will also be able to offer a bar and artisanal pop-ups that are easily accessible to locals.
- A key signature element: each hotel will be required to have a key signature element, which could be a cocktail, a pastry served at the Clarion Café, a historical feature of the hotel, an ambient scent, a pet mascot of the hotel or even a key member of staff.
- An identifiable design element: this should make an impression on visitors as soon as they enter the hotel, it could be a piece of art, a sculpture, a creative ceiling light or a central piece of furniture.
In order to be consistent with our franchisees and customers, our brands are designed to provide clarity and transparency, focusing on both customer experience and revenue enhancement, while keeping an eye on optimising operational efficiency. [...] The Clarion brand's design sensibility allows franchisees to truly create a bespoke hotel, building on the systems deployed by Choice Hotels and offering unique experiences so that guests can discover something different in each Clarion hotel. In effect, this allows each hotel to reveal its own personality.
Jonathan Mills, CEO of Choice Hotels EMEA
The renewal of the Clarion brand follows the renewal of the Comfort brand which began last month. Each Comfort hotel will feature a Comfort Hub, designed as a multi-purpose space, and the design concepts will allow greater flexibility for franchisees. These hotels are being renovated with the ambition of meeting the current expectations of the "mid-range traveller".
