The sweet nights of extended stays

It has already been observed on a number of occasions that what succeeds in the United States makes its way to Europe with three or four years lag time, be it music, sports, economy or politics. And yet one exception con.rms this rule: “extended-stay” hotels took the long way across the pond. Since its success at the beginning of the 80s, this particular segment in classic hotel supply has grown exponentially in Uncle Sam’s backyard. Nearly thirty brands share the market there. Starting with Jacked Boer, the father of extended-stay accommodations, who is already launching his fourth brand. After Residence Inn, the first “extended stay” brand launched in 1975 and sold to Marriott in 1987, the pioneer continued to tap into this market with Summer.eld Suites – sold in 1992 and which entered the fold of Global Hyatt in 2005 – then Candlewood Suites, owned by the group IHG since 2004. These groups have pursued the creator’s work by assuming an industrial dimension, and today Jack de Boer is successfully concentrating on the development of a new, more economic concept: Value Place.As for the whole of the hotel industry, emerging countries such as India represent a veritable goldmine for “extended stay” brands. Eastern Europe is also an obvious territory. The Orco group is being opportunistic by making MaMaison Residences available to executives who have arrived to conquer these fast-developing markets. The Middle East and Asia could definitively establish the growth of the extended-stay hotel segment. On these two markets, the projects for Marriott Executive Apartments are numerous in India, Thailand and China in particular. The same is true for Frasers which will launch a superior 3* brand in China, where the upscale currently predominates. “Everything will pick up speed. There will be increased competition, as well as greater visibility for...