Choice Hotels International, Inc. is celebrating a major achievement for the Ascend Collection brand with more than 400 independent resort, historic and boutique hotels open around the globe.
As part of the next chapter of the brand's growth, Choice Hotels is streamlining the brand name as the "Ascend Collection," and unveiling a new logo paying tribute to its pioneering legacy while further embracing its mission to let each property's unique character shine.
Established as the first soft brand in the hotel industry in 2008, Ascend continues to be a vanguard in the upscale segment, delivering meaningful results for owners and memorable stays for guests. The Ascend Collection has 423 hotels open worldwide and is continuing its strategic expansion into high-demand leisure and urban markets, with more than 70 hotels in the global pipeline.
In 2024, the company expanded the number of its Upscale and upper upscale room count by 44 per cent to over 110,000 rooms, which make up almost 20 per cent of its room portfolio. Additionally, it invested in a major refresh of ChoiceHotels.com and the mobile app in December 2024, driving a 16 per cent increase in lower-cost, direct bookings to upscale hotels since then. Following new enhancements this year, Choice Privileges, the company's award-winning loyalty program, has also become an even more powerful vehicle for attracting guests to upscale hotels, with up to 180,000 upscale rooms bookable today.
The brand last year also entered new markets including Washington, D.C., Park City, Utah, Vancouver, Mexico City, Queensland, Australia, and recently signed a hotel in Calama—a city known as the gateway to Chile's majestic Atacama Desert.
"Reaching more than 400 properties in the Ascend Collection is more than a milestone; it's a clear signal of the growing opportunity for owners," says Mark Shalala, senior vice president, development, Upscale Brands, Choice Hotels International. "The collection's expansion, particularly into new and exciting destinations like Chile, positions us even better to raise brand awareness and help drive more bookings and revenue potential for owners. With the benefits of being part of Choice Hotels' fast accelerating upscale business, the power of our franchisee support system and the brand's flexible operating model, now is the perfect moment to become an Ascend owner."
Ascend's growing portfolio boasts a range of distinctive properties offering memorable guest experiences, including:
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