Dive Brief:
- IHG Hotels & Resorts opened its third Atwell Suites property in Texas near Austin Bergstrom International Airport, following the brand’s debut in Miami and Denver.
- The 80-room Atwell Suites Austin Airport is the upper midscale brand’s first conversion property, designed to “support longer stays that allow for easy transition between business and leisure,” IHG said in a Thursday statement.
- The opening comes after IHG said hotel conversions are set to drive the company’s portfolio growth in 2024. The Atwell Suites brand, particularly, has nearly two dozen additional properties in its pipeline.
Dive Insight:
Atwell Suites Austin Airport will cater to both business and leisure travelers with modern guest suites featuring designated “zones for work and rest,” according to IHG.
The upper midscale hotel will also feature a mix of private and shared spaces in the lobby, including a bar and a TV lounge with games and puzzles.
Atwell Suites Austin Airport is the brand’s first conversion property.
“At IHG, we’ve seen great success with conversions in recent years – particularly during times of tighter financial lending environments,” Karen Gilbride, vice president of Atwell Suites, Avid and Garner hotels, said in a statement. “As we continue to see an increasing desire from owners in this space, we’re excited that Atwell Suites can provide this option.”
In its fourth-quarter earnings report, IHG noted that hotel conversions made up a significant portion of the company’s openings and signings in 2023 and are expected to drive portfolio growth in 2024 as well. Other hotel companies like Marriott International saw similar interest in hotel conversions in the quarter.
There are more than 40 additional properties in the Atwell Suites pipeline, including recent groundbreakings in Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada; Kansas City, Missouri; and Fort Worth, Texas. IHG did not share how many of the hotels in its pipeline are conversions.
IHG’s newly launched conversion brand Garner also has a strong pipeline, with the hotel company expecting to open 500 locations in the next decade.
