Brand relationships
Choice
Choice is a franchise house. It runs from Radisson Collection and Cambria down to Econo Lodge and Rodeway Inn, with a deep extended-stay bench in between. When a Choice hotel sells, the buyer goes through a franchise application with the brand and, often, a PIP.
Founded
1939, FloridaHeadquarters
North Bethesda, MarylandQuality Courts United
Formally organized, 1941Seven motel owners who agreed to send each other guests.
In 1939, seven motor court owners in Florida started referring travelers to one another and holding each other to a shared set of standards. In 1941 they made it formal as Quality Courts United, based in Daytona Beach, which Choice calls the nation’s first hotel chain.
The association became a for-profit company in 1963. In 1968 Stewart Bainum Sr. merged his motel company into Quality Courts, took over as president and CEO, and moved the headquarters to Silver Spring, Maryland. From there it grew into a multi-brand franchisor, and in August 2022 it completed its acquisition of Radisson Hotels Americas.
Today Choice runs from North Bethesda, Maryland, and lists 22 brands. For owners and buyers, the flag sets the prototype and the brand standards, and the franchise agreement is where a sale gets worked out: change of ownership, the application, and the PIP.
What guests and buyers already associate with Choice
Built on franchising
Choice started as a cooperative of owners and grew up as a franchisor. For a buyer, the relationship with Choice is the franchise agreement, and the standards and PIP are what get worked out at sale.
Extended stay at every price
Everhome, WoodSpring, MainStay, and Suburban Studios cover longer stays from midscale down to economy. Weekly housekeeping and lean staffing change the operating model, and buyers price them that way.
Radisson, in the Americas
Since 2022, Radisson, Radisson Blu, Radisson RED, Country Inn & Suites, and Park Inn are Choice brands in the Americas. Outside the Americas those names sit with Radisson Hotel Group, which matters for anyone reading the franchise agreement.
Choice’s brands, by segment
This is Choice’s brand house, read top to bottom: upscale, midscale, extended stay, and economy. The Radisson brands are Choice’s in the Americas. Each card notes who the brand is built for and how the hotel runs.
Upscale
Choice’s “travel with more” brands. Radisson full service, Cambria, and the collections for independents.
Radisson Collection
Lifestyle hotels at the top of the Radisson name
Full service
Radisson Blu
Upper-upscale full service with a signature restaurant
Full service
Cambria Hotels
Upscale hotels with a real bar and local menus
Upscale select
Radisson
Upscale full service
Full serviceRadisson RED
Lifestyle hotels with a busy social bar
Upscale lifestyle
Park Plaza
Upscale full service with local personality
Full service
Ascend Hotel Collection
Historic, boutique, and resort independents
Soft brand
Radisson Individuals
Independent hotels that keep their boutique personality
Soft brandMidscale
The core of the system. Free breakfast, a pool at many locations, and the brands most owner-operators know.
Comfort
Upper midscale with free hot breakfast
Select service
Country Inn & Suites by Radisson
Upper midscale with free hot breakfast
Select serviceRadisson Inn & Suites
Midscale conversion brand under the Radisson name
Select service
Clarion
Midscale hotels with a restaurant, bar, and meeting space
Full service
Quality Inn
Midscale value with free breakfast
Limited service
Sleep Inn
Midscale new-build prototype built around sleep
Limited service
Clarion Pointe
Midscale conversion brand with a 24-hour market
Limited service
Park Inn by Radisson
Midscale essentials, done well
Limited serviceExtended stay
Longer stays with kitchens and weekly housekeeping, from midscale to economy.
Everhome Suites
Midscale new-build extended stay
Midscale extended stay
MainStay Suites
Midscale apartment-style suites
Midscale extended stay
WoodSpring Suites
Economy extended stay with in-room kitchens
Economy extended stay
Suburban Studios
Economy studios for long stays
Economy extended stayEconomy
Choice’s “travel simply” brands. The basics at a budget rate, with a national brand behind them.
Econo Lodge
Economy roadside hotels with free breakfast
Limited service
Rodeway Inn
The basics at a budget rate
Limited serviceA Choice flag is part of the deal. We know who to call.
Selling or buying a Choice-flagged hotel means a conversation with the brand: change of ownership, the franchise application, and often a PIP. The Kohler Team and Hospitality Sales Group help owners and buyers get through those steps, without sending you off to find a brand representative on your own.