U.S. HOTEL FRANCHISE EYES CANADA
By Adnews Staff
U.S. Franchise Systems of Atlanta plans to bring its Microtel Inn & Suites chain of hotels to Canada next year. The company has set up a Canadian company, Vinings Franchise Systems, to handle the expansion, and it plans to hire a Canadian agency to help promote the hotels, Vinings CEO Peter Murphy told Adnews last week. Microtels are budget hotels that offer such amenities as morning coffee, chiropractic mattresses and cable TV. Vinings plans to open its first Canadian Microtel in Toronto, then move into Quebec and western Canada. There will also be hotels built near airports and U.S. borders. Worldwide, there are 152 Microtels open or under construction, and an additional 352 under development. The hotels are in the U.S., Argentina, Uruguay, Honduras, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Panama. USFS has also signed agreements to expand Microtel into the Philippines, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, the Turks and Caicos Islands. It is also working with companies in Mexico, Europe, India and South Africa on similar agreements.