Baymont Sets Sights On 500 Properties Within Five Years

MILWAUKEE— Baymont Inns & Suites has an ambitious five-year expansion plan that will boost the portfolio of mid-priced hotels from the current 180 to 500 properties across the country. To hit this growth target, the company plans to focus on conversions and franchising, while somewhat minimizing the number of new developments it undertakes. “New development has slowed as a result of the economy,” said Dan Daniele, president of Baymont Franchises International. But, he added, “there are multiple opportunities in the marketplace with hotels that have been built over the last 10 years that are looking for a new home. “We have good distribution with our brand, but we don’t have a lot of impact. We may be an alternative to existing bigger brands for franchisees looking to be part of a different type of franchise organization,” he continued. According to Daniele, Baymont currently has 25 properties in its pipeline, with plans to add 40 to 50 franchised properties per year as well as five to 10 strategic market partnership development (SMPD) properties— in which the company maintains ownership of the hotel with a development partner. The Northeast and Northwest will be the primary markets in which Baymont will be seeking out hotels to convert to the brand while the company’s major feeder markets— including Minneapolis, Atlanta, Dallas and Washington, DC— will be the markets in which Baymont will add SMPD properties. Converting a hotel to the Baymont brand, according to Daniele, involves updating the guestroom décor and facility exterior so that it offers the “Baymont sense of arrival.” Accordingly, the color of the building, the presence of Baymont’s sunrise logo, the exterior lighting, awnings and roof-line are all important elements that must be adapted before a hotel is deemed fit to fly the Baymont flag. Although beefing-up franchising efforts is a key element in Baymont’s five-year strategic program, Daniele maintains that Baymont has no plans to abandon the ownership component of its growing portfolio. “We currently have 89 franchised properties and 96 company-owned hotels, putting us at about a 50-50 ratio. Although franchising has become more of a focus, we always intend to have about 40% of our portfolio company owned,” said Daniele.