SANTIAGO, CHILE—Chile will be the first country in the southern cone in La Quinta’s expansion strategy in Latin America, with a franchise agreement for a LQ Hotel by La Quinta with the Chilean company Inmobiliaria e Inversiones Profit Summit Limitada.
Opening in 2017 close to Santiago’s international airport, the property will consist of 100 rooms, a lobby, fitness center, indoor pool, meeting space and business center.
“La Quinta supports us with all the tools we need to succeed and increase the value of our investment. La Quinta has created a program unlike any other franchised brand. In part, this is due to the fact that they listen to their franchisees and apply years of lodging experience so both can grow together,” said Antonio Yong, president of Inmobiliaria e Inversiones Profit Summit Limitada.
Over the past 10 years, La Quinta has more than doubled the size of its hotel chain and has been the fastest growing of the hotel brands comprising La Quinta’s main competitive set in the U.S. in terms of percentage growth, according to the company.
Currently, more than 870 La Quinta Inn & Suites and La Quinta Inn hotels are located in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. LQ Hotel locations are open or in the pipeline in Honduras, Colombia, Guatemala and Nicaragua.
“We understand that our franchisees require a significant return on their investment and we are constantly working to meet that goal. In the last two years, nearly 50% of our new franchise agreements have been with groups or individuals who already have ownership interests in one or more La Quinta Inn & Suites or LQ Hotels,” said Rajiv Trivedi, chief development officer for La Quinta.