NASHVILLE— Villager Franchise Systems, a subsidiary of Cendant Corp., is growing its portfolio of extended-stay properties in Canada and Mexico, as well as in the U.S. Earlier this year the brand’s first property outside the U.S. opened in Rosarito Beach, Mexico, followed by one in Port Alberni, BC, Canada. There are two more properties slated to open in Canada this year, according to Ken Rodgers, president/CEO for the brand, with an additional 20 scheduled to open over the next five years through a partnership with master franchisor AFM Hospitality. In addition to international growth, Rodgers announced at the recent annual conference, here, for Villager and the Knights Inn brand— also a Cendant subsidiary— that the Villager brand is currently in negotiations with two other regional extended-stay chains. The two chains represent more than 20 properties and 2,000 rooms. Agreements are expected to be finalized by year’s end. “Any additions to our chain will be key to our national distribution and brand recognition,” he said. National development plans include Florida, Mississippi, Illinois, Missouri, Louisiana, California, Colorado, Texas, Nevada, Washington, Nebraska and Wyoming. At presstime there were nearly 125 Villager Lodge properties and 25 Villager Premier properties open or under development with another nine Premier properties expected to be signed by the end of 2000. Rodgers did note, however, that “Villager Lodge will continue to remain our core product.” While brand expansion is a goal, so is making sure each property is equipped to succeed. According to John Quirin, manager of training, “you are the key to your individual property, and you must train your staff to understand the segment that we’re in.” Quirin told attendees that there are currently six, five-day Villager Logic Manager Training sessions planned for 2001. He also informed franchisees about The Villager Network (TVN), an Intranet site that is password protected. In addition, there is the S.M.A.R.T. program, which stands for Sell Me A Room Today. This program measures telephone etiquette of hotel staff and their ability to book a room. At last year’s convention, the Villager brand unveiled its mascot, the Mayor. This year, the announcement was made that the Mayor will no longer be solely a one-dimensional print character. Through radio and television commercials the Mayor will gain a voice and become animated. The brand will be targeting males in between the ages of 25 and 54 through its radio jingles airing during three nationally syndicated sports-talk programs— The Fabulous Sports Babe, One on One Sports and Fox Sports Radio— and on new television commercials on ESPN and ESPN2. The print campaign will continue in consumer publications such as Equipment World, ABC Today, Business Travel News and Exit Source, as well as in construction publications and USA Today. Through an affiliation with Netopia, Villager franchisees will be offered their own individual websites. Other on-line partnerships have been formed with go2online.com, rent.net and move.com. Along with the expansive advertising campaign, Mark Merriman has been named to the newly created position of director of field sales and marketing. Merriman, a 10-year industry veteran, will visit Villager hotels to help owners and general managers effectively leverage the resources and national marketing efforts of the Villager brand.
