Choice Buys Nordic Hotels

<I>Silver Spring, Md.</I> - With a splash of more than 50 new properties, Choice Hotels has become one of Scandinavia's largest chains.

Acquiring 18 hotels from the Swedish Home Hotels group--reflagging 17 as Comfort Home Hotels and two as Quality Inns--and buying a 51 percent stake in the 39-property Inter-Nor franchise company has jumped Choice's hotel count from 20 last September to the current 92.

Choice also has brought the Clarion brand to Scandinavia with three high-end hotels, in Oslo, Bergen, and Olav, Norway.

"Independent hotels are finding it harder to compete in Europe," said John Wagner, Choice Hotels' vice president, sales and marketing-Europe. "That gives Choice huge potential to develop the Comfort and Quality brands." As limited service has not yet caught on in Europe, all Choice brands feature restaurant service.

This month, Choice has unveiled a 40-percent-off program at its 335 hotels through May. For bookings one or two weeks prior to arrival, hotels will slash 40 percent from their unsold inventory. Rates, bookable through the Global Distribution System, will average $45 to $55 per room--even in Paris and London.

The program also will enable callers to differentiate those hotels offering last-minute discounts from the entire pool of Choice properties.

In France, Choice has launched a co-branded credit-card test with Diners Club. Granting mileage points in both the Diners program and the Choice frequent stay program, the card also yields a 15 percent discount at Comfort and Quality hotels and for Hertz car rentals.

For a $90 sign-up fee, cardmembers also get one free weekend night, 8,000 Sabena miles, one free weekend car rental and a cellular phone.