In an effort to modernize the brand, Country Inns &
Suites has developed a new prototype and plans to introduce by year-end elements
of the new design across its 480-hotel portfolio.
While the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group's 25-year-old Country
Inns & Suites brand has undergone its share of renovations and upgrades,
this is the upper midprice brand's first complete redesign, according to the
company. Planned changes include a revamped exterior and new public spaces,
including a den with a workspace area, a living-room-style lobby and reception
area and a veranda instead of the brand's trademark porch. Rooms will be
outfitted with new colors and furnishings as well as more upscale-style bathrooms.
London architectural design firm Virgile and Stone led the redesign efforts,
and HGTV designer Genevieve Gorder is assisting the brand with development.
Carlson executive vice president and chief branding officer
Gordon McKinnon said the redesign is geared to attract younger travelers and
enable Country Inns & Suites to target urban locations for development. "We
were very conscious in terms of trying to appeal to a different kind of group
while not alienating what we have," McKinnon said.
The new design will begin appearing in hotels during the
fourth quarter of this year, according to Carlson. Several hotels under
development when Carlson unveiled the new design last month at a conference in
Miami now are retrofitting their plans to incorporate it.
"Literally, people [at the conference] were on the
phone with architects and designers saying, 'Stop,' " McKinnon said. "There
will be consequences, but they wanted to change it to the new one, so that was
a huge endorsement."