Ramada Starts Two Brands, Goes Global
<B> Ramada Starts Two Brands, Goes Global</B>
By Maria P. Vallejo
<I>Washington, D.C.</I> - Ramada Hotels & Resorts International is going global this year, with plans to break into two new market segments and grow to 300 properties worldwide. The Marriott partner company will launch two new brands, Ramada Plaza and Ramada Limited, reaching the upper midprice and budget segments, respectively.
"The biggest potential is the middle class market of business travel, the managers," said Ramada International senior vice president and managing director Reas Kondraschow. "We are going after the mass market and the middle group."
Today, Ramada Hotels & Resorts has 26 properties in 15 countries. Kondraschow, who came from Holiday Inn Hotels, where he worked on international franchise agreements, plans to grow Ramada International to 300 hotels in the next several years.
"We have been actively pursuing new development opportunities," he said, "and are looking at developing a number of hotels internationally, with primary distribution in Europe and Middle East, then Asian and Latin American locations."
The company plans to enter into several master franchise agreements in Europe that will allow one franchisee exclusive development rights within a given country.
Ramada Crown rooms will be priced at between $100 and $125, while Ramada Limited will have an average daily rate between $55 and $65. Rooms at the midprice brand, Ramada Hotels & Resorts, will cost $65 to $75.
The Ramada Limited brand will have the most new builds in its system, though about 70 percent of its properties will be conversion projects.
Each hotel will sport designs indigenous to its location. Some properties may have air conditioning, while others will substitute ceramic tiles for hardwood floors.
Gearing up for this larger international base, Ramada will launch a new Web site in 30 days that will provide booking capabilities, property information, State Department advisories, books on tourism and other travel information.