Dive Brief:
- Hotel Equities and Urban Investment Partners opened boutique hotel The Quincy in downtown Washington, D.C. The hotel is branded under Choice Hotels’ upscale Ascend Hotel Collection.
- Designed to attract both business and leisure travelers, the hotel offers 99 guest rooms each with extended stay amenities, including a full kitchen, Choice detailed in a Wednesday release.
- The opening comes several months after Choice Hotels International announced a planned enhancement of Ascend, along with other upscale brands, aimed at “driving more value for owners and repeat stays from guests,” according to the company.
Dive Insight:
The Quincy is owned by a UIP affiliate and operated by Hotel Equities. In addition to its spacious guest rooms, the property offers a grab-and-go market in the lobby. The hotel — the first Ascend property in Washington, D.C. — has also partnered with neighboring restaurant Pisco y Nazca and bar Recessions to offer “curated dining experiences” for guests, according to Choice.
The hotel opens as Choice makes a concerted effort to grow its upscale presence — a strategy that has been underway for several months.
In December, the hotel company opened an Ascend property in New York City. At the time, Mark Shalala, senior vice president of upscale development, told Hotel Dive that Choice’s goal for Ascend was to “build out a collection of resort, historic and boutique upscale hotels in highly sought after destinations across the globe.”
Choice has similarly expanded its upscale Cambria brand, breaking ground and opening hotels in top U.S. destinations like Denver in recent months.
Both Ascend and Cambria will see a series of enhancements to design, guest experience and service as part of Choice’s move to “redefine” several of its upscale and upper upscale brands, the company announced in May.
Choice is also focusing marketing spend on its Cambria and Radisson brands this year to “change the perception around Choice Hotels’ segmentation,” Choice Chief Marketing Officer Noha Abdalla previously told Hotel Dive.
