Choice Hotels International, Inc. – a leading US-based hospitality franchisor – has agreed to extend its existing franchising agreement with Choice Hotels Japan with another 10 years. By 2033 the company expects to have opened more than 30 new Comfort hotels in the country.
Choice Hotels Japan has been the exclusive franchisor of the Comfort brand in Japan since 2003 and its current portfolio consists of more than 60 hotels in key markets, including Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka and Sapporo. In the coming three years the first seven of the new hotels will open in large cities including Kyoto, Matsuyama and Nagoya. The expansion is to increase the number of rooms in the Comfort portfolio to more than 15,000 by 2025, making Choice Hotels Japan as one of Japan’s top-five operators.
The renewed agreement in Japan seems to prove the parent company’s success in its international growth strategy. In the first half of 2019, the hotel chain considerably grew its portfolio of rooms and hotels located outside the U.S., increasing by 4.1% and 5.4%, respectively, from June 30, 2018.