UPWARD BOUND
BT: Choice Hotels is associated with well-known brands like Comfort and Sleep Inn. But you are helping the company to expand into the upscale segment with more than 50 Cambria Hotels in eight of the top 10 markets and 23 currently under construction. What’s your plan?
CANNON: Choice Hotels is a market leader with a variety of brands that cater to different guests. The move into upscale, through the Ascend Hotel Collection and Cambria Hotels, was a logical next step to align with our guests’ desire for upscale options when traveling.
Ascend is a soft brand comprised of boutique hotels around the world; they each retain their own local identity and service offerings, while carrying the Choice flag. Cambria is a design-forward brand that appeals to both business and leisure travelers. No two hotels are alike, and all utilize a strong sense of style and local storytelling in their design.
BT: Cambria has evolved since the first opening many years ago. Today you talk about showcasing distinctive, locally influenced design. What is changing?
CANNON: Each Cambria hotel is purposefully designed for the way guests live and work, and we’ve remained focused on guests’ needs since the brand’s inception. We’ve shifted from a more formulaic model towards one more design-focused, allowing developers to offer a destination-type property in their communities, and allowing guests to immerse in local culture with the modern, upscale amenities.
For example, the rooftop bar at the Cambria Hotel Boston, Downtown-South Boston is popular with locals for its panoramic skyline views. The Cambria Hotel Houston Downtown Convention Center is an adaptive reuse of the Great Southern West building, once the Texaco headquarters, and now a historic Houston landmark. The Cambria in Anaheim, CA, has its own waterpark and cinema, making it great for families. As the typical renovation cycle nears for some of the original Cambria hotels, updates and renovations will keep them in line with the new design and destination ethos.
BT: Is food and beverage a strong focus for Cambria?
CANNON: Each hotel has a bistro-style restaurant serving locally inspired cuisine, craft cocktails and regional craft beer on tap, sourced by Cambria’s very own brand Certified Cicerone, who partners with local breweries.
BT: Tell us about your new travel podcast.
CANNON: Last summer, we launched a free, six-episode podcast series on travel-related topics relevant to busy travelers called Travel Inspired with Cambria Hotels. Each podcast covers topics from how to enjoy local culture without leaving the hotel, to hosting successful meetings while adhering to federal, state and local guidelines.