BERLIN — Jonathan Mills, CEO for Europe at Choice Hotels, said he is relishing the heightened competition from other hotel firms on the continent as it “keeps everyone on their toes.”
Speaking exclusively to Hotel News Now at the International Hotel Investment Forum, Mills said the result of such competition will be the best possible service and value for guests.
Mills said Choice took the opportunity of the pandemic to take a deep look into what guests wanted.
“We’ve changed our value proposition to be able to offer more bespoke services. We’ve taken a very extensive look at our business, refreshed our brands and refreshed our value proposition, all of which is the result of fact-based consumer research ready for the upturn,” he said.
Mills said the firm also is very optimistic about its collection brand Ascend.
“Choice Hotels was the first organization back in 2008 to introduce a collection brand, and that was Ascend, and they brought that over to Europe in 2011,” he said.
He added such brands have come into their own since the pandemic, as Choice's research shows that guests are moving away from independent hotels to branded hotels that still possess a localized feel.
Mills also said Choice’s partnership with Spanish hotel owner Sercotel is also bearing fruit as Europe reclaims its position as a traditional, classical, summer-sun destination.
For more of Mills’ comments, watch the video above.