British hotel firm IHG Hotels & Resorts has opened the first hotel under its new Garner midscale conversion brand, a 95-room former Red Lion Inn property in Seattle’s Auburn suburb.
Garner Auburn - Seattle is the first of several planned openings in coming months for the new brand that IHG hopes to expand globally next year, the hotel chain said in a statement.
IHG said it expects to reach a total of more than 500 hotels over the next decade in the United States alone, with the total increasing to 1,000 by 2043.
The hotel at 9 14th St NW was built in 1990 as part of Seattle’s Kent/Renton hotel submarket, which has about 3,700 rooms spread over 46 properties, CoStar data shows.
In August, IHG launched Garner as its 19th hotel brand, initially focusing on conversions of existing hotel properties in the U.S.
During an earnings call at the time, IHG CEO Elie Maalouf said that the company was involved in contract negotiations for 100 hotels. Maalouf cited CoStar data that said the midscale segment is expected to grow revenue annually to $18 billion by 2030 in the U.S alone.
Garner Auburn will be the first IHG hotel owned and operated by S1 Hospitality Management, a private hotel and franchise management company locally based in Bellevue, Washington, according to the statement.
"The Garner brand is an ideal fit to capitalize on the growing potential in the midscale market," S1 Hospitality President Andy Cho said in the statement. "We have no doubt this hotel will become both a leading choice for guests seeking a high-quality stay and a blueprint for future owners wanting a flexible conversion option.”