Choice Hotels awards first contract under program for historically underrepresented entrepreneurs

North Bethesda-based hospitality company Choice Hotels International Inc. Tuesday announced its first contract under the recently reintroduced SOAR (Supporting Ownership Access and Representation) program, designed to create hotel ownership opportunities for underrepresented entrepreneurs.

Damon Healey of Eternal Companies, a real estate investment and asset management firm, executed a contract to convert two hotels in Georgia to Suburban Studios, one of Choice’s four extended stay brands. The pair of properties opened on May 30.

Suburban Studios Columbus Bradley Park is located at 1721 Rollins Way in Columbus and has 92 rooms.  Suburban Studios Macon North is located at 3980 Riverside Drive in Macon and has 73 rooms.

Since the inception of the SOAR program more than 20 years ago, Choice has awarded and financially supported more than 370 franchise agreements with underrepresented minority and veteran entrepreneurs.

In 2023, Choice’s Emerging Markets program, now SOAR, executed 28 new franchise contracts, including with Black, Hispanic, Native American, veteran and women entrepreneurs.  This included nine contracts with Black hotel owners and 17 contracts with women owners through the HERtels by Choice program, a program designed by women for women to empower female entrepreneurs throughout their ownership journeys.

In 2023, the number of agreements signed with Native American hotel owners doubled over the prior year, and the number of agreements with Hispanic and Latino owners increased by 30%. Since the HERtels by Choice program launched in 2021, approximately 80 women have participated in the program, leading to 59 new female-owned hotels.

Choice Hotels International has nearly 7,500 hotels, representing more than 630,000 rooms, in 45 countries and territories. A portfolio of 22 brands that range from full-service upper upscale properties to midscale, extended stay and economy chains.