Ramada undergoing major upgrade
Cendant Corporation’s Hotel Group announced a multimillion dollar repositioning of its Ramada brand for several reasons, including these:
• Improve the overall quality.
• Improve the guest experience and value.
• Enhance future growth and competitiveness in the mid-market segment.
No exact dollar figure was given, but Cendant said improvements would include a new logo and signage; a new prototype; upgraded standards and amenities; development incentives; and what it called a “sweeping initiative” to improve product quality and consistency.
Existing Ramada Inns and qualifying Ramada Limited properties will be consolidated under the Ramada tier, said Steven A. Rudnitsky, Hotel Group chairman and CEO.
“We will secure our share of the market by offering a superior product with all of the services and amenities that travelers expect from a mid-market hotel,” he added.
Research over 18 months in 48 US markets and Canada found a “significant opportunity for the brand to capitalize on its high consumer awareness ratings,” according to Keith Pierce, a Cendant group president who also serves as president of the Ramada chain.
The chain announced that it efforts to improve overall system quality include notifying owners of substandard rooms that improvements will be necessary to continue their franchise.
The chain has also doubled its field support staff, realigned its regional marketing structure and implemented a new uniform program for hotel employees.
In repositioning its domestic Ramada system, Cendant said it also setting the groundwork for international expansion.
Earlier this year, Cendant Hotel Group signed an agreement to purchase Ramada from Marriott International. The acquisition when complete will add 204 hotels representing 27,728 rooms.
Cendant’s Hotel Group with 6,334 properties is the world’s largest lodging franchisor, according to the company.
Report by David Wilkening
David
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