Across the pond: Residence Inn grows abroad

German accent: The Residence Inn Munich City East opened in 2011.

By Mark Chesnut

Residence Inn may be a well-recognized brand of hotels throughout the United States, but if parent company Marriott International has its way, the name will be increasingly familiar to international business travelers as well as anyone planning a Europe vacation or international vacations in the Middle East and northern Africa.

Last year, Residence Inn made its European debut with the 125- room Residence Inn Munich City East, which opened in Munich, Germany in October, adjacent to the 227-room Courtyard by Marriott Munich City East. In November, the brand opened in Scotland with the 107-room Residence Inn Edinburgh.

The Residence Inn portfolio also includes Costa Rica hotels and Bahrain hotels; later this year, Saudi Arabia will get its first Residence Inn with the 83-room Residence Inn Jizan, and in 2014, Algeria will welcome its first property:  the 147-room Residence Inn Algiers.

The reasoning behind the international growth is demand, according to company officials. One third of business-travel room nights are spent at so-called extended-stay hotels like Residence Inn, according to a Marriott International spokesperson.

The basic extended-stay concept — larger guest rooms or suites with a full kitchen, free breakfast and other amenities — is consistent within the brand, regardless of the country where the property islocated. The only difference, according to the folks at Residence Inn, is that the suites at the company’s European properties are slightly smaller than their North American counterparts, while the public areas in the Residence Inn hotels in Europe have greater on-site food and beverage options, including bars and cafes.

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Mark Chesnut is a freelancer writer, editor and publisher of LatinFlyer.com, which focuses on travel to Latin America. He’s a big fan of free breakfasts.

Tagged: Europe, Hotels