Choice Hotels International has announced a revamp and rebranding of its Asia Pacific division.
The current Choice Hotels Australasia brand will now become Choice Hotels Asia-Pac, to better reflect its expansion plans beyond its core markets in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.
The new name also acknowledges the growing influence of Asian travellers in these markets and through the Asia Pacific region, the company says.
The rebranding comes after two years of research and development, said Trent Fraser, Choice Hotels Asia-Pac chief executive officer.
"This new brand is all about encouraging less online and virtual interaction and more face to face connections, and for our business guests our brand is about people pressing palms instead of always pressing send," Fraser said.
"Visually the new identity is more appealing to a larger variety of customer segments and as we head into the future, research has told us that the new face of our customers – the Millennials, will strongly connect with this new brand."
The rebrand will be marketed with TV and online ads and strategic partnerships through digital and social media channels.
"This new direction focuses on the reasons why each guest is travelling in the first place and why we are an important part of that experience. Our new tag line – You Always have a Choice, is the epitome of this and will form the basis of the new brand voice," said general manager of marketing, Matt Taylor.
The new focus on the wider Asia Pacific region comes a few months after Choice Hotels appointed AVIAREPS as general sales agents in several Asian markets including China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, South Korea and the Philippines.
Choice currently has 270 hotels across Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, comprising more than 11,000 rooms.
