IHG Hotels and Resorts has opened the third property under its upper-midscale extended stay brand, Atwell Suites.
The former Holiday Inn Express and Suites Austin Airport is located about a five-minute drive from Austin Bergstrom International Airport and has been renovated and reflagged as Atwell Suites Austin Airport.
Features include 80 suites with living rooms, complimentary breakfast and all-day snack stand, a bar and community TV room.
IHG launched the Atwell brand in May 2019targeting what the group said at the time was an $18 billion industry segment, with amenities and services that fell somewhere between an extended-stay property and a select-service hotel.
However, implementation has been slow, no doubt due in part to the Covid-19 pandemic. with first property opening in Miami in 2020followed by Atwell Suites Denver Airport – Tower Road last year.
IHG's Atwell Suites Brand Opens Hotel at Denver Airport
The group said there are more than 40 Atwell properties in the pipeline, with recent construction starts in Las Vegas, Henderson, Nevada, Kansas City and Fort Worth.
Major hotel groups have increasingly focused on the extended stay sector, with a flurry of brands launched in the last 12 months, including StudioRes Concept by Marriott and Hilton's LivSmart Studios.
Hilton Introduces Extended Stay Brand LivSmart Studios
Commenting on the news, Karen Gilbride, vice president of Atwell Suites, Avid Hotels and Garner Hotels, said:
“The opening of Atwell Suites Austin Airport is an opportunity for us to showcase the flexibility our brand can offer potential homeowners and establish Atwell Suites as a distinctive choice among the upper-midscale market with its modern design and fresh aesthetic.” .
“At IHG, we have had great success with conversions in recent years, particularly during times of tighter financial lending environments. “As we continue to see increasing desire from owners for this space, we are excited that Atwell Suites can offer this option.”
To read our four-hour guide to Austin (published in 2022), see:
Four hours in Austin
ihg.com
