• by Larissa Faw , January 7, 2019

Choice Hotels has tapped McKinney to be its new lead creative agency following a formal review. McCann served as the incumbent. 

The remit includes all strategy and creative development, including broadcast, digital, social, radio, print and out-of-home. 

The account will be run out of McKinney’s headquarters in Durham, N.C., and support both the Choice Hotels master brand as well as the company’s individual brands.  

The initial assignment is for the master brand, which will debut later this year.

In addition, while the agency will eventually tackle each of the 12 brands, Choice Hotels is particularly focusing on four chains that will likely receive most of the initial attention, according to a recent management call with analysts.

Clarion Pointe, the brand the company acquired in February 2017, is designed to leverage the global equity of the Clarion brand but differs from its parent by serving as a select-service concept aimed at mid-scale guests.

Cambria, along with the Ascend Hotel Collection, is enabling Choice to expand its upscale footprint and WoodSpring Suites is projected to have 250 hotels by the beginning of this year, including top markets like Seattle, Chicago, Charlotte and Detroit.

The flagship Comfort Hotels is being transformed through a $2.5 billion multi-year overhaul that includes updating the hotel's signage on property and across digital channels with the new Comfort logo, which was first unveiled in May.

“We look forward to creating a multichannel platform that will not only help drive bookings growth but also increase relevance of the Choice brand for their millions of loyal guests, as well as those who have yet to visit or who haven’t stayed at a Choice Hotels property in a while," stated Gretchen Walsh, managing director, McKinney Durham.

The company’s other brands include Ascend Hotel Collection, Sleep Inn, Quality Inn, Mainstay Suites, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel, Econo Lodge and Rodeway Inn.