Ascend Collection

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Wikipedia

Ascend Collection
IndustryHospitality
Founded2008[1]
Area served
Worldwide[2]
ParentChoice Hotels International
Websitewww.choicehotels.com/ascend

The Ascend Collection is a brand launched by Choice Hotels International[3][4] in 2008 for higher-priced historic and boutique hotels.[5][1][6] Competing brands include Best Western’s Signature and Premier Collections, Wyndham’s Trademark collection, and IHG’s voco collection.[7][2]

History

The Ascend Hotel Collection was launched during the recession of 2008. It was an early example of "soft branding" in the hotel industry.[1][8][9] While the meaning of "soft brand" varies, a simple definition by Robert Rauch is "a hotel that is backed by a leading brand whose name does not appear on the building".[8] Soft branded hotels may sometimes be newly constructed properties, but they typically already have an established presence.[10]

Ascend Collection properties are independently operated, leading to wide variation in theme and design.[5][11][12][13] Early Ascend Collection locations included the Golden Hotel in Golden, Colorado, the Kress Inn in De Pere, Wisconsin, and Hotel Bothwell in Sedalia, Missouri.[14] While primarily a group of pre-existing boutique hotels that signed onto the Ascend brand, Choice Hotels undertook some new construction initiatives in the mid-2010s, signing contracts in 2014 for 11 newly built Ascend Collection hotels.[15]

In 2016, the brand announced a three-year expansion in Europe, adding up to 10 properties in the U.K., and 80 across the mainland. This built upon the brand's existing portfolio of 20+ hotels outside the U.S., which included six locations in Sweden, two each in Ireland and Norway, and one in Denmark.[16]

Corporate affairs

The Ascend Collection is widely considered to be the hotel industry's first soft brand.[1][6][17][18] By the end of 2024, the Ascend Collection had more than 400 locations across the Americas, Europe, Middle-East, and the Asia-Pacific region, with over half of its properties in the U.S.[2] A new logo for the Ascend Collection brand was introduced in 2025.[19]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Ivanova, Maya (2019). Rafailova, Genka; Marinov, Stoyan (eds.). Tourism and Intercultural Communication and Innovations. Newcastle upon Tyne, U.K.: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. pp. 85–99. ISBN 978-1-5275-3317-2.
  2. 1 2 3 "10-Q for 1Q2025". www.sec.gov. Retrieved June 20, 2025.
  3. ↑ Levere, Jane L. (April 4, 2011). "The Rush to Boutique". The New York Times. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
  4. ↑ Weed, Julie (May 8, 2017). "A Hotel for Every Traveler, Sometimes Several Under One Roof". The New York Times. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
  5. 1 2 Beanland, Chris (August 30, 2017). "Hotel Harry review: The Sydney saloon with a taste of the Wild West". The Independent. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
  6. 1 2 Vinod, Ben (2022). Revenue Management in the Lodging Industry: Origins to the Last Frontier. Grapevine, Tx: Springer. p. 56. ISBN 978-3-031-14301-4.
  7. ↑ "Form 10-K - Item 1 - Industry Positioning". Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Retrieved 3 December 2025 – via SEC.gov.
  8. 1 2 Hoisington, Alicia (July 18, 2019). "Soft-brand collections: The new norm?". Hotel Management. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
  9. ↑ Baker, Terence (September 25, 2025). "Timeline: The Beginnings, Explosion of Soft Brands". CoStar. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
  10. ↑ Oladipo, Doyinsola; Jain, Aishwarya (March 25, 2024). "Big hotel chains and unbranded-hotel owners find they need each other". Reuters. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
  11. ↑ Alexander, David (October 24, 2011). "Muskegon's Shoreline Inn now part of Choice Hotel's 'Ascend Collection'". MLive. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
  12. ↑ Mala, Elisa (January 17, 2014). "Hotel Review: The Thief in Oslo". The New York Times. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
  13. ↑ Harris, Rachel (November 7, 2013). "In Oslo, an Art Rock Hotel". The New York Times. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
  14. ↑ Perkowsky, Adam (April 24, 2023). "Choice marks 15 years since launching soft-brand segment". Hotel Business. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
  15. ↑ Ricca, Stephanie (February 23, 2015). "New Construction Fuels Choice's Growth". CoStar. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
  16. ↑ Baker, Terence (January 25, 2016). "Choice Debuts Ascend Collection in UK". CoStar. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
  17. ↑ Isenberg, Gary (July 13, 2016). "Soft Branding: A Smart Option for Independent Hoteliers". CoStar. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
  18. ↑ Powell, Laura (May 14, 2024). "Hard facts about soft brands". Hotel Management. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
  19. ↑ Lodging staff (May 7, 2025). "Choice Hotels International Concludes Its 69th Annual Convention". Lodging. Retrieved June 26, 2025.