Hotel Online Special Report
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Choice Atlantica Hotels Commits to South America Hotel Development Despite Economic Uncertainty
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At Least 19 Hotels Expected to Open in 1999 
 
FORT LAUDERDALE, December 10, 1998 � Despite economic uncertainty in certain South American markets, fast-growing hotel company Choice Atlantica Hotels is wrapping up a year punctuated by rapid growth and marked by impressive investor commitment. And executives are predicting an even more aggressive hotel development rate in 1999.

The company was formed in 1995 as Barrington International Hotels & Restaurants, Inc. and renamed Choice Atlantica Hotels in 1998 to reflect its exclusive commitment to South American hotel development. The company holds the master franchise agreement to develop Choice hotel brands � Comfort Inns, Hotels  and Suites; Quality Inns, Hotels and Suites; Clarion Inns, Hotels, Suites and Resorts; and Sleep Inns � in the South American countries of  Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia. 

The group forms partnerships with individual and institutional investors to develop, franchise and operate these hotels which are recognized internationally for high standards of quality and service.

The young firm garnered a number of noteworthy achievements in 1998. Among them:

  • The company expanded its master franchise agreement with Choice Hotels International to include Chile, Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia. Its original agreement � signed in 1995 � covered the countries of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.
  • Choice Atlantica Hotels formed a major partnership agreement with Darby Overseas Investments, Inc., a Latin American private equity fund headed by Nicholas F. Brady, former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. Through the partnership, Choice Atlantica Hotels plans to develop 140 hotels in South America over the next five years.
  • Choice Atlantica Hotels opened a toll-free reservations center in Santiago; centers in Buenos Aires and Sao Paulo are scheduled to early in 1999. The reservations centers can book Choice hotels throughout the Mercosur and around the world.
  •  The company�s portfolio of operating hotels includes two in Brazil, one in Argentina and five in Chile. The company will add at least six hotels in 1999, eight in 2000 and five in 2001. Many projects are presently under construction.
  • Among the most prominent projects is the construction � presently underway � of a $25 million  Clarion Hotel at the Guarulhos International Airport in Sao Paulo. It is expected to open in November 2001.
  • In order to fully focus on its activities in South America, Choice Atlantica Hotels sold its 34-property hotel group, Croatian Hotels & Resorts.
  • Among the most prominent projects in 1998, the company assumed management of the Comfort Hotel & Suites - Trianon Park in Sao Paulo and the Quality Suites Mykonos in the coastal resort town of Renaca, Chile. The Comfort Inn & Suites in Buenos Aires was added as a franchise hotel in November, the first of an estimated 30 hotels slated for this country.
�We believe that Latin America will command increasing attention from international investors,� said Paul J. Sistare, president and CEO of Choice Atlantica Hotels. �By developing these business-traveler-friendly, internationally known hotels, we are well-positioned to successfully serve the travelers who are coming in increasing numbers from around the world.� 

 Based in Sao Paulo, Choice Atlantica Hotels is the fastest growing hotel management company in South America. It also has offices in Fort Lauderdale, Buenos Aires and Santiago, Chile.

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Contact:
Mona Mesereau
Choice Atlantica Hotels
(1) 303-841-1511
[email protected]
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Also See: Choice Atlantica Hotels Drops the Name of its Parent Company Barrington International Hospitality / Nov 1998 
Limited-Service Hotel Concept Gains Popularity in Latin American Countries / Sept 1998
Latin America Market Opportunities / KPMG / 1998 
Free Customer Service Management and Training Consulting on the Web / June 1998 

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