# Choice Hotels pushes upscale with six new openings

Canonical-URL: https://notitur.com/en/digest/choice-hotels-upscale-cambria-ascend
Text-Version: https://notitur.com/en/digest/choice-hotels-upscale-cambria-ascend.txt
Markdown-Version: https://notitur.com/en/digest/choice-hotels-upscale-cambria-ascend.md
Language: en
Published: 2026-09-30T11:01:20.473Z
Modified: 2026-09-30T11:01:20.473Z
Author: Joan Sanz
Topics: Hotels
Summary: Choice opens six upscale hotels across Cambria and Ascend Collection, pushing past 300 open US properties with nearly 150 in the pipeline. The midscale brand wants to move up a tier.

## Article

Choice Hotels is making a move in upscale. The company has opened **six properties** across **Cambria Hotels** and **Ascend Collection**, taking its US upscale portfolio past **300 open hotels** with **nearly 150 in the pipeline**, as reported by [Hospitality Net](https://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4134656/choice-hotels-international-continues-upscale-momentum-with-new-openings-across-cambria-hotels-and-ascend-collection).

The mix is what matters. **Cambria** is a proprietary brand with centrally controlled standards and design, while **Ascend** runs as a soft brand collection where the owner keeps its identity and Choice brings distribution, loyalty and commercial muscle. Two different engines under one umbrella: one builds product, the other captures independent inventory looking for chain heft without losing its name.

My read is that Choice is closing the gap it had versus Marriott, Hilton and IHG in the segment where RevPAR margin matters most. And here I do see opportunity for the independent hotelier: a soft brand with a serious distribution engine is a sensible door to compete in channels that used to be out of reach.

Watch the execution. Going from 300 to nearly 450 means not diluting the standard and keeping the opening pace without cannibalising rates between Cambria and Ascend in the same market. That part never makes the press release.

## Sources

- Hospitality Net: https://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4134656/choice-hotels-international-continues-upscale-momentum-with-new-openings-across-cambria-hotels-and-ascend-collection

## Citation

Choice Hotels pushes upscale with six new openings. Notitur. 2026-09-30. https://notitur.com/en/digest/choice-hotels-upscale-cambria-ascend