Choice Hotels International is set for substantial brand growth in the Chinese market, following the signing of a new distribution and master franchise agreement in the country.
Choice is partnering with local business SSAW Hotels and Resorts, and has agreed an initial transformational rebranding, ahead of further plans for major expansion across its brand portfolio. An initial 68 hotels will join the established Choice upscale soft brand, Ascend Collection.
A new Chinese partner
The hotels total more than 9,500 rooms and presently are managed by SSAW, trading under the Pagoda, Narada Grand, SSAW Boutique and Ginlan Jia brands. Before the autumn of 2025, they are expected to be listed and bookable across Choice’s global distribution platform and accessible to members of the group’s loyalty programme, Choice Privileges.
SSAW will also be looking to build the presence of other Choice brands across the Chinese landscape. The agreement between the two hotel companies allows SSAW to exploit exclusive development rights as a master franchisee for the Comfort and Quality brands in the country. The partners have set an initial target of bringing to market 100 hotels across these two brands, over the upcoming five years.
In recent months, Choice has refreshed the look and feel of its Ascend Collection branding. The move acknowledges the considerable momentum the soft brand has garnered, with rapid expansion in the last year taking the brand’s portfolio to more than 180,000 rooms globally.
The update for the Ascend brand is part of a broader programme of sharpening up Choice’s offering to franchisees. New prototype designs for both the Comfort, and Country Inn & Suites brands were released in March 2025. These promise a 10-15% reduction in construction costs for owners and developers, while the brand identities have also been updated to provide greater clarity in the market. Both guests and owners were polled, to provide insight into how the pair of upper midscale brands could be improved.
More broadly across the Asia Pacific region, Choice has more than 300 hotels, adding up to over 25,000 rooms. Those properties are part of a global presence for Choice in 46 countries and territories, with the group focusing now on international expansion, out from a strong US base.
Building across Asia Pacific
One initial focus for Choice will be on exploiting its presence in Australia, where it is already building a portfolio, with many of the group’s brands represented. Australia is the second largest source market for visitors to China – they spent USD8.1 billion last year, in 829,000 trips. Encouraging them to stay in the new Ascend properties will be a top priority.
The additions in China come off the back of a successful year of growth in the Asia Pacific region, during 2024. During that period, Choice Hotels signed another portfolio deal, with Hoshino Resorts REIT. At a stroke, that added 22 new properties, taking Choice’s presence in Japan to 96 hotels. The mostly roadside hotels joined Choice’s Comfort brand.
