Sonesta Essential is designed to offer franchisees easier new builds and conversions with modest brand standards, limited food and beverage requirements and simplified conversion processes.

Brand pillars

The brand pillars focus on offering guests a comfortable, clean place to stay, with a warm and friendly guest experience and foundational brand standards, including 24-hour reception, a fitness centre, complimentary hot breakfast, a premium all-day coffee experience, high-speed complimentary Wi-Fi, and elevated bedding with a sleep programme.

The first two Sonesta Essential hotels will be Sonesta Essential Vacaville, CA, a franchise, which is set to open in late spring 2023 and Sonesta Essential Chattanooga, TN, a managed property, which will be converted from Sonesta Select this autumn.

Tremendous demand

Sonesta chief development officer Brian Quinn said: “Sonesta Essential is a fresh, new brand carefully designed by Sonesta to deliver a core selection of services compared with other hospitality experiences.

“With tremendous demand in the select-service category, we are confident that Sonesta Essential will become a leading brand in an exciting, timely and relevant segment.”

Franchise platform

In September 2021, Sonesta Franchising debuted in the US with a platform of franchise services, hotel operations and franchise support. Sonesta Franchising now features 15 brands with a wide range of hotel service levels to meet travellers’ needs.

Sonesta Franchising provides franchisees with a range of options across the upper-upscale, upscale, upper-midscale, midscale, extended-stay and economy segments. Recent brand additions include The James and Royal Sonesta.