Kishan Patel is a hospitality and franchise development executive who serves as Regional Vice President of Franchise Development at Choice Hotels International. Working within the company’s development organization, Patel focuses on expanding Choice Hotels’ presence by building relationships with hotel owners, developers and hospitality investors interested in operating properties under Choice brands.
Patel joined the Choice Hotels development division in October 2021. Since joining the company, his work has centered on franchise development, hotel conversions, new property opportunities and expanding the geographic footprint of several established Choice Hotels brands.
His position places him on the development side of one of the world’s largest hotel franchising organizations. Unlike executives responsible for managing hotel operations or consumer marketing, franchise development professionals concentrate on growing the underlying network of properties carrying the company’s brands.
Franchise Development at Choice Hotels
As Regional Vice President of Franchise Development, Patel works directly with current and prospective hotel owners evaluating opportunities within the Choice Hotels system.
His responsibilities include identifying potential development opportunities, recruiting franchisees and helping hotel owners evaluate which Choice brand may be appropriate for a particular property or market. His work can involve existing hotels considering conversion to a Choice Hotels brand as well as investors pursuing new hotel development.
Franchise development is particularly important to the Choice Hotels business model because many hotels displaying Choice branding are independently owned and operated. Choice provides its franchisees with access to recognizable hotel brands along with systems and resources involving reservations, marketing, technology and other components of the broader franchise platform.
Development executives such as Patel consequently operate at an important intersection between the corporate organization and the independent owners investing their own capital in hotel properties.
Quality Inn, Clarion and Clarion Pointe Development
A significant portion of Patel’s development work has involved Choice Hotels’ midscale and foundation brands.
Among the brands associated with his responsibilities are Quality Inn, Clarion and Clarion Pointe. Each occupies a somewhat different position within the Choice Hotels portfolio, giving hotel owners several possibilities when considering a new franchise or converting an existing property.
Quality Inn is one of the most established names within the Choice Hotels system and has a substantial presence throughout the United States. Development of the brand often involves identifying existing properties that could potentially be converted and renovated to operate under Quality Inn standards.
Clarion and Clarion Pointe provide additional opportunities within Choice’s portfolio. Clarion Pointe was developed as a select-service brand designed to offer a more contemporary experience while maintaining a value-oriented position within the market.
Patel has used his role to promote development opportunities involving these brands and to communicate with hotel owners about conversions, renovations and new franchise opportunities.
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Working With Hotel Owners and Investors
Hotel franchise development involves considerably more than selling the right to place a recognizable name on a building.
Prospective franchisees must evaluate construction or renovation expenses, franchise fees, operating requirements, market demand and the potential financial performance of a property. Existing hotel owners considering a brand conversion must additionally determine whether changing affiliations justifies the investment necessary to meet the standards of a new franchise system.
Patel works with developers and owners during this process.
That can include discussing available territories, identifying potential brands, examining opportunities to reposition existing hotels and helping prospective franchisees navigate the development process within Choice Hotels.
Relationship building is therefore an important part of his position. Hotel investments can represent multimillion-dollar commitments, and the relationship between a franchisor and franchisee can continue for many years after an agreement is signed.
Regional Development Responsibilities
Patel’s work has included territories in the Pacific Northwest as well as South-Central markets, giving him experience with hotel development across geographically different portions of the United States.
Regional franchise development requires understanding more than the company’s brands. Development executives must also consider local hotel inventories, travel patterns, existing competitors and whether individual markets can support additional properties.
A hotel opportunity that makes sense in one metropolitan area may be considerably different from an opportunity in a highway market, smaller community or established tourism destination.
Patel’s responsibilities therefore combine broader Choice Hotels growth objectives with the individual circumstances of particular properties and markets.
Hotel Conversions and Property Development
One area of Patel’s work involves helping existing hotels transition into Choice Hotels properties.
Conversions represent an important avenue for hotel companies seeking to grow without relying entirely on newly constructed properties. An independent hotel or a property leaving another franchise system can potentially be renovated and repositioned under a Choice Hotels brand.
Such projects can require modifications to guestrooms, signage, common areas, technology and other aspects of a hotel so that the property meets the requirements associated with its new brand.
Patel has highlighted hotel conversion and renovation projects through his professional activities, including properties transitioning into the Clarion Pointe system.
New hotel development represents another path for growth. In these situations, franchise development can begin before a hotel exists, with the developer selecting a brand and working through planning and development before eventually opening the property to guests.
Kishan Patel’s Role Within Choice Hotels
Patel’s position differs from the corporate officers responsible for the overall management of Choice Hotels International. His work is more directly connected to expanding the company’s franchise network and establishing relationships with the individual owners and investment groups responsible for developing and operating hotels.
That role provides an important connection between Choice Hotels’ corporate growth strategy and the physical properties travelers ultimately encounter.
When a hotel owner decides to convert an existing property into a Quality Inn, develop a Clarion-branded hotel or pursue another Choice franchise opportunity, development professionals are often among the first representatives of the company involved in establishing that relationship.
Since joining Choice Hotels in 2021, Kishan Patel has built his role around that part of the hospitality business. As Regional Vice President of Franchise Development, his professional focus remains the expansion of Choice Hotels brands, recruitment of franchise partners and development of relationships with hotel owners and investors across the territories he serves.