Comfort and Cambria Brands Benefit from Going 100% Smoke-free

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. April 15, 2009

SAINT CHARLES, MO, April 15, 2009 - With businesses and consumers cutting back on travel and concerns about the economy growing every day, every hotel guest - and every dollar he or she spends - counts that much more.

With more than 3,700 locations across all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Canada and elsewhere around the world, FreshStay.com makes sure that wherever your travels take you, you are never too far from a clean, refreshing, smoke-free hotel room. As a network of 100% smoke-free hotels with an integrated booking process, FreshStay has rapidly grown to become the most comprehensive on-line directory of smoke-free lodging properties in the world with the help of companies such as Choice Hotels International.

Choice Hotels operates two 100-percent non-smoking brands: Comfort Suites and Cambria Suites. Combined, these two brands offer more than 450 locations throughout the U.S. and other countries where Frequent Breathers can stay and be assured of healthy travel and happy stays.

"Since Comfort Suites went smoke-free in May 2007, guests have largely reacted positively," says Mike Varner, Project Director, Brand Planning for Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites and Sleep Inn. "They like the confidence of knowing that their rooms will be free from smoke no matter which Comfort Suites hotel they visit, or which room they are assigned."

Choice Hotels conducted research that strongly indicated their guests' desire for a smoke-free environment. The volumes of secondary research also make it clear that guests are concerned about and actively involved in their own good health.

That's not to say it was an easy decision to go smoke-free. Not only was there a physical cost in going smoke-free - including among other investments a deep cleaning and repainting of all rooms and replacing of smoke damaged furniture and linens where needed - but there was some concern that some guests would be unhappy with the new smoke-free policy.

"The (Comfort Suites') franchisees decided as a group to designate the entire brand smoke-free. There were definitely some doubts, and there were some bumps in the road, but overall it went pretty well," says Donald Klain, Vice President of Operations for Tharaldson Property Management, which operates 222 hotels in 29 states. "At the time, we were looking for a way to separate the Comfort Suites brand from some of the others in the Choice Hotels portfolio, and the only other brands that had gone 100% non-smoking were Westin and Marriott.

"We looked at all the data and felt that a smoke-free environment was becoming the trend. Three years later, this trend has gone beyond hotels, and most cities are now going smoke-free," Klain adds.

FreshStay.com has been proud to list worthy hotels like the Comfort Suites and Cambria Suites properties in the most comprehensive on-line directory of smoke-free lodging properties in the world.

"Choice Hotels saw the trend and importance of healthy and socially responsible travel early on and has helped push the industry forward," says Dave Janicke, CBO/Chief Breathing Officer for FreshStay.com. "We're glad Choice Hotels had the foresight to go smoke-free before it was a trend. By working together, we've been able to connect healthier travelers with the hotels and rooms where they desire to stay."