Value Place, the largest economy, extended-stay hotel brand in the U.S., has named Mike Varner as Senior Vice President of Brand Strategy and Marketing.
Varner will strengthen the consumer appeal and developer performance of the brand, further establishing Value Place as the nation’s preeminent economy extended-stay hotel chain. He joins Value Place from Choice Hotels International, where he was most recently responsible for brand strategy and management for the Comfort Inn and Comfort Suites brands. Previously at Choice, Varner led the Sleep Inn brand as well as the MainStay Suites and Suburban Extended Stay brands. Prior to Choice, Varner held leadership positions in brand management and innovation at Campbell Soup and 3M.
“Value Place is on a roll,” said Varner. “The company has built a solid and profitable business model, with tremendous growth potential for developers as the brand expands across the country. And with industry-leading occupancy levels, we know guests like us, too. As Value Place continues to grow, we’ll strengthen customers’ bonds with the brand, so they’ll make our hotels their first choice whenever they’re looking for a place to stay.”
Value Place was established in order to fill a void in the hospitality industry, by providing guests a consistently affordable, clean, and safe extended-stay hotel. With the newest hotels in the extended-stay segment, Value Place continues to outperform the economy extended-stay segment in Revenue per Available Week (RevPAW) growth. As a result, Value Place is rapidly expanding its footprint through franchise and corporate development across the country.
“With the addition of Mike, we continue to strengthen the Value Place management team and position the company for rapid growth,” said Bruce Haase, CEO of Value Place. “Mike has an extensive and successful history leading branding and marketing efforts for well-known national brands with strong customer loyalty, and we are excited to have him join the team.”
With nearly 190 hotels open in 32 states, Value Place has garnered national recognition for the success of its franchise operations. The company was recently named by Forbes magazine as the top hotel franchise in the US. Value Place was also recognized as one of 2014’s Top 500 Franchises by Entrepreneur Magazine, as well as one of Franchise Business Review’s Top 50 Franchises for four consecutive years.
