Value Place, one of the largest economy, extended-stay hotel brands in the U.S., has named Kelly Poling as Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. As the leader of Value Place’s brand, marketing, and distribution strategies, Ms. Poling will be focused on strengthening the positioning of the brand and driving more guests to its hotels across the country.
“It’s an amazing time to be joining Value Place,” said Poling. “The Company has such a strong foundation and growth trajectory. I’m looking forward to furthering the value proposition for both guests and hotel owners with an additional focus on telling Value Place’s story and reaching a larger audience of potential guests.”
Poling joins Value Place from Rosetta Stone, where she led consumer marketing strategy and operations. She previously spent seven years at Choice Hotels International, where she ran the corporate strategy, marketing, and e-commerce functions. Prior to her time with Choice, she managed brands at Johnson & Johnson and developed IT and corporate strategies as a management consultant with Arthur Andersen. She has a BBA from The George Washington University and an MBA from the Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania.
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 sector, 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.
“I’m excited to have Kelly join our executive team,” said Bruce Haase, CEO of Value Place. “Her experience and success with transformational marketing and online distribution will undoubtedly accelerate our growth and continue our evolution from an entrepreneurial brand to a household-name hotel chain.”
With nearly 190 hotels open in 32 states, Value Place has garnered national recognition for the success of its franchise operations. The brand was recently named by Forbes magazine as the top hotel franchise in the U.S. 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.
