Choice Hotels International, which , has made the move official, announcing Tuesday that it has signed a lease to relocate to a new building on Rockville Pike.
Choice Hotels will occupy more than 130,000 square feet in the new building, at 121 Rockville Pike, the company said in a news release. Construction on the new building, called “Rockville Plaza Center II,” is expected to begin later this summer. It is being built by and will be managed by Foulger-Pratt Companies. Choice Hotels is expected to move into the new offices in spring 2013.
"We are very pleased that Montgomery County will continue to be our home and that we were able to secure a headquarters location in Rockville—a vibrant community convenient to the vast majority of our associate base," Stephen P. Joyce, president and chief executive officer of Choice Hotels, said in the news release. "Rockville Town Center is the ideal location for Choice Hotels—offering easy access to Metro bus and rail service as well as a wealth of dining and shopping options for our associates, franchisees and our many visitors and business associates. Additionally, we are grateful to have the opportunity to direct the build out of our new headquarters to meet our unique specifications and needs."
Choice Hotels International franchises 6,100 hotels worldwide under the Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, MainStay Suites, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel, Econo Lodge and Rodeway Inn brands.
Choice Hotels brands account for more than 490,000 rooms in the United States and more than 30 other countries and territories. As of April, more than 600 of the company’s hotels, representing nearly 49,000 rooms, were under construction, awaiting conversion or approved for development around the world.
The company was founded in 1941 and has been headquartered in Silver Spring since 1968.
"Choice Hotels' commitment to investing and creating new jobs in Maryland speaks to the quality and availability of our workforce, our strategic location and the supportive business climate that the State and our partners in Montgomery County offer to businesses," Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) said in a statement.
Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett (D), in a statement, called Choice Hotels “one of Montgomery County's leading corporate citizens,” adding that “The only thing better than announcing that Choice Hotels International signed a letter of intent to stay in the County is today's announcement that they have officially signed a lease to occupy 130,000 square feet of prime Class A office space in the heart of downtown Rockville."
The company has been involved in charitable causes across the county, including a three-year partnership with Rebuilding Together Montgomery County, which launched in September 2009 with more than 100 Choice Hotels employees helping to make upgrades to the historic home of the Stepping Stones Shelter.
"Choice Hotels is yet another prominent national company that's chosen Rockville, and we look forward to seeing them thrive in their beautiful, new Town Center location,” Rockville Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio said in a statement.
Earlier this year, the company tried unsuccessfully to rebrand part of Town Center, submitting a request to the city’s Planning Commission to rename East Middle Lane as Choice Hotels Lane. On April 13, the Planning Commission voted 4-2 to deny the name change.
