Sonesta International Hotels Corporation
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryHospitality
PredecessorHotel Corporation of America
Sonnabend Operated Hotels
Founded1937; 87 years ago (1937)
FounderA.M. "Sonny" Sonnabend
HeadquartersNewton, Massachusetts
Key people
John Murray (CEO)[1]
ProductsHotels
resorts
OwnerSVC
SubsidiariesRLH Corporation
Websitewww.sonesta.com

Sonesta International Hotels Corporation is an American hotel company founded in 1937, and based in Newton, Massachusetts.[2] Sonesta's largest hotels are in Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago and New Orleans.[3] Its brands include The Royal Sonesta, The James Hotels, Classico—A Sonesta Collection, Sonesta Hotels & Resorts, MOD—A Sonesta Collection, Sonesta Select, Sonesta Essential, Sonesta ES Suites, Sonesta Simply Suites, Sonesta Cruise Collection , Sonesta Posadas del Inca, Red Lion Hotels, Red Lion Inn & Suites, Signature Inn, GuestHouse Extended Stay, Americas Best Value Inn, Canadas Best Value Inn and Knights Inn.[4][5][6] It is the eighth largest hotel company in the United States.[7]

Following the acquisition of Red Lion Hotels (RLH) Corporation in 2021, the company offers 1,200 properties in the United States, Canada, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Egypt, and Saint Maarten.

History

In 1937, real estate mogul A.M. "Sonny" Sonnabend pooled his resources with six other investors to purchase the Preston Beach Hotel in Swampscott, Massachusetts. Sonnabend personally managed the hotel, and began focusing on the hospitality industry.[8] Over the following years, Sonnabend invested in other hotel properties, which he managed through Sonnabend Operated Hotels in 1944.[9]

He purchased a series of properties in Florida, including the Palm Beach Biltmore and the Palm Beach Country Club, from oil magnate Henry Latham Doherty in 1944. Around the same time, he also purchased a series of hotels in Cleveland, Ohio from Robert R. Young, including the Terminal Tower and Hotel Cleveland.[9] Sonnabend Operated Hotels expanded west in 1948, when Sonnabend purchased the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago.[10] In 1953, he purchased the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan from hotelier Conrad Hilton for a reported $15 million.[11][12][13]

In 1956, Sonnabend merged Sonnabend Operated Hotels with Childs Company, forming the Hotel Corporation of America. The company purchased the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. that year.[14] The first Charterhouse Hotel was opened in Bangor, Maine in 1957. Twenty-five other Charterhouse Hotels were built between 1957 and 1983. Beginning in the late 1950s, the name "Sonesta" became affiliated with hotels in the US and abroad. In 1968, the corporation began to grow internationally with the construction of the Sonesta Montreal. In 1969, the first Royal Sonesta Hotel was built in New Orleans.[15][16]

In 1970, the Hotel Corporation of America was rebranded as Sonesta International Hotels. The name "Sonesta" was a portmanteau of A.M. Sonnabend's nickname "Sonny" and his wife Esther's name.[17] The company introduced "Just Us Kids", a children's club program, in 1975.[18] The Sonesta Art Collection, formed in 1976, was one of the first corporate hotel programs to showcase original art.[19] As of 2012, the collection included over 7,000 works of original art.[20]

Since the 1980s, Sonesta has managed several hotel properties in Egypt and began operating Nile cruises.[21] In the 1990s and 2000s, the company opened several new hotels in South America and the Caribbean.[22][23]

Expansion, acquisition of Red Lion Hotels Corporation

Sonesta was sold to an affiliate of Newton-based Hospitality Properties Trust (HPT) in 2011, and became a privately owned company again.[24][25][26] In 2015, Carlos Flores became CEO of Sonesta.[27] In 2015, the company created Sonesta ES Suites, in cities like Columbus, Ohio, Cincinnati, and Cleveland.[28]

34% of Sonesta International Hotels Corporation is owned by Service Properties Trust (SVC), formerly HPT, a Boston real estate trust. In 2020, Sonesta became one of fastest growing hospitality companies in the United States.[29] It had 80 hotels in early 2020.[30] From September 2020 to March 2021, Service Properties Trust transferred over 200 hotels from Marriott Hotels & Resorts and IHG Hotels & Resorts to Sonesta brands, after the previous managers were negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.[31]

In March 2021, Sonesta finalized its acquisition of Red Lion Hotels Corporation with over 900 hotels in a transaction valued at $90 million.[32] During this time, Sonesta launched Sonesta Simply Suites and Sonesta Select.[33][34]

In September 2021, Sonesta announced that it would be offering hotel franchising in the United States under Sonesta Franchising.[35][36] As of 2021, the company had over 1,200 properties, in countries which include Sint Maarten, Peru, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Egypt.[3][37]

Brands

Sonesta International Hotels Corporation

Franchising

Following the acquisition of Red Lion Hotels in 2021, Sonesta and its parent company SVC entered franchising in the U.S.[35] In 2022, the company added 74 franchised properties and 8,500 guest rooms to its portfolio worldwide.[38][39] In the first half of 2023, Sonesta added 13 new hotels and 1,000 guest rooms to its portfolio.[40]

Awards

In 2023, Sonesta’s value brand Americas Best Value Inn was “ranked the highest in guest satisfaction” in the Economy category of J.D. Power 2023 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index (NAGSI) Study.[41]

Loyalty program

Sonesta Travel Pass is Sonesta’s loyalty program. The program is point-based and consists of four membership tiers.[42]

See also

References

  1. ^ https://www.rmrgroup.com/about-us/leadership/john-murray/default.aspx
  2. ^ "Timeline". Sonesta. 2021-02-06. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  3. ^ a b Qubein, Ramsey. "Lofty Ambitions: Sonesta Continues Growth Plan After Record 2020 Acquisitions". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
  4. ^ Simon, Elaine (2021-04-21). "Sonesta levels up with expanded franchise offerings". Hotel Management. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
  5. ^ "HOTELS March/April 2023 Page 62". library.hotelsmag.com. Retrieved 2023-01-05.
  6. ^ Corporation, Sonesta International Hotels. "SONESTA LAUNCHES TWO NEW SOFT BRANDS, EXPANDING ITS PRESENCE IN THE UPPER-UPSCALE AND UPSCALE SEGMENTS". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved 2023-01-05.
  7. ^ O'Neill, Sean (2023-01-03). "Sonesta Hotel Brand Expansion Will Focus on Larger Name Recognition". Skift. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
  8. ^ Turkel, Stanley (2009-09-16). Great American Hoteliers: Pioneers of the Hotel Industry. AuthorHouse. p. 254. ISBN 978-1-4490-0754-6.
  9. ^ a b "A.M. Sonnabend Is Dead at 67; Boston Industrialist-Financier; Botany Industries Director Created Hotel Corporation of America in 1954". The New York Times. 1964-02-12. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  10. ^ "A.M. Sonnabend Is Dead at 67; Boston Industrialist-Financier; Botany Industries Director Created Hotel Corporation of America in 1954". The New York Times. 1964-02-12. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  11. ^ Satow, Julie (2019-06-04). The Plaza: The Secret Life of America's Most Famous Hotel. Grand Central Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4555-6666-2.
  12. ^ "$15,000,000 PAID FOR PLAZA HOTEL; Hilton Interests Take Lease Back From the Sonnabend Group of Boston, Mass". The New York Times. 1953-10-15. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  13. ^ Morehouse, Ward (2001). Inside the Plaza: An Intimate Portrait of the Ultimate Hotel. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 82. ISBN 978-1-55783-468-3.
  14. ^ Goodman, S. Oliver (March 1, 1956). "Mayflower Bought For $12.8 Million". The Washington Post. p. 27.
  15. ^ CMHS, Stanley Turkel (2019-04-15). Great American Hotel Architects: Volume 1. AuthorHouse. ISBN 978-1-7283-0690-2.
  16. ^ Campanella, Richard (2014-03-05). Bourbon Street: A History. LSU Press. ISBN 978-0-8071-5507-3.
  17. ^ Ohmann, Richard; Averill, Gage; Curtin, Michael; Shumway, David; Traube, Elizabeth G. (1996-11-25). Making and Selling Culture. Wesleyan University Press. p. 34. ISBN 978-0-8195-5301-0.
  18. ^ "The Boston Globe from Boston, Massachusetts on April 6, 1975 · 73". Newspapers.com. 6 April 1975. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  19. ^ Lafo, Rachel Rosenfield; Capasso, Nicholas J.; Uhrhane, Jennifer (2002). Painting in Boston, 1950-2000. Univ of Massachusetts Press. p. 39. ISBN 978-1-55849-364-3.
  20. ^ Basa, Lynn (2012-02-28). The Artist's Guide to Public Art: How to Find and Win Commissions. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-58115-976-9.
  21. ^ Yu, Lawrence; Yu, Larry (1999). The International Hospitality Business: Management and Operations. Psychology Press. ISBN 978-0-7890-0559-5.
  22. ^ Hotels Investment Outlook. Hotels Magazine. 2008. p. 9.
  23. ^ Ohmann, Richard; Averill, Gage; Curtin, Michael; Shumway, David; Traube, Elizabeth G. (1996-11-25). Making and Selling Culture. Wesleyan University Press. ISBN 978-0-8195-5301-0.
  24. ^ "Newton REIT buys Sonesta in $174 million deal - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  25. ^ Sperance, Cameron (2022-03-14). "Sonesta's Major Stakeholder Plans to Install One of Its Own as CEO". Skift. Retrieved 2023-01-05.
  26. ^ Kelleher, Suzanne Rowan. "How The Pandemic Created A New Hotel Giant In Less Than A Year". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-01-05.
  27. ^ Net, Hospitality. "Carlos Flores has been promoted Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Sonesta International Hotels Corporation". Hospitality Net. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  28. ^ Glaser, Susan; clevel; .com (2016-02-08). "2 hotels made in to Sonesta ES Suites". cleveland. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  29. ^ Kelleher, Suzanne Rowan. "How The Pandemic Created A New Hotel Giant In Less Than A Year". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  30. ^ Qubein, Ramsey. "Lofty Ambitions: Sonesta Continues Growth Plan After Record 2020 Acquisitions". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
  31. ^ Kelleher, Suzanne Rowan (2021-01-27). "How The Pandemic Created A New Hotel Giant In Less Than A Year". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
  32. ^ Sealover, Ed (March 17, 2021). "Red Lion shareholders approve $90 million sale of Denver hotel company". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  33. ^ Covey, Claudette. "Sonesta Adds 102 Hotels, Debuts New Simply Suites". TravelPulse. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
  34. ^ "Sonesta Launches Upscale Select Brand". Hotel Business. Retrieved 2020-12-21.
  35. ^ a b Net, Hospitality. "Sonesta Announces The Domestic Launch Of Sonesta Franchising". Hospitality Net. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  36. ^ Sperance, Cameron (2021-09-28). "Sonesta to Offer U.S. Hotel Franchising for First Time to Keep Growth on Fast Track". Skift. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  37. ^ "Expansion Plan - New global franchising platform to accelerate Sonesta's growth". Hotel Business. 2021-06-18. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  38. ^ https://www.travelpulse.com/news/hotels-and-resorts/sonesta-added-74-franchised-properties-in-2022
  39. ^ Corporation, Sonesta International Hotels. "SONESTA ANNOUNCES THE ADDITION OF 74 FRANCHISED HOTELS IN 2022". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved 2023-01-08.
  40. ^ "Sonesta adds 13 new hotels to global portfolio in H1 2023". 2 August 2023.
  41. ^ https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2023-north-america-hotel-guest-satisfaction-index-nagsi-study
  42. ^ "Sonesta Travel Pass: The Ultimate Guide – Forbes Advisor". www.forbes.com. Retrieved 2023-01-05.

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