AmericInn has new expansion plans in the Upper Midwest.
AmericInn’s parent company, Chanhassen-based Northcott Hospitality, wants to build more corporate-owned hotels outside of Minnesota. Northcott Hospitality owns and operates AmericInn hotels and 25 Perkins and Houlihan’s restaurants.
The franchise-friendly chain hopes more corporate-owned locations, and conversions, will be a stop-gap measure until it's easier for franchisees to secure financing.
"We’re setting ourselves up to accelerate growth of the AmericInn chain and add to our portfolio of restaurants with acquisitions. We also have plans to re-model our Houlihan’s restaurants as we complete a re-positioning of the concept," Paul Kirwin, president and CEO of Northcott Hospitality, said in a June statement. "The hospitality industry has seen some tough times recently, and a lot of brands are still hunkered down, waiting for the storm to pass. This is an opportunity for us to reassert ourselves and aggressively pursue opportunities for growth."
Kirwin has also said AmericInn is making a more concerted effort to attract conversions, specifically targeting competitors such as Holiday Inn Express, Hampton Inn, Baymont Inns & Suites, Country Inns & Suites and Comfort Inn, rather than new construction.
The AmericInn chain includes 220 hotels open and another 30 under development, including seven new hotels so far in 2010. It also boasts Perkins and Houlihan’s restaurants strategically located in the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and South.
