The Susse Chalet brand was a chain of

franchise Franchise may refer to: Business and law * Franchising, a business method that involves licensing of trademarks and methods of doing business to franchisees * Franchise, a privilege to operate a type of business such as a cable television p ...

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

s with all locations in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states. Hotels featured free local calls, dataports, expanded cable television, and continental breakfast. Most properties offered meeting facilities and swimming pool. The chain was sold in 2000 and the brand phased out shortly after.

History

Fred Roedel founded the chain in 1967 with the opening of the first Susse Chalet Motor Lodge in Nashua, New Hampshire. By 1975, the company, then known as Chalet Susse International, had 15 motels. Early properties were traditional two-story units with all-exterior corridors. In 1983, the company opened its first multi-story facility in

Manchester, New Hampshire Manchester is a city in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. It is the most populous city in New Hampshire. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 115,644. Manchester is, along with Nashua, one of two seats of New Ha ...

. This new prototype could have 3 to 5 stories with interior corridors and between 105 and 160 rooms. Later, the company introduced bedside "Command Centers" to its rooms; they were desktop devices that included alarm clock, telephone, light and climate controls of the room. Over the years, the company sold and renovated older properties to bring them up to the same standard as more recently built properties. Susse Chalet also introduced the Grand Chalet and Susse Saver brands. Grand Chalets were larger properties, while Susse Savers mostly were older two-story locations aimed at budget travelers. The company introduced the Susse VIP reward program which featured free nights after a number of stays and extra amenities like express check-in, late check-out and continental breakfast delivered to the member's room each morning. By 2000, there were 34 Susse Chalet hotels in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states.

Sale to Olympus

On February 24, 2000, Olympus Hospitality Group acquired the New England-based 34-hotel economy lodging chain. The assets purchased by Olympus included ownership of 27 hotels flying the Susse Chalet Inns, Grand Chalet Inns and Susse Savers flags. The acquisition also included franchise and or management agreements for 7 other Chalet Susse branded properties located in New Hampshire. In August 2000, Olympus Hospitality Group and Marriott International, Inc. entered into a franchise license agreement under which 20 of Olympus Hospitality's Susse Chalet hotels were to be converted to the

Fairfield Inn by Marriott Fairfield by Marriott is a franchised economy to midscale hotel brand of Marriott International. The properties target guests willing to accept fewer amenities for lower prices. Cost-saving measures included standardized building architecture an ...

brand. The remaining properties were either converted or sold. In

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134 ...

Salem, New Hampshire Salem is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 30,089 at the 2020 census. Being located on Interstate 93 as the first town in New Hampshire, which lacks any state sales tax, Salem has grown into a commer ...

and

Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropo ...

, the former Susse Chalet Inns, converted to the Fairfield Inn brand, switched to the

La Quinta Inn La Quinta Inns & Suites (Spanish: ''La Quinta'', "the country villa", ) is a chain of limited service hotels in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Honduras. La Quinta Holdings, Inc. first sold shares to the public in April 2014. La Quinta ...

brand during the 2000s (decade).

References

External links

Roedel Companies
{{Hotel chains Hotel chains in the United States Hospitality companies of the United States Defunct hotel chains Hotels established in 1967 Hotels disestablished in 2000 1967 establishments in New Hampshire Defunct companies based in New Hampshire