November 2014
| Business World
15
system that can provide the support and
means that much larger franchises would
be able to provide even though we currently
have just 12 properties,” says Ryan. Full sup-
port is offered from day one of a franchise
agreement.
EXTENDING YOUR STAY
With growing numbers of travelers from a
range of industries, guests are forced to spend
time away from their actual homes. My Place
Hotels aims to provide these guests with the
comforts of home in a hotel setting. Accord-
ing to Ryan, “extended stay can mean differ-
ent lengths of stay, but is typically defined as
seven nights or more.” My Place Hotel’s op-
erating model is designed to cater any guests,
however the main targeted audience are
guests who may live in the hotel for a period
of 30 days or more. In order to best provide
for these guests, rooms are furnished with a
well-equipped kitchen, free high-speed In-
ternet and large HDTV’s amongst other of-
ferings.
The operating model is also less invasive,
with the choice of foregoing housekeeping
or keeping it for a weekly occurrence de-
pending on the guest’s preference. The Hotel
offers guest laundry facilities, a 24-hour My
Lounge with always-fresh coffee, and the My
Store, which features a wide selection of con-
venience items at a fair price. That being said,
Ryan upholds that “the team still recognizes
the importance of nightly guests as part of
the business model. So aside from amenities
offered for long-term guests, the hotel has all
the typical amenities of a regular economy
hotel, such as routine housekeeping and a
24-hour front desk.”
My Place is designed to enter most hotel
markets today and be price competitive with
any economy or midscale hotel. In order to
remain in the economy position of the mar-
