MainStay Suites
An American midscale extended-stay hotel franchise operated by Choice Hotels International.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
MainStay Suites is a midscale extended-stay hotel franchise owned and operated within the Choice Hotels International brand portfolio. The brand was created to serve travelers who need accommodation for longer than a conventional hotel visit, including corporate travelers, consultants, medical personnel and patients, academics, sports teams, and guests dealing with relocation or other temporary housing needs. Its proposition combines hotel-style services with features intended to make a room practical for multi-night or multi-week stays. Choice Hotels announced the brand in 1995, when extended-stay lodging was receiving increased attention from major hotel companies. Contemporary industry research cited by Choice estimated that extended-stay guests represented approximately 228 million room-nights annually. MainStay Suites was designed around a mid-market price position, with the original concept described as offering nightly rates of roughly $40 to $60. The first property opened in Plano, Texas, in 1996. At launch, the brand was presented as the first mid-market extended-stay concept introduced by a major hotel company. The brand’s early strategy emphasized newly constructed properties rather than relying primarily on conversions. Its development rationale reflected changes in business travel and employment patterns during the 1980s and 1990s, including corporate downsizing and the resulting growth in traveling specialists, consultants, and project-based workers. MainStay Suites therefore occupied a position between a traditional limited-service hotel and more specialized extended-stay lodging, seeking to provide a familiar national franchise proposition at a moderate price. Typical MainStay Suites accommodations are organized around longer-stay functionality. Rooms generally provide separate living or lounge and work areas, while properties offer practical amenities such as high-speed internet, exercise facilities, round-the-clock laundry access, and weekly housekeeping. The precise facilities vary by property, because the brand is franchised and individual hotels may differ in size, layout, and local services. The system has included both newly built hotels and conversions, with the portfolio described as being broadly balanced between those two development routes. Choice Hotels later expanded the brand through multi-brand development. In 2015 it introduced a prototype pairing a 38-room Sleep Inn with a 31-room MainStay Suites under one roof. This arrangement allowed a single property to serve both conventional limited-service demand and guests seeking extended-stay accommodations, while potentially improving development economics and site utilization. By 2018, ten such dual-branded locations were open. In 2019, Choice announced plans for five additional Sleep Inn/MainStay Suites properties in California and Arizona. To support franchise growth and make conversions easier, MainStay Suites has used modular design packages, including standardized concepts referred to as “Kitchen-in-a-box” and “Lobby-in-a-box.” These packages are intended to simplify the addition or renewal of key extended-stay and public-area features. In 2019, Choice also introduced a refreshed MainStay Suites logo as part of a broader identity update involving several Choice brands, including Quality Inn, Clarion, and Sleep Inn. MainStay Suites operates primarily in the United States and has rights to expand into Canada. Its principal competitive set includes Candlewood Suites from IHG, Premier Suites from Extended Stay America, StudioRes from Marriott International, and LivSmart and LivAway from Hilton. The brand remains part of Choice Hotels’ broader franchised lodging network and is positioned around practical, moderate-price accommodations for guests whose stays require more space, household functionality, and service continuity than a typical overnight hotel visit.
History
MainStay Suites emerged from Choice Hotels International’s effort to establish a national mid-market brand for extended-stay lodging. In 1995, Choice announced the concept at a time when longer-term hotel accommodation was becoming increasingly relevant to the lodging industry. Research cited in connection with the launch estimated that extended-stay guests generated about 228 million room-nights per year. Choice positioned the new brand at an accessible midscale price point, with the original concept associated with nightly rates of approximately $40 to $60. The first MainStay Suites location opened in Plano, Texas, in 1996. The launch was significant within the branded hotel sector because it represented the first mid-market extended-stay concept introduced by a major hotel company. The initial development plan emphasized purpose-built properties. Rather than simply adapting conventional hotels, the brand was intended to provide accommodation layouts and services suited to guests staying for longer periods. Choice’s explanation of the market highlighted changes in corporate employment and travel patterns. Corporate downsizing during the 1980s and 1990s contributed to an increase in traveling consultants, specialists, and project-based workers. These customers often needed more functional lodging than a standard overnight room but did not necessarily require upscale apartment-style accommodation. MainStay Suites was developed to address that middle ground with a franchised hotel model. The brand’s operating proposition centers on practical features for extended stays. Depending on the property, rooms may include separate lounge and work areas, while hotels commonly provide high-speed internet, exercise facilities, 24-hour laundry access, and weekly housekeeping. These amenities support guests who need to work, maintain routines, or manage personal belongings during a prolonged trip. Because MainStay Suites hotels are franchised, the exact configuration and amenity package can differ between locations. Development has included both new construction and conversion projects. The portfolio has been described as roughly evenly divided between those two routes. To assist conversion activity and standardize important parts of the guest experience, Choice Hotels developed modular design packages, including “Kitchen-in-a-box” and “Lobby-in-a-box” concepts. These tools were intended to make it easier for franchisees to add or update the functional areas most relevant to extended-stay lodging. A later development phase focused on dual-branding. In 2015, Choice introduced a prototype combining a 38-room Sleep Inn with a 31-room MainStay Suites under one roof. The arrangement brought a conventional limited-service brand and an extended-stay brand together at one property, enabling operators to serve different trip lengths and customer needs from a shared site. Ten such locations were open by 2018. In 2019, Choice announced five more Sleep Inn/MainStay Suites properties planned across California and Arizona. Choice also refreshed the MainStay Suites visual identity in 2019, introducing a new logo at the same time as updates for Quality Inn, Clarion, and Sleep Inn. This placed the brand within a broader portfolio-wide identity effort rather than treating it as an isolated rebranding exercise. MainStay Suites remains primarily a United States brand, although Choice Hotels holds rights to expand it into Canada. Its competitive environment includes other extended-stay or longer-stay concepts operated by major lodging groups, including Candlewood Suites from IHG, Premier Suites from Extended Stay America, StudioRes from Marriott International, and LivSmart and LivAway from Hilton. Within Choice Hotels, MainStay Suites continues to represent the company’s midscale extended-stay proposition, serving guests who value space, basic household functionality, connectivity, and predictable franchised lodging service over the shorter-stay orientation of a conventional hotel.
- 2019
Further dual-brand expansion announced
[1]Choice Hotels announced five additional Sleep Inn/MainStay Suites properties for California and Arizona.
- 2019
Brand logo refreshed
[1]MainStay Suites received a new logo as part of a broader Choice Hotels identity update.
- 2018
Ten dual-branded locations open
[1]The Sleep Inn/MainStay Suites dual-brand format had reached ten operating locations.
- 2015
Dual-brand prototype introduced
[1]Choice Hotels introduced a prototype combining Sleep Inn and MainStay Suites under one roof.
- 1997
Choice explains the extended-stay opportunity
[1]Choice Hotels described the brand’s target market as being supported by the growth of traveling consultants and specialists following corporate downsizing in the 1980s and 1990s.
- 1996
First property opens in Plano, Texas
[1]The first MainStay Suites hotel began operating in Plano, Texas.
- 1995
Choice Hotels announces MainStay Suites
[1]Choice Hotels announced MainStay Suites as a mid-market extended-stay hotel concept, citing the substantial volume of extended-stay room nights and targeting nightly rates of approximately $40 to $60.
Products and positioning
Midscale extended-stay lodging for business travelers, medical guests, academics, sports teams, and other customers requiring practical accommodations for longer stays.
Extended-stay lodging · 1996
MainStay Suites extended-stay hotels
The core MainStay Suites offering is a midscale franchised hotel designed for longer stays. Rooms are generally organized to provide separate lounge and work areas, while properties commonly offer high-speed internet, fitness facilities, 24-hour laundry access, and weekly housekeeping. Individual hotels may vary in layout and amenities.
Dual-branded hotel · 2015
Sleep Inn/MainStay Suites dual-brand properties
This development format places a Sleep Inn hotel and a MainStay Suites hotel within the same building or property. The model combines conventional limited-service accommodation with extended-stay rooms, allowing operators to address different customer needs and trip durations from a shared development.
Modular development package
Kitchen-in-a-box and Lobby-in-a-box
These standardized design packages support MainStay Suites construction and conversion projects by providing modular approaches to key functional areas, including guest kitchens and hotel lobbies. They are intended to accelerate development and give franchisees repeatable design solutions.
Brand decisions
2019
Refresh the MainStay Suites visual identityOtherBackground
Choice Hotels undertook a broader identity update across several of its hotel brands.
Action taken
Choice unveiled a new MainStay Suites logo alongside updated logos for Quality Inn, Clarion, and Sleep Inn.
Aftermath
The refreshed identity positioned MainStay Suites within Choice Hotels’ wider portfolio branding effort.
2015
Adopt a dual-brand hotel prototypeStrategyBackground
Choice Hotels sought to combine the demand profiles of a conventional limited-service hotel and an extended-stay property within one development.
Action taken
The company introduced a prototype pairing a 38-room Sleep Inn with a 31-room MainStay Suites under one roof.
Aftermath
Ten dual-branded locations were open by 2018, and five additional properties were announced for California and Arizona in 2019.
Recent events
- 2019
Choice Hotels announces five additional dual-brand properties[1]
Product launch
Choice Hotels announced five additional Sleep Inn/MainStay Suites properties planned for California and Arizona.
- 2019
MainStay Suites receives a refreshed logo[1]
Campaign · Other
Choice Hotels unveiled a new MainStay Suites logo as part of a wider visual identity update covering several brands in its portfolio.
- 2018
Ten Sleep Inn/MainStay Suites dual-branded locations operating[1]
Product generation
The dual-brand concept had expanded to ten open locations, indicating continued development of the combined-property model.
- 2015
Choice Hotels introduces the Sleep Inn/MainStay Suites dual-brand prototype[1]
Product launch
Choice Hotels introduced a dual-brand format combining Sleep Inn and MainStay Suites in one property, allowing conventional limited-service and extended-stay demand to be served at the same location.
- 1996
First MainStay Suites property opens in Plano[1]
Product launch
The first MainStay Suites hotel opened in Plano, Texas, beginning the operating rollout of Choice Hotels’ new extended-stay brand.
- 1995
Choice Hotels announces the MainStay Suites extended-stay concept[1]
Product launch
Choice Hotels announced MainStay Suites as a mid-market extended-stay hotel concept, responding to the growing scale of the extended-stay lodging segment.
Sources1 sources
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