This week, JetBlue became the only airline to offer non-stop flights from New York to Curaçao

(TRAVPR.COM) USA - December 3rd, 2014 - VIDEO here: https://vimeo.com/112723070

CURACAO (December 3, 2014) - Curaçao's ACOYA Hotel Suites and Villas, a member of the Ascend Hotel Collection by Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH), is anticipating a strong winter season as it generates exciting buzz following its opening in September.

A recent addition to the Choice Hotels Caribbean portfolio, the four-star hotel is easy to spot. It's the only resort in Curaçao with a natural lake on its property and is surrounded by 118 accommodations with a total of 200 rooms on 10 pristine tropical acres.

"We are an exclusive vacation home rental resort with hotel services," said Henry Martijn, sales manager of ACOYA Hotel Suites and Villas.

At ACOYA, guests can choose from spacious Deluxe Rooms, suites and villas some of which have their own private pools. Accommodations are fully equipped with upscale amenities such as LCD TV, fully equipped kitchens, 220 and 110 volt electric outlets, coffee makers and in-room safes. Additional hotel amenities include free Wi-Fi, a wellness center, laundry service, beach towel service, daily housekeeping, car rental, shuttle service to neighboring beaches, downtown, and the well-known Vreugdenhil Supermarket.

Martijn, who brings to ACOYA close to 25 years' experience in the hotel and airline sectors, believes "the service we give is personalized and differentiates us."

And, it's one of three Ascend Hotel Collection members now open in the Caribbean which Martijn sees as a big plus. "Being part of Choice Hotels International, especially as an Ascend Hotel Collection member, helps us, for sure, to increase our presence in the North American market."

Deep in the southern Caribbean and near the islands of Aruba and Bonaire, Curaçao and ACOYA are looking forward to increased airline service from North America. This week, JetBlue became the only airline to offer non-stop flights from New York to Curaçao, while Air Canada has announced its new non-stop service from Montreal to Curaçao starting January 1, 2015.

Martijn has no doubt new visitors to the resort and to Curaçao will feel right at home, largely due to the multi-lingual capacity of the local people. "Our education is multilingual so it's easier to recruit staff comfortable in a variety of languages: Dutch, Papiamento, English and Spanish. Others go further with French, German and Portuguese. That's why we can communicate so easily with many markets."

The capital Willemstad is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, featuring historic architecture which melds Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese colonial styles. Martijn said the local cuisine mixes Latin American with Caribbean food. His favorite is "funchi" - a local delicacy of cornmeal and polenta with goat meat or fresh fried fish or salted cod. "For me funchi, a good piece of fish with creole sauce, wow, that's heaven!"

Looking back at his two decades of experience in the tourism sector with hotels and airlines, Martijn said he was accustomed to launching start-ups from scratch, "and this property will be a hit for Curaçao."

Ascend Hotel Collection is an international portfolio of independent hotels that uniquely reflect the character of their host cities. For guests, Ascend hotels deliver a richly local experience. For hoteliers, the great appeal of Ascend is that the collection allows operators to maintain their individuality while giving them access to Choice Hotels International's robust distribution system and industry leading Choice Privileges loyalty rewards program along with support from a vast network of other member hotels around the globe.

The Choice Hotels International Caribbean portfolio currently includes hotels in the Caribbean islands of Aruba, the Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Curaçao and Puerto Rico. For further information, visit www.choicecaribbean.com.

About Choice Hotels
Choice Hotels International, Inc. franchises more than 6,300 hotels, representing more than 500,000 rooms, in the United States and more than 35 other countries and territories. As of September 30, 2014, 422 hotels, representing more than 32,000 rooms, were under construction, awaiting conversion or approved for development in the United States. Additionally, 94 hotels, representing approximately 8,600 rooms, were under construction, awaiting conversion or approved for development in more than 15 other countries and territories. The company's Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Hotels & Suites, MainStay Suites, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel, Econo Lodge and Rodeway Inn brands, as well as its Ascend Hotel Collection membership program, serve guests worldwide.

Choice Hotels, Choice Hotels International, Choice Privileges, Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Hotels and Suites, MainStay Suites, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel, Econo Lodge, Rodeway Inn, and Ascend Hotel Collection are proprietary trademarks and service marks of Choice Hotels International, Inc.

Additional corporate information can be found on the Choice Hotels International, Inc. web site, which may be accessed at www.choicehotels.com.

© 2014 Choice Hotels International, Inc. All rights reserved.

ENDS

###