Foulger-Pratt Breaks Ground on New Choice Hotels International Headquarters in Rockville, Maryland

ROCKVILLE, Md., Aug. 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Foulger-Pratt Companies and Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) celebrated the groundbreaking of the new headquarters building for Choice Hotels in Rockville, Maryland yesterday. When completed, over 400 Choice Hotels associates will move to the new 190,907-square-foot Class A office building.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110831/PH60506 )

Leaders from state, county and local government worked closely with Choice Hotels and Foulger-Pratt to finalize the negotiations for the relocation, which keeps hundreds of job opportunities in the local economy and will result in continued economic growth and stability for the Rockville area. The groundbreaking event was celebrated with speeches by Congressman Chris Van Hollen, Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett, Maryland Department of Business & Economic Development Deputy Secretary Dominick Murray, Rockville Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio, Choice Hotels President and CEO Steve Joyce, and Foulger-Pratt Principal Clayton Foulger. The event was attended by over 150 officials, community leaders, and guests. Refreshments were generously donated by local restaurants including Austin Grill, Gordon Biersch, and Ben & Jerry's ice cream.

"Choice Hotels has been proud to call Montgomery County home since 1968," said Steve Joyce, president and chief executive officer of Choice Hotels. "For over 40 years, we have been able to grow with this thriving community and have become one of its major employers with over 400 associates that work in our headquarters office. Like Rockville, we are anticipating strong growth as a company over the coming years with more associates and a larger franchise system and we look forward to sharing the benefits of the growth with the Rockville Town Center."

The new Class A office building is being designed and constructed to LEED Platinum standards and will be wind-powered via purchase of renewable energy credits (REC). The building will feature 13,670-square-feet of first floor retail, and will connect with the existing sister building via a semi-circular courtyard and shared two-story lobby with a green roof. Parking will include 116,615-square-feet of structured parking in three-below-grade levels, plus surface parking for total capacity of 298 vehicles.

"We are extremely honored to have been selected by Choice Hotels to build their new corporate headquarters. We are also excited to be creating job opportunities for engineering, architecture, construction, and supporting services; plus the resulting positive economic impact that will follow construction completion," said Clayton Foulger, Principal of Foulger-Pratt Companies.

Construction of Rockville Metro Plaza II is the first in a series of new construction projects planned for the Rockville Town Center area including a new Cambria Suites brand hotel, franchised by Choice Hotels, over 200 residential units, a new grocery store, and refreshed common areas and signage for the existing office, retail, entertainment, residential and parking facilities of Rockville Town Center.

About Choice Hotels

Choice Hotels International, Inc. franchises more than 6,100 hotels, representing more than 490,000 rooms, in the United States and more than 30 other countries and territories. As of June 30, 2011, more than 450 hotels were under construction, awaiting conversion or approved for development in the United States, representing more than 37,000 rooms, and approximately 100 hotels, representing approximately 8,700 rooms, were under construction, awaiting conversion or approved for development in more than 20 other countries and territories. The company's Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, MainStay Suites, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel, Econo Lodge and Rodeway Inn brands serve guests worldwide. In addition, via its Ascend Collection membership program, travelers in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean have upscale lodging options at historic, boutique and unique hotels.

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

About The Foulger-Pratt Companies

Established in 1963, the Foulger-Pratt Companies represents one of the Washington region's most experienced and diverse real estate firms. The award-winning organization offers sustainable development, construction, asset management, and property management services. The firm was recently ranked #7 on the Washington Business Journal's Best Places to Work industry ranking. Examples of our work include Rockville Metro Plaza I and II, Park Potomac mixed-use development, Downtown Silver Spring Redevelopment, Silver Spring Metro Center, and The Nature Conservancy Headquarters. The Foulger-Pratt Companies is headquartered in Rockville, MD.  For more information, visit: www.foulgerpratt.com.

SOURCE Choice Hotels International, Inc.