Extended Stay America recently celebrated the fifth anniversary of Extended Stay America Premier Suites, which has become the fastest-growing midscale extended-stay brand since its launch in 2021. The brand has reached nearly 60 open hotels, powered by its new-construction and conversion-friendly model. Meanwhile, the company’s Select Suites brand has echoed this success by becoming the fastest-growing extended-stay brand in the pure economy segment. While navigating various challenging circumstances, including rising costs and economic uncertainty, Extended Stay America continues to gain momentum. Greg Juceam, the company’s president and chief executive officer, spoke with LODGING while attending the 37th annual Hunter Conference and discussed the Premier Suites brand’s anniversary, recent growth, and trajectory moving forward.
Juceam highlighted how the fifth anniversary milestone was especially meaningful, as the company had been building new hotels at the highest cost to build in “quite some time.” He noted that the brand’s growth could have been faster if the costs had been more affordable, but the team was still proud of the journey up to this point. “We’re a company that forever had one brand, and we launched two brands, one in ‘21 and one in ‘22,” said Juceam. “The fact that they’re each the growth leader in their segments since that time is pretty cool.”
While rising operating costs have increasingly impacted the hospitality industry in recent years, Extended Stay America has met this challenge with its Premier Suites prototype, specifically for the midscale segment. Aimed at minimizing operating costs, the design caters to cost-conscious guests through its disciplined approach. “What we really focused on when we put the prototype together is meeting all the needs that guests really want and are willing to pay for, but nothing more,” Juceam explained. Rather than adding perks like a lobby market or a charging station, Extended Stay America instead took its existing “lean” operating model and put it in new buildings; in doing so, the company minimized added costs and preserved the approach that helps properties run efficiently and protect their margins.
Likewise, Juceam pointed to construction as a differentiator for Extended Stay America, noting that the company owns and operates 70 percent of the hotels in its portfolio. As a result, Juceam explained, they have the tools needed to help owners, whereas asset-light companies are less able to do so because they’re not building their own product. “We ourselves have built our hotels; we have onsite capabilities, construction, architecture, and design. “And we can help the owners do that. And we don’t have to just talk to a third party to help them through their process.”
With this business model, Extended Stay America’s growth has ramped up recently; in 2025 alone, the company opened new properties in Arizona, Tennessee, Florida, Colorado, and Texas, among other locations. While Juceam pointed out that there has been a development “rush” to the Southeast given its affordability, he stated that Extended Stay America has been growing “pretty much everywhere,” aside from the West Coast due to the cost. The company’s “steady” momentum in recent years has included the opening of 10 to 12 Premier Suites hotels every year, and Juceam predicted it will be even more fruitful in the future. “I think there will be acceleration … as interest rates have come down,” he said. “And as capital markets open up, hopefully we’ll see input materials become more affordable as well.”
Looking ahead, Extended Stay America seeks to capture what Juceam called “unmet demand” in the segment. He noted that only 10 percent of the supply in the United States is extended stay, and the market for extended-stay accommodations far exceeds that. With that white space in mind, Juceam expressed his excitement for the future, even as the industry has been dealing with tariffs and supply chain issues. “I think there are all sorts of structural tailwinds for our segment. “It’s been a really tricky year in the hotel industry … but we’re still cash flowing well, and our owners are building more and converting more hotels into our brand. You have a little short-term headache in terms of tariffs and supply chain things … but when you look past that at the structural tailwinds for the segment, I think we’ve got a really strong three to five years ahead.”