Through a direct franchising agreement with Kasterlee UK Ltd, Choice Hotels Europe has opened the Clarion Collection Croydon Park Hotel. This opening brings the number of Choice-branded hotels owned and operated by Kasterlee to 12.

Kasterlee UK Ltd owns the Master Franchise rights for Choice Hotels' Clarion, Quality and Comfort brands in the Republic of Ireland and already operates 11 hotels in towns and cities including Dublin, Cork, Sligo, Limerick and Killarney.

This latest agreement is part of Choice Hotel's strategy to grow its business in the UK by entering into more franchise agreements with UK-based independent hoteliers, companies and individuals. Other recent Choice Hotel openings include the Comfort Inn Hyde Park and the Comfort Hotel Luton.

Andrew O'Neill, Group Operations Director for Kasterlee UK Ltd, said: "We have a strong working relationship with Choice Hotels and when we decided to expand in the UK they were the company we most wanted to work with."

Duncan Berry, UK CEO of Choice Hotels Europe, added: "We are delighted that our relationship with Kasterlee now includes this new direct franchising relationship in the UK."

Choice Hotels, which has full membership of the British Franchise Association, has an established global network of more than 6,100 hotels and currently over 800 hotels under construction, awaiting conversion or approved for development, including 40 in Europe.