Hotels Done Right in the Eastern United States

Produced by Kyle Gahm & Written by Jeanee Dudley
Roedel Companies LLC (RC) is a growing hospitality developer, owner and operator based in Wilton, N.H., with deep roots in the hotel business. The company is the successor of the former Chalet Susse International Inc., a highly profitable hotel brand that Fred B. Roedel founded in 1967. RC continues to offer turnkey development solutions, but unlike many developers in the hotel industry, the company also offers third-party construction management and hotel management services to other businesses.
With nearly 50 years of experience with major, national brand hotels, RC offers leading service and reliable return on investment. Clients can also count on the integrity of a family-owned and –operated company. RC has changed hands over the years and Fred’s son, David Roedel, currently heads up business development and acquisitions.
“I got into the hotel business in 1994 after college,” David explains. “I went to work at Chalet Susse in marketing. Three years later, I got into hotel real estate. I was responsible for selecting acquisitions and real estate sites; I did that from 1996 to 2000.”
In 2000 David began RC with his father and brother, Fred Roedel III. “My brother currently runs the construction management side of the company, ROK Builders,” he explains. “My father is still active in the business and serves as the senior adviser. When he developed the Susse Chalet brand; they did everything in-house and acted as their own general contractor for their projects.”
Vertical Integration with a Twist
"Our company may be a little different,” David explains. “We are a completely integrated hotel company. We can turnkey a project from the pine tree to the first customer. We can also provide any of our services individually. If we invest money, we operate it. We need to manage the property. Otherwise, we can provide third-party service. We offer construction management, interior design and procurement, which is fairly unique in this business.”
With a range of capabilities and services, RC has remainedbusy over the years, even throughout the recession. The team’s recent projects include work for a number of major hotel chains. The team performed a multimillion dollar renovation of a former, local Fairfield Inn into a new Holiday Inn Express & Suites. The changes made to the building have increased the hotel’s ability to cater to business travelers. In cooperation with Alta Properties, the team transformed a former Clarion Hotel into a La Quinta Inn & Suites. Improvements made to the structure, a total transformation inside and out, added comfort and functionality, improving overall guest experience.

Working up and down the East Coast, the team has had a hand in many major renovation and upgrade projects. ROK Builders renovated all of the guest rooms, bathrooms, corridors and public areas for a La Quinta property in Miami and in Fort Lauderdale. Other ROK projects include upgrades to a Marriott Courtyard Hotel in Windsor, Conn., and a La Quinta Inn and Suites in Plattsburgh, N.Y. The construction division is currently working to remodel and upgrade lobby facilities at the Hilton Garden Inn Auburn Riverwatch in Auburn, Maine, with completion slated for the end of July 2013.
Staying a Step Ahead
RC has built strong relationships with major hotel brands over the years. Reliability and quality make up the foundation of the business’ strong tendency toward growth and success. With its two subsidiary businesses, ROK Builders and RGH Hospitality (RC’s hotel management company), the growing team can delegate independent services is an efficient manner, leaving investments and acquisitions up to the parent company.
The company’s diverse services and longstanding relationships helped RC to weather the financial storm of the recent recession, too. “I think many people in this business were affected,” David elaborates. “The business is cyclical, so we have seen ups and downs before, but this was the worst recession ever to hit the hotel industry. We held on because we are not too big. Instead of having a large number of hotels that are not performing well, we have a small number of hotels and they are all performing well. From a construction standpoint, we made the decision to run lean. We kept our expertise in-house and were able to ride the wave. Now we are benefiting from the decisions we made a few years ago.”
With efficient operations and a vertically integrated business model, RC continues to grow. The company recently purchased a hotel roughly 25 miles north of New York City while also, in joint venture, started work on a new build Homewood Suites by Hilton in Massachusetts. Work will begin, on both projects, in spring 2014 and the development will offer new opportunities for the team in the area. Over the next few years, David and his crew are sticking to what they do best. Roedel Companies LLC will continue to expand over the next few years through bringing innovative solutions to the hospitality industry, backed by experience and quality.