Red Lion Hotels Corp., of Spokane, says it added a record number of new hotels and franchise license agreements last year.

Through combined efforts with Coral Springs, Fla.-based Vantage Hospitality Group Inc., which it acquired recently, Red Lion says in a press release that its growth spurt included the opening of 68 hotels and the signing of 87 new franchise license agreements.

The 87 license agreements covered 10 brands in 30 states, four Canadian provinces, and South Korea.

Notable hotel additions, it says, included Hotel RLs in Brooklyn, N.Y.; Houston, Texas; and Omaha, Neb.; a 231-room Red Lion Hotel & Conference in Billings, Mont.; and the company’s first-ever GuestHouse location in Georgia. 

Other noteworthy additions, it says, included a 342-room Value Hotel Worldwide in Gangneung, South Korea; a 279-room Lexington Hotel in Rochester, N.Y.; a 112-room Country Hearth Inn & Suites in San Antonio, Texas; 12 Red Lion Inns & Suites; and 47 Americas Best Value Inns.

Company President and CEO Gregory T. Mount told the Journal in an interview in December that the Vantage acquisition gave Red Lion a strong presence in the economy-hotel market. He said it now expects to use that presence to generate additional growth for all of its brands, including Red Lion Inns & Suites and the luxury Hotel RL brand.

“This gives us the ability to compete on a national level on the midscale and upscale properties, which is our goal,” Mount said.

At 1,200 hotels in 48 U.S. states, six Canadian provinces, and abroad at the time of the interview, Red Lion has grown dramatically since the beginning of 2014, when it had 55 hotels in 20 states.

Last year alone, Red Lion brands opened in 28 states and four provinces, including 37 Americas Best Value Inns, eight Red Lion Inns & Suites, five Country Hearth Inns & Suites, four Lexingtons, four Canadas Best Value Inns, and three Hotel RLs, the company says. The openings also included two Signature Inns, one Jamison Inn, and one GuestHouse. Texas had the most openings with 11, followed by California with six and Georgia and Mississippi with four each.

Noteworthy markets where it opened properties, along with those already mentioned, included Boise, Idaho; Salt Lake City, Sacramento, Calif.; Miami Beach, Fla.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Memphis, Tenn.; Indianapolis,  Little Rock, Ark.; Fargo, N.D.; and Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

For future growth, Red Lion has said it plans to pursue more franchise relationships and is open to additional acquisitions. The company is targeting the top 100 metropolitan statistical areas in the U.S. and expects to be able to work with current franchisees to convert additional properties.