Magnuson Hotels, a Spokane-based hotel group offering reservation and property management services, says it has signed licensing contracts with three former franchises of Wyndham Hotel Group in Pensacola, Fla., as well as an independent hotel in Creston, British Columbia, that have all converted to the Magnuson brand. 

 Magnuson says in a news release that the hotels in Florida that now carry its brand are the Magnuson Inn Pensacola, Magnuson Hotel Pensacola, and M-Star Pensacola. In Creston, British Columbia, the hotel is now called the Magnuson Hotel Creston.

The Magnuson Hotel Creston, formerly the Hacienda Inn Creston, is a 51-room, full-service hotel located minutes from downtown Creston. Thomas Magnuson, CEO of Magnuson Worldwide, said in a press release that he is proud to welcome the new hotel there. 

“We are fully committed to increasing their property visibility and reservations,” Magnuson says. 

The Pensacola hotels are owned by hotel owners Jay and Nash Patel. Nash Patel says the conversion to the Magnuson hotel brands was a seamless transition.

 “The conversion was no-nonsense … without the hassle of constant franchisor dictates and demands prior to opening,” Patel says in a press release. “Also, the cost of conversion including signage was very affordable; we were not required to utilize franchisor-preferred sign vendors, which usually cost 300-500 percent more.” 

Magnuson Hotels, with its headquarters at 525 E. Mission, near Gonzaga University, and offices in London, says the number of hotel clients that operate under one of its three brands increased by 25 percent in 2013, compared with 2012. 

Launched in Spokane in 2003, Magnuson Hotels now has licensing agreements with nearly 150 hotels in 30 states and two Canadian provinces that carry Magnuson-branded names. Some of those hoteliers formerly aligned with such chains as Comfort Inn, Best Western, and Holiday Inn. 

Magnuson provides branding services under different brand names to reach different segments of the hotel market, from the economy properties that offer few extras to more upscale hotels with a number of amenities, including a complimentary breakfast. The company’s three brands include Magnuson Grant Hotels for upscale properties, Magnuson Hotels for mid-priced to upscale, and the M-Star brand for economy hotels. 

The company also offers services to hotel owners separately from the brand licensing agreements, such as reservation management services it provides to a global-affiliated network of nearly 2,000 hotels.