"[Armstrong] and I worked together at Cendant Corp. (now Wyndham Worldwide) when he ran franchise sales for the company's Wingate brand," NYLO CEO John Russell tells GlobeSt.com. "I've known him since 1991. He's got the depth of experience we need to aggressively grow our brand in the US, with a strong portfolio of relationships."

Previously, Armstrong served as Southeast regional vice president of development for Hyatt Select Hotels Group, where he helped launch the Hyatt Place and Hyatt Summerfield Suites brands. Before that, he led national franchise development for Hawthorn Suites for Atlanta-based US Franchise Systems and was vice president of franchise development for Candlewood Hotel Co.

Armstrong

The company is looking to expand into secondary and tertiary markets such as Alpharetta, GA; Duluth, GA; or Tampa, FL, says Russell. "We look for an area that has about a million-and-a-half sf of office space, a lifestyle community where there is high-end residential, a high-end mall area and an airport location that's got demand generators," he says.

The brand includes two franchise opportunities, NYLO and XP by NYLO. NYLO is a full service, four-star boutique, loft-style hotel brand, with the first opening in December 2007 in Plano, TX, a suburb of Dallas. NYLO Providence/Warwick, RI, is scheduled to open in two weeks. Three more locations in Las Colinas, TX; Broomfield, CO; and Kansas City, MO are scheduled to open next year.