DALLAS--Bill Duncan is the global head of Home2 Suites and Homewood Suites, the former of which opened last month in College Station. He recently spoke with GlobeSt.com's Anna Caplan about the state of the extended-stay market in Texas and the southwest.

GlobeSt.com: What makes Texas in particular so good for the extended-stay market?

Bill Duncan: Texas is an ideal location for the extended-stay product due to its concentration of major corporations, branches of the military, educational institutions, healthcare centers and tourist attractions. Business and leisure travelers frequent not only the state's major cities, but also smaller markets, like College Station – home of Texas A&M – Midland and Amarillo, and many of these travelers require accommodations for more than five nights. Additionally, there is a strong network of developers in the state who are interested in growing their hotel portfolios with extended-stay brands. We have several developers who have both Homewood Suites and Home2 Suites properties in Texas, due in part to the availability of land for development, and the appeal of the model's relatively low cost per key and smaller land requirement needed to build.