The new design provides increased lobby function and has a residential townhouse look. The dynamic exterior and interior refresh, is the first major design change in the brand's 11-year history, and follows extensive research by Candlewood Suites with developers, general contractors and consumers.

IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) has announced the launch of the new prototype design for its mid-scale extended-stay brand, Candlewood Suites.

The contemporary design creates a comfortable residential look and feel for the hotel with a new exterior design and paint scheme, an expanded lobby and environmentally-friendly amenities.

The research showed an increasing trend toward a more residential design for extended-stay properties that creates better appeal with owners, contractors and guests. Reaction by this audience to the new design has been extremely positive.

"We wanted to ensure a more residential feel for our guests while at the same time not increase building costs for our owners. The new prototype fits both goals well," said Robert Radomski, vice president, Brand Management-Extended Stay brands.

"The change to the exterior makes the property more appealing to our owners and our guests with its townhouse-look. The new prototype design is good for owners building in large or small markets and the newly designed lobby provides our guests a place to meet in a comfortable environment."

The exterior undergoes the biggest change as the hotel will replace its L-shape building design with a straight, forward-facing rectangular building with a new entry way and roofline that improves the hotel's curb appeal.

In addition to the new building shape, the exterior color scheme has been updated to light khaki, olive green, tan and dark blue. The new prototype has an increased outdoor residential feel with a more centrally located Gazebo Grill and more "backyard" landscaping.

In the past, Candlewood Suites hotels were built with a small lobby area that served simply as the check-in and check-out point for guests. However, with the new prototype, the hotel's interior will feature an expanded lobby area that will accommodate multiple sitting areas with comfortable furniture and a 42-inch flat screen television that creates a living room-type gathering place for guests.

The new lobby is designed to encourage more interaction among guests and between guests and hotel team members, many of which are on a first name basis.

As an additional benefit, there are options throughout the prototype hotel for owners and developers to use environmentally-friendly amenities to decrease water and energy consumption. Some of the options include low-flow shower heads and toilets, Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFLs), increased natural light and sodium vapor fixtures.

The new prototype design is available in two versions - a three-floor, 83-room property and a four-floor, 103-room property.