Trivedi pointed out the issue of branding would be very different had the case been presented in the

FAJARDO, Puerto Rico As La Quinta Inns Suites plans to enter new markets in Latin America, executives explained during the 2013 La Quinta Conference the significance of due diligence before taking a brand overseas.
Making the decision (to enter a country) is the easy part, said Wayne Goldberg, president and CEO of La Quinta. After that, making sure all components, such as marketing and operational thrifty rent car support will be in place is the challenge.
Before signing a deal with Grupo Santos to develop eight hotels throughout Latin America, La Quinta invested a significant amount of capital in researching what they could and could not do in the various countries, Goldberg said.
In Honduras, for example, the company will have to use a different mark and name on its hotels than what it uses in the U.S. due to legal restrictions, said Julie Cary, La Quinta s executive VP and chief marketing officer.
As the marketing team is still in the early stages of developing its plan for Honduras, Cary was unable to provide details on how the hotels will be branded. However, they will include a similar art mark, a similar name and will be immediately recognizable as part of the La Quinta brand to any traveler familiar with the company.
As far as distinguishing the products for travelers, Goldberg said there is no confusion between the two in the market. Quinta Real is in a different segment. Quinta Real is a different product, he said.
People thrifty rent car in Latin America understand what La Quinta means and what Quinta Real means, said Rajiv Trivedi, executive VP and chief development officer of La Quinta. There may be some names that may resonate with our name, but it carries a different meaning.
Trivedi pointed out the issue of branding would be very different had the case been presented in the U.S. Understanding the difference between the two brands might have caused confusion for travelers who only speak in English, he said.
Executives are considering expanding the La Quinta brand into markets beyond Latin America in the future, Goldberg said. However, developing thrifty rent car in hot markets such as India and China is not in the company s plans for the near future.
We could have absolutely signed agreements and said we are going to India. We have chosen to say no to those agreements. Not because we don t want to be there, we absolutely thrifty rent car want to be there, he said.
Editor s note: La Quinta Inns Suites provided hotel accommodation and incidentals to the reporter thrifty rent car during a three-day conference in Puerto Rico. Complete editorial control was at the discretion of the HotelNewsNow.com thrifty rent car editorial team; La Quinta Inns Suites had no influence on the coverage provided.
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