Accor North America is turning its attention to Studio 6 Extended Stay as the firm’s next growth vehicle. Last week, it introduced a prototype for the brand, its first new look in eight years. Construction of a corporate-owned version of the new product will begin this summer in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.

“We strongly believe in extended stay,” says Dean Savas, Accor North America’s senior vice president of franchising. “It’s the best-kept secret in the lodging industry and it’s a segment that’s nowhere near saturation.”

Savas says Accor spent more than a year developing the prototype, which has a sleek, contemporary, European feel. The goals of the project, he says, were “to design a unit that can be built for around $40,000, to make it as green as possible and to give it a new look and feel that pushes the brand ahead of the curve.”

Although the brand is near the top end of the economy extended-stay segment, the new suite has a lot of high-end touches. The bathroom features a black granite countertop with vessel/raised sink and walk-in shower. The bedroom has a pedestal bed that can accommodate storage underneath for luggage and other things. The bed is topped with a neutral-colored coverlet and a colorful bed scarf. Instead of carpeting, the units have laminate flooring made of 80-percent recycled materials.

The prototype has separate areas for eating and working. The kitchen includes a microwave, stovetop, coffeemaker and refrigerator. It has a bar with stool seating and a small flat-screen TV. A banquette and table in the living area can be used for meals or as a work or play space. The living space has a 32-inch flat-screen TV with multi-media panel with A/V connections for iPods, video game systems or computers.

London designer Priestman Goode created the prototype for Accor.

Accor says it will retrofit its corporate Studio 6 properties with elements of the prototype and expects franchisees to begin building the new-look properties in 2010. The chain currently has 49 properties in 15 states and Ontario.

Earlier this year, Accor opened its 1,000th Motel 6/Studio 6 hotel. The property in Biloxi, MS is a corporate unit and marks the first with the brand’s new Phoenix prototype, which was also designed by Goode and includes many similar features.