Americas Best Value Inn, the fastest-growing hotel chain in the U.S., seems determined to hang on to that title. The membership group that's a unit of Vantage Hospitality signed 101 new member contracts through the first seven months of the year.

The seven-year-old chain has 650 properties and aims to have more than 700 by the end of the year.

“To have nearly 700 locations in only seven years of operations is unprecedented in the lodging industry,” says Roger Bloss, CEO and founder of Vantage, which also includes The Lexington Collection. Carrying the theme of seven another step, Bloss is one of seven original partners who started the brand in 1999 and are still involved in management.

For four years in a row, ABVI has been the fastest-growing chain in the U.S., based on year-over-year increases in room count. Lodging Hospitality reports on the industry's 10 growth chains in its May 15th issue.