Economy extended-stay brand LivAway Suites has broken ground on its first Alabama hotel in Montgomery, marking its entry into the state and continuing a regional push that now spans from Maine to Washington with 13 open properties.
The Montgomery site is purpose-built — a hallmark of every LivAway property — and will target military personnel at nearby Maxwell Air Force Base and Maxwell Gunter Annex, contractors and project teams at the Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Plant, and faculty and visitors connected to Auburn University at Montgomery. The brand serves relocating professionals, healthcare travelers, construction crews, insurance-displacement guests, and anyone needing furnished accommodations for weeks or months.
Built for Longer Stays
Unlike conversion-based competitors, LivAway constructs every hotel from the ground up specifically for extended occupancy. Suites run 20% larger than the segment average and include full kitchens and dedicated workspaces. On-site features include a fitness center, smart guest laundry, parcel lockers, and self check-in — amenities calibrated to guests maintaining routines away from home rather than passing through for a single night.
"Life doesn't always fit into a one-night hotel stay or a long-term commitment," said Mike Nielson, CEO of LivAway Suites. "More people than ever need a place to land for a few weeks or a few months, and they deserve something better than simply making do."
Southeast Pipeline Grows
Montgomery is one piece of a broader regional strategy. Upcoming LivAway locations are planned in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina, reflecting sustained operator interest in the economy extended-stay segment, which has seen above-average occupancy performance relative to traditional select-service hotels in recent years. The company describes itself as the only extended-stay brand with a vertically integrated development and operating platform, a structure it says enables disciplined site selection and consistent brand standards across markets.
For hospitality operators and developers watching the extended-stay space, LivAway's trajectory illustrates the segment's continued resilience. Demand drivers — workforce mobility, infrastructure buildout, healthcare staffing shortages, and military relocations — remain durable across economic cycles, making economy extended-stay an attractive target for hospitality investment and development. The Montgomery development will generate construction jobs during the build phase and permanent hospitality positions upon opening.
Operators tracking how extended-stay concepts are reshaping lodging supply should also follow broader restaurant and hospitality expansion trends as mixed-use and destination developments increasingly incorporate longer-stay lodging components alongside dining and retail.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
