The Comfort Inn hotel of Albert Lea was recently announced as a recipient of a prestigious 2010 Gold Hospitality Award from global lodging leader Choice Hotels International Inc., franchisor of the Comfort brand.

“The Comfort Inn award-winning hotel represents not only the best of the best, but also the tremendous value that a Choice brand hotel can offer to today’s travelers,” said Steve Joyce, president and chief executive officer of Choice Hotels. “We’re very proud to have the Comfort Inn hotel as part of our Choice family and I congratulate the property on receiving this distinguished award.”

As a top performing property among the company’s more than 4,800 U.S. franchised hotels, the Comfort Inn hotel is among the top 10 percent of properties within the Comfort brand, and one of only six hotels within the state of Minnesota and one out of 94 hotels within the 1997-strong Comfort brand to receive “Gold Award” status. As one of the company’s top franchised hotels operating under the Comfort flag, the hotel has demonstrated an exceptional focus on guest satisfaction and dedication to providing superior service. Additional award criteria are evaluated by Choice Hotels through its official annual property ranking report.

For more, visit choicehotels.com.