The Key to Success?
Fans might remember Keegan-Michael Key from his star-making turn with Jordan Peele in the Key & Peele sketch show a decade ago, or for his roles in films such as Pitch Perfect 2 and The Lego Movie.
Now the actor and comedian has turned his talents to promoting the brands of North Bethesda’s Choice Hotels International.
In January, the company announced that Key is starring in its largest marketing campaign ever—“A Stay for Any You.” It targets four of the company’s 22 brands: Radisson Hotels, Cambria Hotels, Comfort Inn and Quality Inn.
Key appears in a series of national TV and streaming ads that he co-wrote and that highlight how Choice Hotels International’s 22 hotel brands can accommodate the needs of all types of travelers, according to the company. Newly headquartered in Pike & Rose, the company has hotels in local communities including Rockville, Gaithersburg and Takoma Park.
In one of the ads, Key plays several roles, including a “business big leaguer” taking a meeting at a Radisson Hotel and a “free hot breakfast hero” flipping waffles onto a boy’s plate at a Comfort Inn.
A Real Steal
A Florida real estate investment and management firm planted its first stake in the metropolitan Washington, D.C., market with the December purchase of a 16-story office building in the heart of downtown Bethesda—and for a bargain price, no less.
In-Rel Properties paid just under $30 million for 7500 Old Georgetown Road, according to published reports. That’s more than $100 million less than the roughly $133 million that the sellers, Rockwood Capital and Stonebridge, paid for the building in 2019.
The location, long known as the Clark building because it houses offices of Clark Construction, offers the advantage of sitting next to the Bethesda Metro station. Another plus: The building was renovated in 2022.
“The timing might not have been favorable for the previous ownership, but they did an outstanding job renovating the exterior, lobbies, bathrooms, gym, and conference center,” In-Rel President Dennis Udwin said in a press statement. “We are here to build on that foundation and unlock the property’s full potential.”
Feel like you were ripped off by that auto repair shop? Got a half-done project by a home contractor who ghosted you? The mission of the Montgomery County Office of Consumer Protection (OCP) is to enforce consumer protection laws and to investigate complaints about local businesses. Here’s how the office performed in fiscal year 2023, which ran from July 1 to June 30.
- 1,169 complaint cases received (11.7% increase)
- 62% closed consumer protection cases that are resolved by OCP (5% increase)
- 38: Average number of workdays to investigate and close a complaint (12.6% decrease)
Source: Montgomery County Office of Consumer Protection. Some percentages have been rounded.
Nonprofit Hub
Montgomery County boasts the largest number of nonprofits in the region outside Washington, D.C., according to the Montgomery County Economic Development Corp. Among the county’s major selling points, the agency says, are the short commutes by Metro to power brokers at the White House and the Capitol.
- 44,504 residents employed by nonprofits
- 5,356 nonprofits in the county
- 556 nonprofits with annual budgets of more than $1 million
This story appears in the March/April issue of Bethesda Magazine.