As its international expansion continues apace, one of the world’s largest hotel chains has two reasons to celebrate
This year Choice Hotels celebrates its 80th anniversary. In parallel the Americas Lodging Investment Summit has honored Stewart Bainum Jr., Chairman of the Board of Directors, with its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his significant contributions to the hospitality industry
“I share this honor with all of the dedicated individuals who made Choice Hotels the company it is today as well as those who currently leverage their passion for connecting the world through the power of hospitality on our behalf”, says Stewart Bainum Jr., who has been Chairman of the Board of Directors since 1987 and a member of the leadership team since 1976. At that time the company’s enterprise value was less than USD 6 million. Bainum Jr. played a pivotal role in overseeing Choice’s growth from a franchisor of 290 hotels under one brand in the United States to a global enterprise with over 6,900 franchised hotels in more than 40 countries and territories.
The technology driver of the hotel and franchising sector for 80 years
Choice Hotels was founded in 1939 as Quality Courts United Inc., a marketing cooperative formed by a group of seven Florida motor court owners. Over the course of its 80-year history, Choice Hotels has been an industry leader in technology and innovation.
It was the first hotel company to offer online booking, introduce a global iPhone application, roll out a cloud-based property management system and launch a soft brand: the Ascend Hotel Collection has been on a steep growth trajectory ever since it was founded in 2008. The brand now has 50 hotels in its stable in Europe, where in 2018 the Hotel Hirschen Freiburg became the first German Ascend Hotel Collection member. A second Ascend Hotel is due to open its doors in Cologne shortly. Choice Hotels is also a sector heavyweight in size and quality terms when it comes to bonus programs: the outstanding Choice Privileges loyalty program boasts almost 40 million members and with its Your Extras scheme provides fast rewards at check-in including bonus points, airline miles, credits for premium coffee and shared rides.
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