500 Choice technologists gather for trainings and
workshops and to compete in a 48-hour make-a-thon to develop
next-generation hospitality solutions
NORTH
BETHESDA, Md., March 4,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Choice Hotels International,
Inc. (NYSE: CHH), one of the world's leading lodging
franchisors, kicks off "Mastery 2024" today, an annual week-long
tech innovation summit where more than 500 company technologists
come together at Choice's Scottsdale,
Arizona offices to learn and drive innovation through a
series of gamified trainings and workshops that culminate in a
48-hour make-a-thon. In the make-a-thon, Choice associates ideate
and build new software products leveraging advanced technology to
drive profitability and value for the company and Choice hotel
owners. During Mastery 2024, tech teams will develop solutions to
speed up and improve the hotel onboarding process, measure and
visualize a property's environmental footprint, improve the
customer service experience, and more. At the end of each
make-a-thon, teams will present their new products to a committee
of Choice executives, with winners receiving cash prizes and the
chance to have their ideas continue to be refined and deployed
across the organization.
"Mastery keeps us current on cutting-edge technologies like AI
and helps spark creativity, innovation, and team building," said
Brian Kirkland, chief information
officer, Choice Hotels International. "We want to make sure we are
constantly innovating and trying new things so that we can continue
to deliver value-driving technology for Choice, our franchisees,
and our guests."
Last year, a tool created during Mastery reduced daily tickets
from 4,000 to just 40 using AI and other new technologies. Previous
winning projects include online travel agency enhancements that
yielded additional revenue and multiple security analysis and
automation tools.
"Choice's long-standing commitment and investment in technology
provides hotel owners and operators of our brands with an edge,"
said Anna Scozzafava, chief strategy
officer and senior vice president of technology, Choice Hotels
International. "Our hotel-facing tech is cloud-based,
mobile-friendly and easy to use to ensure all owners can leverage
our best-in-class tools."
Choice recently announced the closure of its last data center,
making it the first major hotel company to migrate its entire
system infrastructure to AWS. Now fully on the cloud, Choice will
continue to innovate and leverage the power of AI to drive even
more business value for its franchisees. Choice has built and
introduced industry-first owner-facing technologies, including the
choiceADVANTAGE cloud-based reservation system; the Your Key to
Profit platform, which centralizes profitability tools for owners;
and choiceEDGE, which utilizes AI and historical trend analysis to
help franchisees maximize room sales.
Choice Hotels has a history of technological firsts and
innovation, including:
- In 1995, Choice launched the first hotel website with real-time
rate and availability information.
- In 2003, Choice launched the first cloud-based property
management system (PMS), choiceADVANTAGE.
- In 2009, Choice released the first hotel app for iOS.
- In 2014, Choice became the first hotel company to offer instant
booking on TripAdvisor. That same year, Choice was the only hotel
company listed on Forbes' Top 100 Most Innovative Growth
Companies.
- In 2016, Choice became the first hotel company to offer
immediate in-app gift card downloads.
- In 2018, Choice launched choiceEDGE, the industry's first
cloud-based central reservation system (CRS).
- In 2019, Choice became the first hotel company to commit to
being 100% on AWS (Amazon Web Services) Cloud.
- In 2021, Choice launched ChoiceMAX, an award-winning AI
mobile-first revenue management solution.
- In early 2024, Choice completed its migration to the
cloud.
About Choice Hotels®
Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH) is one
of the largest lodging franchisors in the world. The challenger in
upscale and a leader in midscale and extended stay,
Choice® has over 7,500 hotels, representing more than
630,000 rooms, in 46 countries and territories. A diverse portfolio
of 22 brands that range from full-service upper upscale properties
to midscale, extended stay and economy enables Choice®
to meet travelers' needs in more places and for more occasions
while driving more value for franchise owners and shareholders. The
award-winning Choice Privileges® rewards program and
co-brand credit card options provide members with a fast and easy
way to earn reward nights and personalized perks. For more
information, visit www.choicehotels.com.
© 2024 Choice Hotels International, Inc. All Rights
Reserved
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/choice-hotels-kicks-off-9th-annual-mastery-tech-innovation-summit-operating-at-the-intersection-of-hospitality-franchising-and-technology-302078773.html
SOURCE Choice Hotels International, Inc.