# Choice Hotels International > Choice Hotels International is a public, asset-light lodging franchisor that connects independently owned hotels with recognizable brands, reservations, loyalty, marketing, revenue management and operating technology. Its 22-brand portfolio spans upper-upscale, midscale, extended-stay and economy lodging; at June 30, 2026, the system represented 661,089 rooms. Travelers know Comfort, Quality Inn, Cambria, Radisson, Ascend Collection and WoodSpring Suites, while hotel owners buy access to Choice's distribution engine, standards and growing suite of AI-assisted tools. - **Founded:** 1939 - **Headquarters:** North Bethesda, Maryland, United States - **Founders:** Stewart W. Bainum Sr. (Founder of the modern company lineage; former chairman and CEO) - **Team size:** Approximately 1,700-1,800 corporate employees; independently owned hotels employ their own operating teams. - **Products:** Hotel brand franchising, ChoiceHotels.com and mobile app, Choice Privileges, choiceEDGE, choiceADVANTAGE - **Notable:** Traces its roots to Quality Courts United, a 1939 referral cooperative widely described as the first U.S. hotel chain., Built one of the lodging industry's early global reservation systems and later introduced 24-hour toll-free reservations., Launched what it describes as the first global hotel application for the iPhone in 2009. ## Products & services - **Hotel brand franchising** — Licenses a 22-brand portfolio spanning upper-upscale, upscale, midscale, extended stay and economy hotels, with standards, training, marketing and field support. - **ChoiceHotels.com and mobile app** — Direct search, booking, reservation management and loyalty access across eligible Choice properties. - **Choice Privileges** — Free loyalty program for earning and redeeming points across more than 7,000 eligible hotels, partner stays, gift cards, airline miles and experiences. - **choiceEDGE** — Cloud-based central reservation platform that distributes rates, inventory and bookings across the global system. - **choiceADVANTAGE** — Cloud-based property management system supporting front-desk and hotel operating workflows. - **ChoiceMAX** — Mobile-first, AI-assisted revenue management that recommends room rates for franchisees. - **Choice Hotels Business Direct** — Self-service direct-booking platform for small and midsize companies, with travel policies, visibility and traveler rewards. - **EasyBid and EasyBid Plus** — AI-enhanced tools for managing group RFPs; the Plus service can submit responses for owners while preserving their oversight. - **CHARLIE** — AI-powered virtual coach for hotel teams that surfaces operating guidance and brand-standard information around the clock. - **RAISE** — Next-generation rate and inventory workflow designed to reduce manual effort in hotel revenue management. ## Achievements - Traces its roots to Quality Courts United, a 1939 referral cooperative widely described as the first U.S. hotel chain. - Built one of the lodging industry's early global reservation systems and later introduced 24-hour toll-free reservations. - Launched what it describes as the first global hotel application for the iPhone in 2009. - Deployed choiceEDGE in 2018, described by the company as the first new major global reservation system in more than three decades. - Completed its migration to the cloud in 2024 after committing to an AWS-first infrastructure strategy. - Acquired Radisson Hotels Americas for approximately $675 million in 2022, doubling the brand portfolio from 11 to 22 during Patrick Pacious's CEO tenure. - Ascend Collection passed 500 open hotels in March 2026, a milestone for the soft brand Choice launched in 2008. - WoodSpring Suites ranked first in J.D. Power's economy extended-stay category for a fifth consecutive year in 2026. - Reported record adjusted EBITDA of $625.6 million for 2025. - Reached 661,089 system rooms at June 30, 2026, up 2.6% year over year. ## Latest updates - **2026-08** — Second-quarter results showed 2.6% global net room growth, 1.3% U.S. RevPAR growth, $441 million in revenue and $175 million in adjusted EBITDA; Choice raised several full-year operating ranges. - **2026-08** — Cambria continued its U.S. expansion with openings in Texas and Oregon. - **2026-07** — WoodSpring Suites placed first in J.D. Power's economy extended-stay segment for the fifth consecutive year. - **2026-07** — AI executive Ali Keshavarz joined the board of directors. - **2026-06** — Tony Pallas was named chief technology officer, and Everhome Suites opened its 30th hotel. - **2026-05** — Patrick Pacious stepped down as CEO and Dominic Dragisich became interim CEO while the board began a search for a permanent successor. - **2026-05** — Choice introduced Business Direct, EasyBid, CHARLIE and RAISE as new booking, group-sales, hotel-support and rate-management tools. - **2026-04** — The company expanded its enterprise AI relationship with AWS and standardized on Amazon Bedrock AgentCore. - **2026-03** — Ascend Collection surpassed 500 open properties and reported a 70-property pipeline. ## Links - Website: https://www.choicehotels.com/ - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/choice-hotels-international - Twitter/X: https://x.com/ChoiceHotels - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@choicehotels - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/choicehotels/ - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChoiceHotels/ - TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@choicehotels --- Profile page: https://yespress.io/choice-hotels-international Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io Last updated: 2026-08-13