Articles tagged “choice hotels”

Your move, Expedia and Priceline.

Although most of the rankings fall in line with what you'd normally expect, there were a few surprises. It's also clear hotels have some work to do when it comes to their food quality, amenities, and loyalty programs.

Choice Hotels recognizes that traveler behavior is changing. For the sometime-business and other-times-leisure traveler, Choice Privileges members can earn points whether staying in a hotel or in a vacation rental. And because "millennials want instant gratification," according to CEO Stephen Joyce, Choice is giving it to them in the form of perks at check-in.

The latest revenue numbers from Airbnb explain why Expedia is acquiring HomeAway, the Priceline Group is touting its 21 million bookable rooms, and Wall Street analysts are questioning hotel-chain CEOs on the prospect of selling hotel rooms through Airbnb.

Comfort Inn was long overdue for a reset and any improvement will be better than where the brand was suffering in recent years.

Sustainability is becoming an ever more pressing priority for hotels; however, it will take consumer demand and dollar signs to enact real change across the currently healthy industry.

Room Key, the joint venture by Choice Hotels, Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt, InterContinental Hotels Group, Marriott and Wyndham, hasn't set the world on fire, and doesn't appear to have had much of an impact on the chains' businesses.

Choice Hotels had an asset, its own property management system, and decided in 2013 to offer the solution to unaffiliated hotels, but it is always a tough sell for one brand to attempt to sell services to competitors, as Choice is finding out.

If hoteliers needed a wakeup call about the necessity to providing free Wi-Fi to leisure travelers, then this Choice Hotels survey should be loud and clear.

Will Millennials really be swayed by soft music and hotel lobby front desks that are more curvy than square? We'll reserve judgment until we see the changes in reality later this year.