Key Takeaways
- Choice Hotels is rolling out a suite of AI‑powered tools—Business Direct, EasyBid/Plus, CHARLIE, and RAISE—to help franchise owners increase revenue and streamline operations.
- Business Direct offers SMBs a self‑service booking portal on ChoiceHotels.com, enabling travel‑policy creation, manager visibility, and rewards that drive mid‑week demand.
- EasyBid is an AI‑enhanced RFP manager that speeds up group‑sales responses; EasyBid Plus lets Choice Hotels handle RFPs on behalf of owners at no extra cost, boosting win rates for properties lacking dedicated sales teams.
- CHARLIE acts as a 24/7 virtual teammate, providing real‑time coaching, surfacing insights, and reducing staff time spent searching for information while reinforcing brand standards.
- RAISE is a next‑generation rate‑management platform that uses AI to simplify pricing, inventory control, and competitive positioning based on owner feedback.
- Underlying these tools are AgentCore and AgentForce, AWS‑ and Salesforce‑based frameworks that provide a secure, scalable foundation for deploying AI agents across sales, service, marketing, commerce, and internal operations.
- The innovations reflect Choice Hotels’ long‑term AI strategy, aiming to deliver measurable value for franchisees by capturing demand, improving efficiency, and preparing for an agentic‑driven travel‑booking future.
Overview of the Announcement
Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH) unveiled a new collection of technologies and AI‑powered solutions intended to help franchise owners generate more revenue, operate more efficiently, and adapt to the evolving ways travelers discover and book hotel stays. The launch includes Choice Hotels Business Direct, EasyBid, CHARLIE, and RAISE, complemented by strategic partnerships with Amazon Web Services (AWS) for AgentCore and Salesforce for AgentForce. Together, these tools reinforce the company’s reputation as a technology leader in the lodging franchising space.
Choice Hotels Business Direct: Targeting SMB Travel
Launching next week, Business Direct is a self‑service digital booking platform built specifically for small and medium‑sized businesses (SMBs). It allows SMBs to reserve rooms directly on ChoiceHotels.com while creating customized travel policies, granting travel managers greater visibility into booking patterns, and offering travelers and their employers rewards and benefits. By simplifying the booking process for corporate travelers, the platform aims to capture a larger share of the growing mid‑week demand segment that SMBs represent.
EasyBid and EasyBid Plus: Accelerating Group Sales
To help owners win more group business, Choice Hotels introduced EasyBid, an AI‑enhanced group Request for Proposals (RFP) tool. EasyBid consolidates group RFP opportunities in a single interface, enabling hotels to monitor, manage, and submit faster, more effective responses—critical factors in a competitive group‑sales environment where speed often determines success. For owners who need additional support, EasyBid Plus allows Choice Hotels to respond to RFPs on their behalf while maintaining owner oversight and control, all at no extra charge. This option is especially valuable for properties lacking dedicated sales teams or during periods of high RFP volume, as it targets high‑quality leads to improve win rates.
CHARLIE: The AI‑Powered Virtual Teammate
CHARLIE is an AI‑driven virtual teammate designed to assist hotel staff within Choice Hotels’ core operating platforms. Functioning as a 24/7 digital coach, CHARLIE answers staff queries, surfaces operational insights, and reinforces brand standards, thereby reducing the time employees spend searching for information. By handling routine inquiries and providing timely guidance, CHARLIE enables teams to focus more on delivering exceptional guest experiences. Future updates are expected to expand CHARLIE’s capabilities to execute routine tasks, further boosting productivity and consistency across hotel operations.
RAISE: Simplifying Revenue Management
RAISE is a forthcoming next‑generation rate‑management tool that leverages AI to streamline how owners control pricing, rates, and inventory. Developed with extensive owner input, RAISE aims to simplify complex workflows, cut manual effort, and keep properties competitive as market conditions shift. By delivering the right information at the right time, the system supports smarter pricing decisions and helps owners react swiftly to demand fluctuations, ultimately driving better revenue outcomes.
Enterprise AI Foundations: AgentCore and AgentForce
Recognizing that moving AI from pilot projects to production requires robust infrastructure, Choice Hotels has invested in AgentCore and AgentForce. AgentCore, built on AWS, provides a secure, reusable foundation for intelligent agents, ensuring governance, scalability, and compliance with enterprise requirements. AgentForce, powered by Salesforce, facilitates the creation and deployment of AI agents across sales, service, marketing, commerce, and internal operations. Together, these platforms enable Choice Hotels to transition from isolated AI use cases to an integrated, enterprise‑wide approach, positioning the company to lead in the emerging realm of agentic commerce where AI agents will increasingly research, compare, and book travel on behalf of consumers.
Leadership Commentary and Strategic Vision
Patrick Pacious, President and CEO, emphasized that the new tools are designed to deliver real‑world impact by helping owners win more business as AI reshapes traveler search, compare, and book behaviors. He reiterated Choice Hotels’ commitment to deploying technology at scale to create greater possibilities for franchisees and guests. Anna Scozzafava, Chief Data, AI, & Technology Officer, highlighted that the technology roadmap focuses on delivering measurable value—growing revenue, simplifying operations, and maintaining visibility and competitiveness—as AI transforms travel discovery. By combining scale, data, proprietary tools, and an owner‑first philosophy, Choice Hotels aims to equip franchisees to thrive in today’s marketplace while preparing for the next era of travel.
About Choice Hotels
Choice Hotels International, Inc. is one of the world’s largest lodging franchisors, overseeing more than 7,500 properties representing nearly 650,000 rooms across 46 countries and territories. Its portfolio encompasses 22 brands spanning full‑service upper upscale, midscale, extended stay, and economy segments. For additional information, readers can visit choicehotels.com.
Forward‑Looking Statements and Disclaimer
The announcement contains forward‑looking statements concerning future developments, hotel openings, and related initiatives. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties—including construction delays, financing availability, and cost fluctuations—that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. Detailed risk factors are outlined in the company’s Annual Report on Form 10‑K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10‑Q. This communication is not an offer to sell a franchise; any franchise offering will be made only through a Franchise Disclosure Document filed and registered with applicable state authorities. A copy of the document can be obtained by contacting Choice Hotels International at 915 Meeting St Ste 600, North Bethesda, MD 20852 or via email at [email protected].