Expanding Franchising's Reach Expanding Franchising's Reach

Choice Hotels International is one
of the world’s largest hotel franchising
companies with more than
5,600 hotels open and under development
worldwide. The company franchises under
the Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality,
Sleep Inn, Clarion, MainStay Suites, Econo
Lodge and Rodeway Inn brand names.
“With over 60 years of successful hospitality
and franchise development experience,
Choice Hotels understands what it
takes to succeed and how to get there,” says
Paul Sterbini, vice president, Franchise Sales
for Choice Hotels. “Our mission is clear: to
provide our franchisees with a solid return
on investment. Particularly in today’s challenging
economic environment, franchisees
who join the Choice Hotels family can feel
secure knowing that they are backed by the
reservations power, marketing muscle and
vast array of support services only a franchise
giant such as Choice Hotels can offer.”
According to Sterbini, Choice Hotels has
recognized that certain groups are underrepresented
in the hotel industry and has
just launched a new incentive program to
actively court these groups. “This new
incentive is specifically designed to attract
African-American, Hispanic and Native
American entrepreneurs who wish to build
a Choice brand hotel, convert an existing
hotel to a Choice brand, or purchase an
existing Choice brand hotel.”
Approved applicants will receive up to
$200,000 in incentives for a midscale brand
hotel or up to $50,000 for an economy
brand hotel. To be eligible for the incentive,
minority owners must hold a 51%
ownership stake and meet all other franchise
criteria.
What can franchisees who take
advantage of the incentive expect
in return?
“From marketing to reservations, from
opening assistance to ongoing, one-on-one
field support, we do it all,” Sterbini says.
Specifically, Choice Hotels provides:
Strong reservations delivery. Choice’s
state-of-the-art central reservations system
offers a competitive advantage by listing
each hotel not only by geographical location,
but also by proximity to major events
and attractions. Reservations are driven via
calls to Choice’s toll-free number,
800.4CHOICE; its web site, www.choicehotels.com;
or third party global distribution
systems (GDS) – all channeling business to
Choice brand hotels.
Marketing muscle. Choice brand hotels
benefit from strong, consistent marketing
programs that reinforce Choice brand
images in the marketplace. The company’s
signature campaign – “The Power of Being
There. Go” – is imprinted in the minds of
travelers worldwide via multi-million dollar
advertising expenditures on national network
and cable television, national network
radio, and print advertisements in
such widely read publications as People
Magazine and USA TODAY. And each campaign
is backed by a value-added promotional
offering that complements Choice’s
core messages of value, worldwide locations
and the sheer joy of the travel experience
– in short, the power of being there.
Effective property management system.
Choice’s proprietary property management
system, Profit Manager, ensures
that each Choice brand hotel operates at its
most cost-efficient and helps franchisees
achieve maximum RevPAR performance.
The system effectively manages inventory,
rates and reservations.
New hotel services and support. New to
the industry? Choice Hotels provides each
of its franchisees with the support and
expert consultation needed to hit the
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
ground running. A New Hotel Opening
Specialist visits each hotel to assist with initial
sales and marketing activities and to
help each hotel achieve fair market share as
quickly as possible. Additionally, a corporate
orientation program prepares franchisees
as they enter the system – giving
them the skills needed to operate successfully,
helping them develop an effective
marketing plan and demonstrating how to
fully utilize the array of services Choice
Hotels has to offer.
Ongoing field support. Choice Hotels
boasts one of the lowest field services
director-to-hotel ratios in the lodging industry,
meaning that each of the company’s
field experts has plenty of time to focus on
each hotel. Field experts act as a single
point of contact, helping hotels through the
opening process, providing revenue generating
assistance and operations support,
and tapping into Choice’s training, services
and resources on a hotel’s behalf.
“We are committed to recruiting new
minority franchisees and invite you to join
the Choice Hotels family,” says Sterbini. For
more details regarding this incentive program
or to learn more about franchise
opportunities with Choice Hotels call
800.547.0007, visit choicehotelsfranchise.com
or email Choice Hotels at
franchise_sales@choicehotels.com.
Choice Hotels, Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites,
Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, MainStay
Suites, Econo Lodge, Rodeway Inn, Profit
Manager, 800.4.CHOICE, and The Power of
Being There. Go are proprietary trademarks
and service marks of Choice Hotels
International, Inc. ©2002 Choice Hotels
International, Inc. All rights reserved. ■