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In Partnership With:
CHOICE HOTELS INTERNATIONAL: An employer of innovation and choice
Choice Hotels International has been a market leading hotel and lodging provider for more than 70 years, with a philosophy that champions inclusion, diversity and high-quality service, customers are spoilt for choice
Written by Dale Benton Produced by Denitra Price
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ith over 6,300 hotels, representing more than 500,000 rooms in more than 35 countries and territories, it is fair to say that Choice International Hotel is deserving of its title as one of the largest and most successful lodging and hospitality companies in the world.
An American corporation company, Choice Hotels started life back in 1939 as referral chain consisting of motel owners in South America. Over the following 70+ years, Choice Hotels has expanded and grew exponentially,
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acquiring and franchising hotels, motels and inns and owning 11 brands across the world. But no company can achieve any form of success, particularly in the hospitality sector, without the help of its employees. This is where Choice Hotels stands tall against its competitors. The company, throughout its broader business strategy, invests heavily in both time and money
into Inclusion and Diversity across the whole organisation. Stephen P. Joyce, President and CEO, [places inclusion and diversity above all else at the company, a “building block� on which the company can achieve future successes. “Choice Hotels strongly supports a workplace culture and environment that is conducive to diverse perspectives,
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MOVIES THaT MOVE yOu. SHOWS THaT HOOk yOu. EnjOy IT all.
®
HBO® brings you addictive shows, more of the biggest and latest movies, family favorites and more. HBO is proud to be the preferred premium at Choice Hotels. We thank you for your many years of partnership.
If you have questions about adding HBO to your hotel property, email hbobulkmarkets@hbo.com
©2017 Home Box Office, Inc. All rights reserved. HBO® and related channels and service marks are the property of Home Box Office, Inc. ©2017 Sesame Workshop®. Sesame Street® and associated characters, trademarks and design elements are owned and licensed by Sesame Workshop. All rights reserved.
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backgrounds, and experiences,� he says. “Diversity across our organization will be a key building block of our future successes. I understand the value of diversity and am committed to continuing to build and support an inclusive, diverse organization.� Inclusion
Joyce strives to create a workplace culture that rewards diversity of thought and perspective and highlights them as key contributors to a high-performance culture and long term, ultimately
sustainable success. This culture of diversity is a culture that is bread right through from top to bottom, with a key focus on ensuring that employees are well aware of the support from the top. Choice Hotels has a Diversity Advisory Council, which is designed to pool together the input and insights from leaders and employees throughout the entire organisation. Joyce heads up this council; and works closely to develop and implement a series of diversity and inclusion initiatives and goals.
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But it doesn’t stop there, Choice Hotels is one of the few companies in the sector that has its very own Diversity Committee that sits at the Board of Directors Level. Much like the advisory council, but with much more strategic management control, the committee assists and oversees the management of all diversity and inclusion initiatives, ensuring that when these initiatives press ahead they are delivered to the highest of quality and bring about the maximum benefit for the company and its employees. The committee’s reach stretches
beyond the in-house employee base but also across the entire franchise and vendor network, as Choice Hotels looks to develop a network that reflects the community in which its chooses to do business. Vendor network
Choice Hotels is a member of the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) and fully utilises this database of minority owned businesses for its procurement and supply chain needs. This is crucial to the core nature of Choice Hotels International. As a franchise,
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Choice does not own or operate any of its hotels and therefore the company does not purchase goods or services used by individual properties. Through its commitment to diversity, Choice seeks to work with partners and vendors all over the world and qualifies them as official vendors and partners that serve its entire hotel chain. This process of qualification is a fairly straightforward affair. Though there will of course be certain industry specific needs and Choice Hotel standards to be considered, one of the main factors in the process of becoming a Choice Hotels qualified vendor is evidence of “standards and systems in place for continuous improvement.� This stands as evidence of how Choice Hotels International commits to innovation and drive, not only through its employees and its services, but also through its suppliers and vendors.
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Award winning
It is all fine and well making promises and installing councils and advisory boards, but the proof really is in the feedback and work ethic of its employees. To this end, Choice can look across its multi-award-winning service, being recognised as one of the best places to work for LGBT Equality, Healthiest Employers of Greater Washington and amongst the top 50 franchises for minorities. These awards are a testament to the vision and drive of Choice Hotels to truly become an inclusive and diverse workplace for any employee in any role. Technically speaking Empowering a workforce and celebrating diverse thinking and inclusion can only get a company so far. In the modern world of hospitality, with customers now demanding more access and variety in a hotel’s offering, technology and the embracement of technological
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innovation is crucial in order to remain as a market leader. One such technological solution has been the implementation of Europay, MasterCard and Visa (EMV). EMV cards are a new, much more secure credit card. The cards contain chips which encrypt
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bank information securely when compared to the old traditional magnet strip cards of the past. In the world of increased data reliance, security is everything. Fraud has been an ongoing problem within the U.S, with fraud cases doubling over the last seven years so the
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move to EMV comes at an opportune moment in the technological space. Choice Hotels has been implementing EMV across its entire organisation over the past six to eight months. Cross implementation of a new wave of technology across 6,300
locations most certainly does not come without challenge. One of the more notable challenges has been a consequence of that cross location, in some cases the implementation resting in the hands of individual hotel staff as opposed to one consistent form of rollout.
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The company will continue to work through the implementation of EMV across all of its locations, aiming for a fully EMV enabled organisation by the end of 2017. Future focus
For Choice Hotels, looking back through the company’s history, one could argue that it has well and truly been a story of continuous success. In fact, in 2017 alone, the company continues to champion exemplary service offering. The EconoLodge, which falls under the Choice Hotels International umbrella was recently awarded the Hotel of The Year Award. “The Econo Lodge in Russellville, Kentucky consistently goes above and beyond to make travel
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easier for guests by delivering value, exceptional service and convenience,” said Anne Smith, vice president of brand management and design for Choice Hotels. “The Econo Lodge brand is known as the Easy Stop on the Road and this hotel is an outstanding representation. The owners and staff are dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of service and instil that level of commitment in every new employee who joins the team.” When searching for a market leading, diverse and inclusive workplace offering only the highest of quality service across a wide variety of locations and hotels, there really is only one choice.
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