2021 HOTEL VISIONARY AWARD WINNERS Every year, HT honors a select group of lodging companies for outstanding achievement in delivering technological excellence. This year, HT was proud to honor Choice Hotels International as the 2021 Enterprise Innovation Winner and Loews Hotels & Co. as the 2021 Customer-Facing Innovation Winner. 2021 ENTERPRISE INNOVATION WINNER: CHOICE HOTELS INTERNATIONAL In 2021, Choice Hotels launched a new revenue management system called ChoiceMAX to help franchisees optimize their pricing structure and increase revenue production. ChoiceMAX automatically and continuously adapts to changes in the market using real-time data to ensure hotels are always priced competitively. Additionally, the product’s mobile-first, userfriendly platform gives franchisees the power to access the information they need to make decisions from anywhere. Furthermore, as labor shortages continue to impact the hotel industry, ChoiceMAX helps free up owners’ time to focus on running their hotels and filling critical positions while maximizing ROI. Some of the key capabilities of ChoiceMAX include: an optimization window of 365 days, rates that are updated four times per day, competitor shopping two times per day, customizable real-time alerts, and automated delivery and implementation of pricing decisions. To date, 93 percent of pricing recommendations from ChoiceMAX have been accepted by properties and the reception of ChoiceMAX among franchisees has been overwhelmingly positive.
2021 CUSTOMER-FACING INNOVATION WINNER: LOEWS HOTELS & CO. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Loews Hotels & Co. accelerated the implementation of a variety of guest-facing technologies, all housed within a guest portal. The portal provides guests with a variety of amenities. For instance, guests can opt in to a “Chat Your Service” program which allows guests to communicate via text message with the hotel’s on-property team. The portal provides guests with the option of ordering food from more than 40 different outlets for delivery or pickup, and it has become the replacement for all traditional paper-based materials such as the in-room compendium, dining menu, outlet menus, arrival details, and more. Guests have complete access to this portal without ever needing to login. Instead guests can access it via the Wi-Fi landing page, the in-room television, a QR code found in the guestroom or at front desk, or a key packet insert. It is also texted to all guests after they check-in at the PMS. Since implementation, more than 70 percent of guests opt-in to the guest portal. Food orders through the portal has helped compensate for a lull in restaurant reservations due to the pandemic. In fact, this aspect of the portal accounts for more than 50 percent of all mobile orders and has brought an increase in revenue of more than $200k in 2021 alone. HT
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