Choice Hotels Chief Information Officer Is Honored For Technology Excellence

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Jul 19, 2013, 12:00 ET

ROCKVILLE, Md., July 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH), one of the world's largest hotel companies, announced today its chief information officer, Todd Davis, has received a 2013 CIO of the Year and Innovation in Technology Award. The award, sponsored by the Phoenix Business Journal and the Arizona Technology Council, recognizes the state's top CIOs for excellence in technology.

"Todd is a true leader in technology innovation," said Stephen P. Joyce, president & CEO, Choice Hotels International. "Under his direction, Choice Hotels has built industry-leading global technology platforms that have enabled the company to drive record traffic to our franchised properties and boost efficiency and results for our franchisees. We are proud of Todd's many accomplishments within our company and the entire hospitality industry."

Davis leads Choice Hotels' global IT strategy, providing high-performing solutions to the company and its 6,000-plus franchisees worldwide. He joined Choice Hotels in 1995, where he has held multiple positions, most recently serving as chief technology officer before his promotion to chief information officer in March 2013. Today as the most senior executive at the Choice Hotels western headquarters and technology hub in Phoenix, Davis oversees corporate IT, back-office systems and the international deployment of the company's cloud-based technology system.

Technological Innovation
Davis' role at Choice Hotels is pivotal, as the company advances its position as a leader in hospitality technology. During the last five years, Choice Hotels has built state-of-art global data, telecom and technology platforms. Now, under Davis' leadership, Choice is leveraging its technology and setting company records, including new highs for Web traffic and reservation contribution to franchisees.

Asked about the biggest accomplishment of his IT career, Davis names the deployment of choiceADVANTAGE, the Choice Hotels proprietary, cloud-based property management solution (PMS). This pioneering platform launched in 2003 as the industry's first cloud-based PMS. Today, Davis says it has become the most widely used cloud-based PMS in the lodging industry with deployment in more than 5,000 hotels representing nearly 400,000 rooms. The full-featured platform provides a seamless interface with the Choice distribution system to enable hotel operators to manage their properties through the Internet with secure access to information needed to run their business from virtually anywhere.

"choiceADVANTAGE sets the industry standard for ease-of-use, functionality and affordability," Davis said. "The system has been so effective for Choice franchisees that other hoteliers, including chains and independents, have asked to use it."

Recognizing an unmet need in the marketplace, Choice earlier this year launched SkyTouch Technology as a separate division to develop and market cloud-based technology products for the lodging industry. The new division's debut product, SkyTouch Hotel OS, draws heavily on the success of choiceADVANTAGE to make a scalable, cloud-based PMS with low upfront costs available to hotel operators industry-wide.

Davis' IT career spans 25 years. Before joining Choice Hotels, he was an advanced systems engineer for Electronic Data Systems (EDS) focusing on the hospitality sector. Prior to that, he designed global reservation solutions for Cendant Corp., now Wyndham Worldwide Corp.

Davis earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration with a focus on hospitality management from Northern Arizona University. He serves now on the University's School of Hotel and Restaurant Management Advisory Board.

Under Davis' leadership, Choice Hotels has earned multiple recent technology honors, including a Hospitality Technology Visionary Award and an Oracle Innovation Award.

About Choice Hotels
Choice Hotels International, Inc. franchises over 6,200 hotels, representing more than 500,000 rooms, in the United States and more than 30 other countries and territories. As of March 31, 2013, 395 hotels, representing more than 30,000 rooms, were under construction, awaiting conversion or approved for development in the United States. Additionally, 81 hotels, representing approximately 7,000 rooms, were under construction, awaiting conversion or approved for development in more than 20 other countries and territories. The company's Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, MainStay Suites, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel, Econo Lodge and Rodeway Inn brands, as well as its Ascend Hotel Collection membership program, serve guests worldwide.

Choice Hotels International offers the Choice Privileges® rewards program. With nearly 17 million members worldwide, is one of the fastest growing hotel loyalty programs in the travel industry.

SkyTouch Technology is an initiative of Choice Hotels International, Inc. that develops and markets cloud-based technology products to help industry-wide hoteliers improve their efficiency and profitability.

Additional corporate information can be found on the Choice Hotels International, Inc. web site, which may be accessed at www.choicehotels.com.

Choice Hotels, Choice Hotels International, Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, MainStay Suites, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel, Econo Lodge, Rodeway Inn, Ascend Hotel Collection and SkyTouch Technology are proprietary trademarks and service marks of Choice Hotels International.

SOURCE Choice Hotels International, Inc.