ROCKVILLE, Md. - Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH), one of the world's largest lodging franchisors, has been named a 2022 BEST Award winner by the Association for Talent Development (ATD) for a third year in a row, and has received a top 20 ranking for the first time this year.

The accolade, which distinguishes organizations that exemplify all aspects of talent development, recognizes Choice for its dual-focused talent management programs, intended to support the learning and performance of both associates and the more than 65,000 independently owned and operated franchisee-level staff worldwide. For a third consecutive year, Choice Hotels is the only hospitality company listed among ATD BEST awardees.

"At Choice Hotels our franchisees are at the center of what we do and our associates are our most important investment. Which is why we're constantly exploring new ways to encourage the growth and success of both our own people as well as our franchisees," said Timothy Tobin, vice president, franchise onboarding and learning, Choice Hotels. "This award underscores our ability to continually innovate the industry's top training tools, like the Choice University learning platform. We believe learning and development should be accessible and individualized for both the franchisee's hotel staff as well as for our Choice corporate team members. We look forward to expanding talent development resource offerings even further to help owners achieve their business goals while improving our enterprise-wide success."

ATD is the talent development industry's leading international association, and to receive the organization's prestigious BEST Award, companies must demonstrate outstanding talent development practices that enable organization success. In addition to the company's award-winning property-level training platform, Choice University, Choice was recognized for its overall learning organization and supporting diverse learner and business needs, including the following development programs and resources:

  • Employee Resource Groups intended to facilitate cultural engagement and learning opportunities among Choice employees. The company continues to support 11 different resource groups, led by employees and sponsored by senior leaders.
  • Project Mobility, a program that enables Choice employees to explore and gain hands-on experience in different career paths within the organization. Despite the pandemic, the number of program opportunities increased in the past year, allowing the company to leverage new resources to connect with and support franchisees.
  • Expanded franchisee learning, featuring streamlined video-production and on-demand content for topics pertaining most to hotel employees in the current travel environment. Building on franchisee feedback, Choice also revamped its virtual owner onboarding process to deliver more efficient programming and expanded networking opportunities within the franchisee community.
  • New corporate training resources, including enhanced tools for working and leading remotely, to help employees better navigate remote working environments. In the last 12 months, Choice also launched two internal talent management initiatives to help assess and address opportunities to enhance associate development, engagement and retention.
  • Regional Business Meetings (RBMs), in partnership with Choice area directors, allowed identification of franchise owners' real-time needs and challenges and sourcing of innovative ideas and practices from across the country, which are produced into learning resources to help the entire franchise system on the most pressing topics.

"Talent development is a core business function, and one that enables us to continually attract and retain top talent that drives success and profitability for our hotel owners. Earning this industry-leading recognition for a third year is a testament to Choice's unique ability to adapt, innovate and leverage learning and development to fuel organization-wide success," said Stephanie Lykins, vice president, talent management, Choice Hotels.

To be eligible for a 2022 BEST Award, organizations submitted extensive quantitative and qualitative information to ATD about their talent development practices and programs. Applications were assessed in a rigorous blind review by members of the BEST Awards advisory committee comprised of experts in learning and talent development.

About Choice Hotels®

Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH) is one of the largest lodging franchisors in the world. The challenger in the upscale segment and a leader in midscale and extended stay, Choice® has over 7,500 hotels, representing more than 630,000 rooms, in 46 countries and territories. A diverse portfolio of 22 brands that range from full-service upper upscale properties to midscale, extended stay and economy enables Choice® to meet travelers' needs in more places and for more occasions while driving more value for franchise owners and shareholders. The award-winning Choice Privileges® rewards program and co-brand credit card options provide members with a fast and easy way to earn reward nights and personalized perks. For more information, visit www.choicehotels.com.

Forward-Looking Statements This communication includes "forward-looking statements" about future events, including anticipated development and hotel openings. Such statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including construction delays, availability and cost of financing and the other "Risk Factors" described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, any of which could cause actual results to be materially different from our expectations.

Anjelica Magee
Choice