Last week, Choice Hotels International concluded its 68th Annual Convention in Las Vegas, NV, one of the largest to date. Over the course of three days, Choice provided owners and operators with a roadmap on how together they will capitalize on their competitive position to capture the growing demand for travel. Choice announced the relaunch of Park Inn by Radisson and its strategic repositioning into the premium value space. The company also reintroduced the SOAR program and reaffirmed its over twenty-year commitment to create hotel ownership opportunities for underrepresented entrepreneurs.
“This year’s convention was about celebrating the new level of success that Choice and its franchisees have achieved together,” said Choice Hotels President and CEO Patrick Pacious. “I’ve never been more optimistic about our shared future. With our brands well positioned to capture even more of the growing travel demand, we have a tremendous opportunity in front of us.”
During the event, Choice awarded and celebrated the top-performing hotels through Choice’s Premier Awards and the Best of Choice Awards, the company’s most coveted accolades.
Premier Award Winners
- Kunal Dave of Laxmi Hotels Group (Premier Developer Award): Dave has been a Choice owner for over a decade and currently owns more than 25 Choice hotels spanning Economy, Midscale, Upper Midscale, and Extended Stay. He excels at repositioning and rebranding properties to drive up revenue and profitability.
- Bob Patel of Omaha Hotels, Inc. (Premier Legacy Award): Patel began his relationship with Choice over 15 years ago by purchasing an Econo Lodge in Janesville, Wisconsin. Today, he has 15 Choice hotels under the Comfort, Country, Sleep Inn, Quality Inn, and MainStay Suites brands. A longtime member of the Wisconsin Hotel Association, he is passionate about mentoring aspiring entrepreneurs.
Best of Choice Winners
Like the Premier winners, the Best of Choice award recipients were selected for their demonstrated commitment to superior guest service and operational excellence. The best international properties and the best hotel per brand in the U.S. were selected.
- Cambria Hotel Traverse City – Traverse City, Michigan
- Clarion Hotel Oslo – Oslo, Norway
- Clarion Inn Conference Center – Gonzales, Louisiana
- Clarion Pointe Sulphur Springs – Sulphur Springs, Texas
- Comfort Hotel Nagoya Meiekiminami – Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
- Comfort Inn & Suites Lakewood By JBLM – Lakewood, Washington
- Comfort Inn Blackshear Highway 84 – Blackshear, Georgia
- Comfort Suites near Penn State – State College, Pennsylvania
- Country Inn & Suites by Radisson Belleville, Ontario – Belleville, Ontario, Canada
- Country Inn & Suites By Radisson, State College (Penn State Area), PA – State College, PA
- Econo Lodge – Lenoir City, Tennessee
- MainStay Suites Carlisle-Harrisburg – Carlisle, Pennsylvania
- Park Inn by Radisson San Jose, Costa Rica – San Jose, Costa Rica
- Quality Hotel Blumenau – Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil
- Quality Inn Ingleside-Corpus Christi – Ingleside, Texas
- Radisson Hotel Colorado Springs Airport – Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Radisson Individuals, the Hotel Casa Don Luis by Faranda Boutique – Cartagena, Colombia
- Radisson Montevideo Victoria Plaza Hotel – Montevideo, Uruguay
- Sleep Inn Winfield-Teays Valley – Hurricane, West Virginia
- Suburban Studios Washington, Pennsylvania – Washington, Pennsylvania
- The Halifax Tower Hotel & Conference Centre, Ascend Hotel Collection – Halifax, Nova Scotia
- The Ingot Hotel Perth, Ascend Hotel Collection – Belmont, Western Australia
- The Inn at I’On – Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina
- The Radisson Blu Aruba – Palm Beach, Aruba
- The Radisson Blu Toronto Downtown – Toronto, Canada
- The Rodeway Inn – Ainsworth, Nebraska
- Woodspring Suites San Antonio Stone Oak – San Antonio, Texas
