Articles tagged “choice hotels”

As we've noted before, as much as hotels and online travel agencies may not necessarily love one another, they certainly need each other. Their current love-hate relationship will certainly change, however, if and when other players like Airbnb or Google become bigger players in the hotel booking space.

The answers vary but there's at least one overriding shared sentiment. Even if times are good, there's always room for improvement in any industry.

Choice's decision to build its own reservation system in-house is a poke in the eye to the many technology companies that sell systems to hotel chains.

It wouldn't be a proper end of the year in hospitality without at least one more merger or acquisition, right? Choice Hotels' purchase of WoodSpring Suites makes some sense as it bolsters its position in the midscale and economy extended-stay space.

Choice Hotels executives talk a big game about the company's new reservations system, debuting early next year. They even use buzz phrases like, "transformative platform" and "innovative tools." But will the new system be a panacea for the hotel chain? We'll soon find out.

This makes a lot of sense, but can Marriott and Choice make their established midscale brands stand out among all of the more design-driven newcomers that others are unleashing? Or do consumers and developers not really care as long as they save or make money?

It'll be interesting to see how Pacious' understanding of digital technology and online distribution will inform Choice's future business strategy.

Responsible travel brands are taking steps to ban bookings of tourist attractions involving direct human interactions with animals. Given all the SeaWorld controversies that the film "Blackfish" uncovered, coupled with ongoing federal probes, couldn't ASTA have picked an alternative venue for its opening reception?

In some cases, the hotel-online travel agency relationship is still a tense situation, but for most big hotel companies, it's still business as usual.

Well, that happened quickly. But given the fact that Pacious has been with Choice for more than a decade and was already planning on becoming CEO by year’s end, the timing of this doesn’t seem like it’ll be a big deal for the company.