Comfort Inn 2009 Annual Report Download - page 2

2 | 2009 Annual Review
2009
Choice Hotels International (NYSE: CHH) is
one of the largest and most successful lodging
companies in the world — currently franchising
more than 6,000 hotels, representing more
than 485,000 rooms open and operating in
the United States and more than 30 countries
and territories.
Choice’s business began as a marketing
cooperative formed by a group of Florida motor
court owners in 1941. Operating under the name
Quality Courts United — the nation’s first hotel
chain — the owners sought to refer business
to each other’s hotels and establish service
standards for their properties in order to better
meet the needs and expectations of their guests.
Over the years, more hotels joined the
Quality Courts system, which had become an
influential force in the lodging industry and
had established a reputation for providing
value-driven, affordable lodging in convenient
and popular locations. The company
established a rich history of innovation, as
it was the first in the industry to guarantee
reservations; offer 24-hour desk service,
in-room telephones and 24-hour-a-day, toll-
free reservations; segment brands; develop
a global marketing and reservations system;
offer non-smoking rooms in every hotel;
develop the first global hotel application
for use with the iPhone; and implement a
massively-distributed, Internet-based property
management system.
In 1990, in order to better reflect its growing
number of brands and its presence in other
countries, the company changed its name to
Choice Hotels International, and in 1996, Choice
Hotels became a public company trading on the
New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CHH.
Choice Hotels is a hotel distribution company
that optimizes its brands to drive unit growth
and provide the best return on investment for
its franchisees. To its guests, it provides value-
oriented accommodations at all price points for
all stay occasions in the mid-tier and economy
segments. The combination of a dominant
presence in the moderate tier, an asset-light
franchise-only business model and a portfolio
mix of both new construction and conversion
brands drives strong performance through both
the peaks and troughs of the lodging cycle.
The company’s mission is to deliver a franchise
system of strong brands, exceptional services,
vast consumer reach, and size, scale and
distribution that delivers and satisfies guests
and improves profits for our hotel owners.
The Choice Hotels brands, which include
Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep
Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, MainStay Suites,
Suburban Extended Stay Hotel, Econo Lodge
and Rodeway Inn, are among the world’s
most recognized. In addition, via its Ascend
Collection membership program, travelers in
the United States, Canada and the Caribbean
have upscale lodging options at historic,
unique and boutique hotels.
Ranging from limited-service to full-service
hotels in the economy, mid-scale and upscale
segments, Choice-brand properties provide
business and leisure travelers with a range
of high-quality, high-value lodging options
throughout the world.
About Choice