Our hotel brands.
With over 7,400 properties worldwide, we're never far from where you want to be.
1930s - 1950s
1939
Seven Southern motel owners create Quality Courts, an informal group of motels that set quality standards with respect to physical facilities and operating practices.
Quality Courts published the names of properties complying with the standards and referred business to each other, thereby increasing profits for all.
1940
The average hotel industry room rate is $3.21.
1941
Members formally found Quality Courts United, Inc., an association that would be comprised of independent owners, and set the criteria of membership, creating the country’s first hotel chain.
1950
The average hotel industry room rate is $5.91.
Quality Courts membership doubles to 126 members.
Early 1950’s
Quality Courts becomes the first to offer to the industry such innovations as wall-to-wall carpeting, daily change of linen, 24-hour desk service, and in-room telephones.
1960s - 1970s
1960
The average hotel industry room rate is $10.81.
1963
Quality Courts goes from a non-profit organization to a for-profit corporation and changes its name to Quality Courts Motels, Inc. Stock is sold for the first time to members and employees.
1968
Quality Courts' headquarters are relocated from Daytona Beach, Fla., to Silver Spring, Md.
1969
Quality Courts' membership increases to more than 24,000 rooms, making it the largest association of independent motel operators in the world.
1970
The average hotel industry room rate is $19.83 Quality Courts establishes a European Division Headquarters in Brussels and establishes Quality Motels of Canada. Quality Courts begins offering 24-hour, toll-free central reservations.
1972
Quality Courts Motels changes its name to Quality Inns International to reflect its growing global presence. The company's first European hotel, the Quality Motel in Ratigen, West Germany, opens.
1980s - 1990s
1980
The average hotel industry room rate is $45.44. Quality Inn International merges with Manor Care, Inc., a healthcare company.
Quality Inn becomes a wholly-owned subsidiary of Manor Care.
1981
Quality Inn develops the successful and innovative strategy of market segmentation and divides its lodging system into three distinctive chains: Quality Royale, a luxury brand; Quality Inn, for the moderately-priced, three-star market; and Comfort Inn, a new budget franchise aimed at the luxury budget two-star market.’ The first Comfort Inn hotel opens later that year in Atlanta.
1983
The Sunburst central reservation system is introduced and accounts for 23 percent of all room sales delivered to franchisees in the first year of operation. Sunburst is the industry's first global marketing and reservations system. Quality makes its advanced telephone reservation system available to national efforts to find missing children.
1984
Quality becomes the first hotel chain to introduce a mandatory program of nonsmoking rooms in guest rooms worldwide.
1986
Quality Inn buys the rights to the Clarion Hotels name, and all Quality Royale properties become Clarion brand properties. Quality Inn launches another brand, which would become Sleep Inn. Quality Inn announces the launch of Comfort Suites, an outgrowth of the Comfort Inn brand. The first Comfort Suites hotel opens in Anaheim, California.
1987
Quality Inn International enters the market in India.
1989
Quality Inn becomes the world's third largest hotel chain by number of rooms
1993
The 1000th Comfort Inn hotel opens in Albany, Georgia. Choice enters into a 50/50 joint venture in Canada to form Choice Hotels Canada, which is now Canada's largest franchisor, with over 250 hotels open.
1994
Choice Hotels Scandinavia enters into an agreement with Choice and opens 8 hotels. Choice enters the Central American markets of El Salvador, Honduras,
1995
Choice Hotels launches ChoiceHotels.com, the first Web site in the lodging industry to offer real-time access to a central reservation system.
1996
Choice is spun off from Manor Care as a separate publicly traded company with its own board of directors and traded management structure. Nov. 4, 1996, Choice stock begins trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol CHH. Choice Hotels launches MainStay Suites, the first mid-market, extended stay lodging product developed and franchised by a major chain. Choice enters the Brazilian market where it now franchises properties via a partnership with Atlantica Hotels. Choice enters into a master franchise agreement providing its master partner with the rights to franchise under the corporate name Choice Hotels Europe in the United Kingdom. In 1998, existing franchises in continental Europe and development rights for the Choice brands for those countries were transferred to the partner. At the end of the year, Choice franchises 3,052 hotels in more than 30 countries.
1997
Choice launches Profit Manager, its automated property management system. Vessel Co., Ltd., enters into a relationship with Choice Hotels to develop the Sleep brand in the Chugoku, Shikoku, Kyushu and Okinawa districts of Japan.
1998
Charles A. Ledsinger Jr. is named president and chief executive officer and a member of the board of directors for Choice Hotels. Choice launches its Choice Privileges rewards program.
1999
Choice builds The Learning Center, a $2.5 million, 11,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art training facility, and introduces Total Lodging by Choice, an orientation program designed for first-time Choice franchisees and general managers.
2000s - 2010s
2000
The average hotel industry room rate is $85.89.
2001
Choice Hotels launches its successful "Thanks for Traveling" campaign that thanks Americans for traveling in support of the president's message to get back to 'business as usual."
2003
Choice first deploys ChoiceADVANTAGE, its proprietary Web-based property management system.
Choice Hotels acquires a controlling interest in Flag Choice Hotels, a leading hotel franchisor in Australia and New Zealand. The company changes its name in 2004 to Choice Hotels Australasia and begins franchising Choice brands in Australia, New Zealand, American Samoa, Fiji, New Caledonia and Papau New Guinea. Choice launches its partnership with Choice Hotels Japan as the master partner for that country.
2004
Choice Hotels Mexico, a subsidiary of Choice Hotels International, is formed.
2005
Choice launches a new select service, upscale brand, Cambria Suites. Choice opens its 5000th hotel, a Comfort Suites in Lake Geneva, Wis. Choice acquires Suburban Extended Stay Hotel, an economy extended-stay brand. Choice becomes largest franchisor in the economy extended-stay market.
2006
Choice Privileges rewards program surpasses the 5,000,000 member mark. Choice reacquires the franchising operations for continental Europe from its master franchisor.
2007
First Cambria Suites hotel opens.
2008
Stephen P. Joyce is named president and chief executive officer and a member of the board of directors of Choice Hotels International. Choice Hotels launches the Ascend Collection, an upscale network of historic, boutique and unique hotels across the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. Choice reacquires franchising operations for the United Kingdom.
2009
Choice is named by Training Magazine to its Top 125 list, marking the fourth year in a row the company was ranked among the top businesses nationwide in the area of employer-sponsored workforce training and development. Under its Room to Rebuild program, Choice Hotels announced the selection of Rebuilding Together as its signature cause partner and focus of its corporate social responsibility efforts. The company opens its 6,000 franchised property, the Inn of Chicago Magnificent Mile, an Ascend Collection hotel. Choice Hotels launches the industry's first global iPhone application. The free application quickly becomes one of the most downloaded travel applications.
2010
Choice introduces a completely re-designed ChoiceHotels.com website.
President and Chief Executive Officer Steve Joyce is named national chairman of the U.S. Travel Association, the 1,500 member national organization representing every segment of the travel community.
The Choice Privileges rewards program reaches the 10-million-member milestone. The company finishes 2010 with 12 million Choice Privileges members.
2011
Choice receives a Visionary Award from Hospitality Technology magazine for its "outstanding vision in achievement in delivering technological excellence" for its proprietary choiceADVANTAGE property management system, in place at over 4,000 hotels worldwide.
2012
The company’s Choice Privileges® rewards program celebrates 15 million members.
Choice Hotels introduces the Choice Hotels Locator iPad application.
2013
The company moves to its new global headquarters at One Choice Hotels Circle in Rockville, Maryland.
2014
Choice Hotels celebrates its 75th anniversary and teams up with Rebuilding Together for Choice’s 75th Rebuilding project, impacting more than 86,000 people. We also launched new mobile capabilities with Connected Car, the first hands-free hotel reservations app for Ford vehicles.
Choice Hotels expands its international footprint into China and Turkey, now franchising in more than 35 countries and territories.
2015
“Connect the world through the power of hospitality.”
Choice develops a new single brand identity to make a more emotional connection with its consumers and franchisees, drive greater preference for its portfolio of brands and better position the company to stretch into new markets to capitalize on opportunities for growth. For Choice it's all about making people feel welcome, wanted and respected.
2016
With the launch of Vacation Rentals by Choice HotelsTM, the company expanded its product offering outside of hotels to ensure that there are lodging options in the Choice portfolio to fit any travel occasion.