Choice Hotels International Kicks Off 11th Mastery Tech Summit, Bringing Hands-On AI Experimentation to the Center of Innovation
MWN-AI** Summary
Choice Hotels International, Inc. launched its 11th annual Mastery Tech Summit in Scottsdale, Arizona, gathering over 800 associates for a week-long event focused on innovation and the application of technology in the hospitality sector. The summit offers hands-on workshops, collaborative competitions, and knowledge-sharing sessions aimed at addressing real business challenges faced by franchisees.
This year's themes revolve around advancements in artificial intelligence, cloud-based platforms, data analytics, and cybersecurity. Participants will engage in several interactive challenges—including a cybersecurity scavenger hunt named "Capture the Flag" and the AWS AI league, which aims to cultivate real-world AI solutions using AWS tools. Engineers also have the opportunity to participate in Make-a-Thon competitions, creating new software products to enhance operations and guest experiences.
Brian Kirkland, Chief Information Officer of Choice Hotels, emphasized that Mastery aims to unlock new opportunities for franchises by involving associates from various departments, not just the engineering team. He believes this approach accelerates innovation, yielding practical tools for franchisees to operate more efficiently and make informed decisions.
The equity of collaboration was showcased in the success of last year's event, where a project successfully modernized the Hotel Suite system by incorporating generative AI. This innovative approach significantly reduced development timelines and saved over $750,000 in costs.
Choice Hotels has a rich history of innovation, becoming industry pioneers with the introduction of the first hotel website and various cloud-based solutions. The Mastery Summit aims to continue this legacy, empowering hotel owners with cutting-edge technologies while also fostering community engagement through local charitable partnerships. Through these initiatives, Choice Hotels demonstrates its commitment to leveraging technological advancements to enhance both operational performance and customer satisfaction.
MWN-AI** Analysis
Choice Hotels International (NYSE: CHH) is poised for growth as it embraces innovation through its 11th Mastery Tech Summit. This event highlights the company’s commitment to leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and technology to enhance operational efficiency and franchisee profitability.
The summit's focus on hands-on experimentation with AI and emerging technologies is a strategic move in a competitive landscape where tech integration is crucial for success. By encouraging cross-functional collaboration and active problem-solving, Choice Hotels is fostering a culture of innovation that is likely to yield significant business benefits.
Historically, Choice Hotels has been a pioneer in technology adoption within the hospitality industry, notably introducing the first cloud-based property management system and the first mobile app for hotels. Its continued investment in technology is evidenced by successful projects like the modernization of the Hotel Suite platform, which not only accelerated development timelines but also led to substantial cost savings. Such initiatives bolster the company’s value proposition to franchisees by enabling them to operate more effectively and react to market demands swiftly.
From a financial standpoint, potential investors should consider Choice Hotels as a strong candidate for long-term growth. The commitment to AI-driven tools and data analytics positions the company competitively, enhancing its ability to make informed decisions that drive revenue growth. Moreover, as the hospitality sector increasingly shifts toward digital solutions, Choice Hotels is well-positioned to capitalize on emerging trends.
However, investors should remain mindful of market volatility and the effects of economic factors on the hospitality sector. Monitoring the company’s ongoing technology initiatives and their impact on financial performance will be key. Overall, Choice Hotels represents an attractive opportunity for stakeholders looking to invest in a forward-thinking company that is actively transforming the guest experience through strategic innovation.
**MWN-AI Summary and Analysis is based on asking OpenAI to summarize and analyze this news release.
PR Newswire
Week?long event puts teams in build mode—hacking, testing, and applying AI solutions to pressure test new technologies against real business challenges.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Feb. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH), one of the world's largest lodging franchisors and a leading hospitality technology company, kicks off "Mastery" today, its 11th annual technology and innovation summit. Throughout the week-long event, more than 800 associates will gather to work in real time, solving business challenges through hands-on workshops, collaborative competitions, and knowledge-sharing sessions—focused on helping franchisees drive revenue, reduce costs, and operate more efficiently.
This year, Choice Hotels associates from all across the company will dive into how advancements in artificial intelligence, cloud-based platforms, data and analytics, cybersecurity, and other emerging technologies can strengthen business intelligence, enhance security, support on-property operations, and continue scaling Choice Hotels' proprietary tools and systems.
At Mastery, interactive challenges such as "Capture the Flag" (a scavenger?hunt?style cybersecurity challenge) and AWS AI league, a high?energy, hands?on competition where participants rapidly build real?world AI solutions using AWS tools, will test participants' problem-solving and AI capabilities. During the summit's Make-a-Thon competitions, engineers will develop and present new software products designed to enhance company and hotel operations and guest experiences. Winning teams will earn cash prizes, with top innovations considered for company-wide deployment.
"At its core, Mastery is about designing technical capabilities that will shape the next chapter of hospitality," said Brian Kirkland, Chief Information Officer, Choice Hotels International. "By engaging associates across the organization—not just engineers—we're unlocking new opportunities to apply AI and emerging technologies to real business challenges. That collective investment in talent and expertise is accelerating innovation across the Choice Hotels system and translating into dependable, practical tools that help franchisees operate more efficiently, make smarter decisions, and grow their businesses with confidence."
A winning project from last year's Mastery event demonstrated how emerging technologies can deliver tangible business impact. In 2025, Choice Hotels' technology organization faced a major initiative to modernize Hotel Suite, a legacy, web?based system used across the company's entire property portfolio. The effort focused on updating and reimagining a critical platform that had become increasingly complex to maintain and evolve. Initial estimates projected the Hotel Suite modernization would take more than a year using traditional development approaches. Instead, a cross?functional engineering team applied lessons from Mastery 2025, leveraging generative AI and a "vibe coding" development approach to fully reimagine the application. The team not only dramatically accelerated the delivery, but also modernized the user interface and delivered the first business?critical, end?user?facing application at Choice Hotels to reach production using an AI?assisted development model — cutting timelines by months, and saving more than $750,000 in projected investment.
History of Innovation
Choice Hotels brings a decades-long legacy of innovation to the hospitality industry, from introducing the first hotel website with real-time rates and availability and launching the first hotel app for the iPhone, to creating the first mobile-friendly rate management tool for operators and fully migrating its platforms to the cloud. Through Mastery, that innovation is put into practice—leveraging technology to give owners tools that simplify operations, strengthen competitiveness, and allow them to focus on delivering great stays for guests.
Choice Hotels has built and introduced industry-first, owner-facing technologies, including:
- In 1995, Choice launched the first hotel website with real-time rate and availability information.
- In 2003, Choice launched the first cloud-based property management system (PMS), choiceADVANTAGE.
- In 2009, Choice released the first hotel app for iOS.
- In 2014, Choice became the first hotel company to offer instant booking on TripAdvisor. That same year, Choice was the only hotel company listed on Forbes' Top 100 Most Innovative Growth Companies.
- In 2016, Choice became the first hotel company to offer immediate in-app gift card downloads.
- In 2018, Choice launched choiceEDGE, the industry's first cloud-based central reservation system (CRS).
- In 2019, Choice became the first hotel company to commit to being 100% on AWS (Amazon Web Services) Cloud.
- In 2021, Choice launched ChoiceMAX, an award-winning AI mobile-first revenue management solution.
- In 2024, Choice announced the closure of its last data center, making it the first major hotel company to migrate its entire system infrastructure to AWS.
- In 2025, Choice introduced Choice Maps, an AI-driven platform that analyzes proprietary data to help identify high-demand markets and inform development strategy
In addition to fueling innovation, Mastery also brings associates together for a community service event, Bey's Blessing: The Choice to Impact. During the event, attendees will partner with local nonprofit Bey's Blessings to assemble comfort kits for members of the unsheltered community, with additional activities supporting the organization.
About Choice Hotels®
Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH), is one of the largest lodging franchisors in the world, with over 7,500 hotels, representing more than 650,000 rooms, in 50 countries and territories. A wide-ranging portfolio of 22 brands that includes full-service upper upscale, midscale, extended stay, and economy properties 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.
SOURCE Choice Hotels International, Inc.
FAQ**
How does Choice Hotels International Inc. (CHH) plan to utilize the innovations developed at the Mastery Tech Summit to enhance guest experiences across its diverse portfolio of over 7,500 hotels?
What specific AI and emerging technologies will Choice Hotels International Inc. (CHH) focus on this year to drive revenue and reduce operational costs for franchisees during the Mastery Tech Summit?
How has the collaborative environment at the Mastery Tech Summit, hosted by Choice Hotels International Inc. (CHH), contributed to accelerating the development of technology solutions like the AI-assisted Hotel Suite modernization?
Can you elaborate on the community service initiative, Bey's Blessing, integrated into the Mastery Tech Summit by Choice Hotels International Inc. (CHH), and its impact on fostering employee engagement while supporting local nonprofits?
**MWN-AI FAQ is based on asking OpenAI questions about Choice Hotels International Inc. (NYSE: CHH).
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