Big news in the hotel world! Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH) has just hit a major tech milestone. They're now the first hotel company to shift their entire system infrastructure to the cloud. That's right, no more data centres for them – they're fully on Amazon Web Services (AWS) now.

What does this big move mean? For starters, it's a game-changer for how they respond to market conditions. This cloud setup gives Choice Hotels a super flexible, resilient, and scalable platform. It's not just good news for the company; it's great for hotel owners and operators within the Choice system too. They're looking at more efficient hotel-facing operations, management tools, and even the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to boost profitability and guest experiences.

Brian Kirkland, the Chief Information Officer at Choice Hotels, is excited about what this means for their franchisees. "Moving everything to the cloud means our franchisees are always in the loop with the latest tech, saving them time and money. It also keeps us ahead in the competitive hotel booking journey," he says.

This wasn't an overnight change. It's been a five-year journey, but what a finish line! Over 3,729 servers were decommissioned, more than 300 applications retired, and upwards of 250 applications migrated.

Matt Garman from AWS is praising Choice for their bold cloud-first approach. "They've been able to innovate, scale, pivot, and grow sustainably over these five years, thanks to their cloud-first mindset," he says.

Choice's cloud journey started back in 2015 with their cloud-based central reservation system, choiceEDGE. At that time, it was the first new CRS from a hotel company in over three decades.

Jason Simpson, Vice President of Cloud Engineering for Choice Hotels, is thrilled about leveraging their cloud-first infrastructure. "AWS Cloud was crucial for us to integrate Radisson digitally in record time and increase our traffic and booking revenue," he notes.

Choice Hotels has been on the forefront of tech innovation in the hospitality industry for a while now:

1995: Launched the first hotel website with real-time rates and availability.

2003: Introduced the first cloud-based property management system, choiceADVANTAGE.

2009: Released the first hotel app for iOS.

2014: First hotel company to offer instant booking on TripAdvisor and listed on Forbes' Top 100 Most Innovative Growth Companies.

2016: First hotel company with instant in-app gift card downloads.

2018: choiceEDGE goes live, the first cloud-based CRS.

2019: First hotel company to commit to 100% AWS Cloud.

2021: Launched ChoiceMAX, an AI mobile-first revenue management solution.

2024: Completed cloud migration.

Fully cloud-based now, Choice Hotels is all set to continue innovating and leveraging AI for greater business value for franchisees.

About Choice Hotels®

One of the largest lodging franchisors in the world, Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH) boasts over 7,500 hotels in 46 countries and territories. With 22 diverse brands, Choice Hotels® meets traveller needs across various segments, driving value for franchise owners and shareholders. The Choice Privileges® rewards program and co-brand credit card options offer members fast ways to earn reward nights and personalised perks. Discover more at www.choicehotels.com.