Skip to content

Search

Latest Stories

Choice grants $75K to support communities

This year marks the "Your Community, Your Choice" initiative’s fifth anniversary, with $275,000 donated

Choice grants $75K to support communities

CHOICE HOTELS INTERNATIONAL announced the 2024 recipients of its "Your Community, Your Choice" grant, donating $75,000 to help hotel owners fund local nonprofits. This year marks the initiative's fifth anniversary, with $275,000 donated through more than 70 hotels across the U.S. since 2019.

The grants have supported food security, veteran aid, assistance for abuse and trafficking victims, youth education and animal shelters, Choice said in a statement.


“At Choice Hotels, we believe in the power of our hotels to be catalysts for positive change within their communities,” said Megan Brumagim, Choice’s vice president for upscale brands and chief sustainability officer. “We’re honored to celebrate the fifth year of the ‘Your Community, Your Choice’ program by supporting the impactful work of these nonprofits, whose efforts align with our commitment to build a better tomorrow, today.”

The 2024 nonprofit winners were nominated by Choice Hotels for their alignment with the organizations' work and mission in their communities. This year’s “Your Community, Your Choice” grant recipients include:

  • Hilltop Community Resource Center: Nominated by Clarion Inn Grand Junction Airport, Grand Junction, Colorado. Support for community services for domestic violence victims and veterans.
  • The Karing Home Youth Project: Nominated by Comfort Inn & Suites Gaylord, Gaylord, Michigan. Shelter and resources for homeless youth.
  • SPCA of Southwest Michigan: Nominated by Radisson Plaza Hotel at Kalamazoo Center, Kalamazoo, Michigan. Support for animal welfare and adoption.
  • South Michigan Food Bank/Kendall Street Pantry: Nominated by Quality Inn & Suites Next to the Casino, Battle Creek, Michigan. Addressing hunger by providing food to those in need.
  • Youth in Need: Nominated by WoodSpring Suites St. Louis St. Charles, Saint Charles, Missouri. Support for youth and families through housing, education, and mental health services.
  • Samaritan’s Purse: Nominated by Graystone Lodge, Ascend Hotel Collection, Boone, North Carolina. Assistance for Hurricane Helene recovery.
  • InterAct: Nominated by MainStay Suites Raleigh North, Raleigh, North Carolina. Support for victims of domestic violence and assault.
  • Kidz Kottage: Nominated by Comfort Suites Idabel, Idabel, Oklahoma. Services for children who have experienced abuse.
  • I Would Rather Be Reading: Nominated by Cambria Hotel Louisville Downtown-Whiskey Row, Louisville, Kentucky. Promoting childhood literacy and social-emotional learning.
  • Reclaiming Lives & Recovery Café: Nominated by Rodeway Inn Medford South I-5, Medford, Oregon. Support for individuals in addiction recovery.
  • Families of Autism Coming Together: Nominated by Comfort Inn & Suites Virginia Beach – Norfolk Airport, Virginia Beach, Virginia. Services for families affected by autism.
  • JCI La Crosse: Nominated by Radisson Hotel La Crosse, La Crosse, Wisconsin. Development opportunities for young people from underserved communities.
  • Roots for Boots: Nominated by Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Support for servicemen, women, veterans, and their families.
  • United Way of East Tennessee Highlands: Nominated by Cambria Hotel Nashville Downtown. Assistance for Hurricane Helene disaster relief.
  • The Children’s Shelter: Nominated by Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Lackland AFB, San Antonio, Texas. Shelter and services for children and families.

In July, the AHLA Foundation awarded $1 million to eight community-based organizations supporting human trafficking survivors at the third annual No Room for Trafficking Summit, held on July 30 in observance of United Nations World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.

More for you

Wyndham & Grubhub Offer Free Delivery to Guests & Staff

Wyndham, Grubhub offer free delivery to guests, staff

Summary:

  • Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is partnering with Grubhub to offer free product delivery to guests and staff at nearly 6,000 U.S. hotels across 20 brands.
  • A Grubhub account is required to activate the complimentary Grubhub+ membership; no credit card is needed and the membership does not auto-renew.
  • Wyndham recently deployed Elavon’s cloud payments interface to more than 6,000 U.S. and Canadian franchisees.

WYNDHAM HOTELS & RESORTS and Grubhub, an online ordering and delivery platform, will offer item delivery to guests and staff with no delivery fees and other benefits. The service is available at nearly 6,000 U.S. hotels across 20 brands, with orders placed through the Grubhub app on-site or by scanning a hotel QR code.

Keep ReadingShow less
U.S. Hotel Construction Hits 20-Quarter Low in June

CoStar: Hotel construction drops in June

Summary:

  • U.S. hotel rooms under construction fell year over year for the sixth straight month in June, hitting a 20-quarter low, CoStar reported.
  • About 138,922 rooms were under construction, down 11.9 percent from June 2024; the luxury segment had 6,443 rooms, up 4.1 percent year over year.
  • Lodging Econometrics recently said Dallas led all U.S. markets in hotel construction pipelines at the end of the first quarter, with 203 projects and 24,496 rooms.

THE NUMBER OF U.S. hotel rooms under construction declined year over year for the sixth straight month in June, reaching a 20-quarter low, according to CoStar. Additionally, more than half of all rooms under development are in the South, mostly outside the top 25 markets.

Keep ReadingShow less
G6 Hospitality Launches 24/7 Guest Support From August 1
Photo credit: G6 Hospitality

G6 launching 24x7 guest support on Aug. 1

Summary:

  • G6 Hospitality will launch 24x7 guest support on Aug. 1, expanding the current 18-hour window.
  • Escalations from phone, email and social media will be handled promptly by trained staff.
  • The service supports G6’s tech and service investments, including the AI-powered My6 app.

G6 HOSPITALITY, PARENT of Motel 6 and Studio 6, will launch a 24x7 customer support service for guests starting Aug. 1. The service extends the previous 18-hour window to full-day availability via phone, email and social media.

Keep ReadingShow less
U.S. travelers using mobile devices to book independent boutique hotel stays with personalized offers and smart tech in 2025

Study: Personalization boosts independent hotel bookings

Summary:

  • Around 95 percent of U.S. travelers are more likely to book independent hotels with personalized offers, according to TakeUp.
  • 59 percent plan more travel in 2025, with 78 percent favoring weekend getaways and 65 percent domestic trips.
  • Top booking deterrents are few reviews at 39 percent, unclear cleanliness or quality at 38 percent and inflexible cancellations at 29 percent.

PERSONALIZED OFFERS BASED on interests would make 95 percent of U.S. travelers more likely to book at an independent hotel, according to TakeUp, a revenue management platform for independent hotels. About 85 percent are open to technologies such as smart check-in, recommendations and AI-based pricing.

Keep ReadingShow less
Chart showing decline in U.S. extended-stay hotel occupancy and RevPAR in May 2025

Report: May fifth month for drop in extended-stay occupancy

Summary:

  • Extended-stay occupancy fell 2.2 percent in May, the fifth straight monthly decline; ADR and RevPAR also dropped for a second consecutive month.
  • May marked 44 straight months of supply growth for the segment at 4 percent or less, with annual growth below the 4.9 percent long-term average.
  • Extended-stay room revenues rose 0.5 percent, while total industry revenue grew 0.9 percent, led by segments with little extended-stay supply.

EXTENDED-STAY HOTEL occupancy fell 2.2 percent in May, the fifth consecutive monthly decline, exceeding the 0.7 percent drop reported for all hotels by STR/CoStar, according to The Highland Group. Extended-stay occupancy was 10.5 percentage points above the total hotel industry, at the lower end of the long-term average premium range.

Keep ReadingShow less