Skip to content

Search

Latest Stories

Choice hosts 10th MasteryX summit in Scottsdale, AZ

Select projects from the summit may be rolled out company-wide

Choice Hotels MasteryX 2025 Hack-a-Thon competition in Scottsdale

Choice Hotels International opened its 10th MasteryX tech summit in Scottsdale, Arizona, where 650 associates are exploring tech solutions to boost revenue, cut costs and improve efficiency for hotel owners.

Choice Hotels MasteryX 2025: Driving Tech Innovation in Scottsdale

CHOICE HOTELS INTERNATIONAL kicked off its 10th annual MasteryX tech summit in Scottsdale, Arizona. Around 650 associates are attending the week-long event to explore technologies and address real-world challenges through workshops, competitions and knowledge-sharing sessions focused on helping hotel owners increase revenue, reduce costs and improve efficiency.

Choice technologists will examine how artificial intelligence, quantum computing and other technologies can support business intelligence, cyber security, on-property operations and the scaling of the company’s tools and systems, Choice said in a statement.


“MasteryX is more than a conference — it’s a launchpad for the future of hospitality technology,” said Brian Kirkland, Choice’s chief information officer. “By upskilling our engineers in AI and emerging tech, we’re ensuring Choice Hotels stays at the forefront, delivering smarter, more efficient solutions for franchisees and guests. Mastery is part of our innovation culture, supporting tools that help owners drive strong returns and manage their businesses with the control and flexibility they need.”

At MasteryX, challenges such as Capture the Flag and AWS DeepRacer will test participants’ problem-solving and AI skills, the statement said. During the summit’s Hack-a-Thon competitions, engineers will develop and present software products to support company operations, hotel performance and guest services.

Winning teams will receive cash prizes and selected projects may be deployed across the company.

A winning project from last year’s Mastery automated the process of creating special rates for repeat guests and packages for local businesses, Choice said. This cut processing time from 2.5 weeks to instant execution, increasing hotel revenue and speeding up service. More than 600 hotels have used the program, generating nearly 6,000 rate packages and about 450,000 room nights totaling over $31 million in sales.

In addition to supporting innovation, MasteryX includes a two-hour service event where attendees will assemble care kits and tie-dye items for patients at Phoenix Children’s Hospital.

Anna Scozzafava, Choice’s chief strategy officer and senior vice president for technology, said Choice Hotels has a long track record of innovation.

“Mastery is one of the ways we keep the spirit of innovation alive, so we can continue leveraging technology to strengthen our competitive edge by providing tools that make hotel operations easier and allow owners to focus on the guest experience,” she said.

In March, Choice extended its Choice Privileges sponsorship of Trackhouse Racing for a second year, giving members access to the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series.

More for you

Red Roof partners with FreedomPay to streamline payments in 700+ U.S. hotels
Photo credit: Red Roof

Red Roof taps FreedomPay for 700+ hotels

Summary:

  • Red Roof is contracting with FreedomPay to provide payments across its 700+ U.S. hotels.
  • The company will gain an integrated solution, improved service, cost savings and efficiency.
  • The company is investing in people and technology to advance the brand, president Zack Gharib told Asian Hospitality.

RED ROOF IS contracting with FreedomPay to provide payments across its portfolio of more than 700 hotels in the U.S. The company will receive an integrated payment solution, upgraded service, cost savings and operational efficiency, according to a statement.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gen Z Shifts Hotel Shopping: Tech, Experiences & Values

Survey: Gen Z redefines hotel shopping

Summary:

  • Younger consumers are redefining hotel discovery through platform-hopping and peer input, according to SOCi.
  • Fragmented search and discovery are reshaping how trust is built.
  • About one-third of consumers aged 18–34 report less brand loyalty than a year ago.

GEN Z IS RESHAPING hotel shopping through multiple platforms, peer input and real-time research, according to SOCi, a marketing platform for multi-location businesses. Unlike previous generations who relied on a single search engine or map app, the younger consumer moves through a series of smaller decisions - starting on TikTok, checking Reddit or Yelp and ending with a Google Maps search.

Keep ReadingShow less
Hotel Tech Advances; Outpaces Operational Readiness

Report: Tech outpaces readiness in hotels

  • A gap is growing between technological potential and operational readiness, with many hotel teams still early in AI use.
  • Distribution teams are evolving with limited resources and uneven investment in talent and automation.
  • The report outlines how commercial teams in hospitality are managing transformation.

THERE IS A widening gap between technological potential and operational readiness, with many hotel staff still early in using AI effectively, according to “The State of Distribution 2025” report. Despite the availability of technology, training, systems and workflows remain in development.

The second edition of the industry benchmark report—published by NYU SPS Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality and its Hospitality Innovation Hub, in collaboration with RateGain Travel Technologies and HEDNA—noted that as traveler expectations rise, aligning people, processes and platforms is becoming a driver of performance.

Keep ReadingShow less
Peachtree Group's Residence Inn by Marriott under construction in downtown San Antonio, topping out milestone reached, June 2025

Peachtree tops out San Antonio Residence Inn

Peachtree Hotel to Open in Summer 2026 with 117 Extended-Stay Rooms

PEACHTREE GROUP HELD a “topping out” for its Residence Inn by Marriott in downtown San Antonio, Texas, marking completion of the structural phase of the 10-story, 117-room hotel. The property, co-developed with Austin-based Merritt Development Group, is scheduled to open in summer 2026.

The extended-stay hotel will be owned by Peachtree and managed by its hospitality management division, the company said in a statement.

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India plane crash 2025
Photo by Sam PANTHAKY / AFP

Air India reducing flights after deadly crash

AIR INDIA WILL reduce international service on widebody aircraft by 15 percent through at least mid-July, according to media reports. The decision comes less than a week after the June 12 crash of an Air India airliner carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members in Ahmedabad, India, that killed 246 but left one survivor among the passengers.

The airline said the reduced service due to the safety inspection of aircraft and ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, which have disrupted operations, resulting in 83 flight cancellations over the past six days, according to ABC News. Passengers can either reschedule their flights at no additional cost or receive a full refund.

Keep ReadingShow less