Choice hotels makes history with full cloud migration of data centers

Monday, January 29, 2024

Today, Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH) made a groundbreaking announcement, marking a historic moment as the first hotel company to finalize the closure of its last data center. This decisive move positions Choice as a pioneer in the industry, achieving a complete migration of its entire system infrastructure to the cloud. The transition to Amazon Web Services (AWS) now equips Choice with a dynamic, resilient, and scalable platform, enabling swift responses to real-time market conditions. This transformative shift brings significant advantages to owners and operators within the Choice system.

The transition to the cloud empowers Choice to efficiently update its hotel-facing operations and management tools. Additionally, it facilitates the seamless integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other cloud technologies, empowering hotel owners to boost profitability and elevate the overall guest experience. Brian Kirkland, Chief Information Officer for Choice Hotels, emphasized, “By consolidating all our systems onto the cloud, we ensure that our franchisees have immediate access to cutting-edge innovations, saving time and costs while delivering industry-leading distribution and digital systems throughout the competitive hotel booking journey.”

This migration marks the conclusion of a five-year process, underscoring Choice’s ongoing commitment to technological innovation. The adoption of AWS Cloud is a crucial element of Choice’s long-term technology roadmap, involving the decommissioning of over 3,729 servers, retirement of more than 300 applications, and migration of over 250 applications.

Matt Garman, Senior Vice President, Sales, Marketing, and Global Services at AWS, praised Choice Hotels’ forward-thinking approach, stating, “Choice Hotels leaned in big and early on the cloud, which helped them innovate, scale, pivot, and become a more sustainable business over the last 5 years.” He highlighted Choice’s cloud-first mindset permeating every aspect of the business, from operational improvements to exceptional customer service.

Choice Hotels initiated its collaboration with AWS in 2015, with the creation of the industry’s first new central reservation system (CRS) in over 30 years, named choiceEDGE. Jason Simpson, Vice President of Cloud Engineering for Choice Hotels, emphasized the significance of AWS Cloud in the digital integration of Radisson and the remarkable increase in traffic and booking revenue across platforms.

Reflecting on Choice Hotels’ history of technological achievements, the company has consistently been at the forefront of innovation:

• 1995 witnessed Choice’s pioneering launch of the hotel industry’s inaugural website, featuring real-time rate and availability information.
• In 2003, Choice revolutionized the industry with the introduction of choiceADVANTAGE, the first cloud-based Property Management System (PMS).
• 2009 marked the release of Choice’s groundbreaking hotel app for iOS, setting new standards for mobile hospitality services.
• 2014 marked a pivotal achievement for Choice as it became the inaugural hotel company to offer instant booking on TripAdvisor, garnering the exclusive recognition of being the sole hotel entity featured on Forbes’ Top 100 Most Innovative Growth Companies.
• In 2016, Choice once again led the way, becoming the inaugural hotel company to offer immediate in-app gift card downloads.
• 2018 witnessed the live deployment of choiceEDGE for all reservations, establishing it as the industry’s first cloud-based Central Reservation System (CRS).
• 2019 marked a significant commitment from Choice as the first hotel company to pledge a complete transition to being 100% on AWS Cloud.
• In 2021, Choice continued its tradition of innovation with the introduction of ChoiceMAX, an AI-driven mobile-first revenue management solution.
• The year 2024 marked the successful conclusion of Choice’s migration to the cloud, solidifying its position as a trailblazer in technological advancements within the hospitality sector.

Now fully embraced in the cloud, Choice is poised to continue its legacy of innovation, leveraging the power of AI to deliver even greater business value for franchisees.

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