Area Director, Franchise Performance

Who are we looking for?

Choice Hotels, one of the world’s largest lodging franchisors, has an exciting new opportunity as our Area Director in the Franchise Performance Department. This team is responsible for is responsible for driving the performance of a diverse portfolio of midscale and upper midscale hotels under the guidance of leaders within the Franchise Performance Department. As a key member of our Franchise Performance Department, you will be instrumental in leading the implementation and activation of strategies and tactics aimed at increasing property level profitability, guest experience, and revenue for a region of franchised hotels. You must also reside in or be willing to relocate to the Austin or San Antonio, TX area.

Are you a hotel operator with a strong drive for success and sense of personal accountability looking to transition to an above-property role? We invite you to apply today for our Area Director, Franchise Performance role today and #MakeItYourChoice.

Your Responsibilities

Performance Management

Strategic Advisory

• Serve as a strategic advisor by conducting property visits and implementing recommended solutions to drive individual and regional hotel performance across financial, guest experience, owner engagement, service execution, and program activation.
• Ensures owner execution of the midscale operating model, driving brand operating efficiency and profitability, leading to owner-operator satisfaction.
• Utilize reporting resources to influence and achieve owner adoption and hotel implementation.

Performance Accountability

• Responsible for the revenue and service performance metrics for the assigned region, driving continuous improvement.
• Identify and prioritize opportunities to enhance performance at portfolio hotels.
• Drive revenue at portfolio and hotel levels through consultations, collaborating and aligning with Choice Revenue Management resources. 
• Achieve Guest Experience objectives through the execution of on-site consultations and activation of recommended tactics and strategies.
• Monitor performance dashboards and conduct follow-up consultations.

Resource Utilization

• Identify hotel challenges and deploy hotel operators to Choice’s support systems, aiding in the improvement of hotel operations and profitability through resources like ChoiceU, Centers of Excellence, Owner Relations, and Brand Operations.
• Collaborate with commercial revenue departments to achieve portfolio revenue growth objectives.  Encourage hotel engagement and participation with proprietary revenue generation programs.

Consultation Excellence

• Deliver impactful consultations, employing a suite of tools and resources to provide tailored solutions and foster owner engagement.
• Apply Trusted Advisor skills and delivery framework to drive owner-operator engagement within the assigned region.
• Develop proficiencies in interpreting performance data from internal and external sources (CoSTAR, Medallia, Salesforce, Workday, Concur, Tableau, Profitability Benchmarking, Okta, Business Intelligence, AI).
• Monitor and enhance consultation effectiveness based on RVP feedback, Owner Engagement Index surveys, and hotel stakeholder adoption of recommended action steps.

Communication Mastery

• Maintain clear and consistent communication with stakeholders, documenting interactions and ensuring follow-through on action plans.

Administration and Accountability

• Provide timely and accurate documentation of all business expenses.
• Maintain effective property and ownership documentation within Choice’s contact management system. 
• Support Choice Hotels franchise sales growth and participate in franchise association activities.
• Seek and share industry and market intelligence and best practices with peers, franchisees, and corporate staff, recognizing trends, threats and opportunities that can benefit franchisees and Choice.

Your Experience, Skills & Competencies

• Bachelor’s degree in Hotel Management, Business Management, Marketing, or a relevant field of study required; MBA preferred.
• At least 15 years of progressive hotel operations experience, with preference within midscale and upper midscale segments.
• Minimum of 10 years of hotel leadership experience, with preference for those with multi-unit or franchise performance experience.
• Excellent ability to manage ambiguity combined with an ability to leverage data and create a foundation of data-supported decision making.
• Excellent analytical and forecasting skills; previous experience with successful hotel budget management and GOP analysis.
• Flexibility in creating and making changes or re-directing initiatives to continuously improve the strategy and organization, demonstrating adaptability in change management and proficiency in working within a matrix-based organization.
• Demonstrated ability in analytics, data management, and a proven track record in driving hotel performance.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and strong competencies in time management and project coordination.
• Exceptional training, consulting, and persuasive communication skills are essential.
• Regular travel, approximately 70%, is required for this role.
• Additional duties may include, but are not limited to, participating in special projects, attending conferences, and other tasks as needed to support the organization’s objectives.

Your Team

This is an individual contributor role that will report to the Regional Vice President, Franchise Performance. You will have multiple peer teammates and collaborate with cross-functional departments on a regular basis.

Your Work Location

As our Area Director, Franchise Performance, you will be a remote-based associate, working from your home office. You will be required to connect virtually with Choice team members and leadership on video via Zoom, with possible periodic travel in-person to our beautiful, state-of-the-art worldwide offices in North Bethesda, MD, Scottsdale, AZ, or St. Louis Park, MN. Frequent nationwide travel will be required 70% of the time to visit trade shows, conventions, franchisees, and other industry events.

About Choice

Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH) is one of the largest lodging franchisors in the world. With nearly 7,500 hotels, representing nearly 630,000 rooms, in 46 countries and territories, with a range of high-quality lodging options from limited service to full-service hotels in the upper upscale, upper mid-scale, midscale, extended-stay, and economy segments. We’re the hotel company for those who choose to bet on themselves – the underdog, the dreamer, the entrepreneur – because that’s who we are, too.

At Choice, we are united by the simple belief that tomorrow will be even better than today – for associates, our company, and our franchisees. At our worldwide corporate headquarters in North Bethesda, MD and St. Louis Park, MN as well as our technology center in Scottsdale, AZ, and through our associates around the globe, every voice is heard, and every idea is listened to, no matter what area of the company they come from. We are united in supporting the entrepreneurial dreams of our more than 18,000 franchise owners, which propels us forward – giving our work at Choice a purpose larger than our business.

About Choice Hotels Financial Performance

Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) for first quarter 2024 grew to $124.3 million, a first quarter record and a 17% increase compared to the same period of 2023. Please click here to review highlights of our first quarter 2024 results.

Salary Range

The salary range for this position is $85,000 to $111,000 annually. In addition to the annual salary, this role is eligible for an annual bonus based on the terms of Choice's Management Incentive Plan (MIP).

Pay ranges listed are for this position and are what Choice Hotels reasonably expects to pay. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range, and the range may be modified in the future. An employee’s pay position within the pay range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, geographic location, performance, shift, travel requirements, sales or revenue-based metrics, and business or organizational needs.

Choice prioritizes our associate wellbeing by offering a comprehensive benefits program that is both competitive and flexible to help you achieve your wellbeing goals - here are just a few:

• Competitive compensation and benefits, including medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Leave and paid time-off for holidays, vacation, personal, family, volunteer, sick, jury duty, bereavement, military, and religious observance
• Financial benefits for retirement and health savings
• Employee recognition programs
• Discounts at Choice hotels worldwide

*** PLEASE NOTE: This role is not eligible for sponsorship ***

Ability to model Choice’s Cultural Values: Welcome and Respect Everyone, Be Bold, Be Quick, Listen, Be Curious and Show Integrity.