Goals: Clearly state your marketing goals. What did you strive to achieve using this piece or program?

Results: Which of your original goals did you achieve and how? How did you measure the effectiveness of the piece or campaign? Entrants should provide quantifiable results of their tactics or campaigns. (for example, click through rates or ad equivalency)

Project Analysis: Please provide a brief background on the project and your company efforts to demonstrate good corporate citizenship in the areas of community involvement, environmental, or socially responsible practices.

Objectives and Goals: What did organization set out to achieve in undertaking this project in CSR? What were the goals you set to measure your success?

Results: How did you measure the effectiveness of your efforts and what direct and tangible results did you achieve? Please be as specific as possible and share the full impact of your efforts in CSR.

Leadership: Please list the individual in a leadership role responsible for the project and how would you characterize their commitment to promoting corporate social responsibility in the travel and tourism industry?

Situational Analysis: Please provide a brief background on the initiative and the problem, challenge or issue you were seeking to address in the areas of developing emerging talent and engaging existing talent to meet the demands of your business.

Goals: What did your organization set out to achieve in undertaking this initiative? What obstacles did you encounter?

Results and Impact: What results had the greatest impact on your target audience? Please comment on the process and the outcomes. What measures were used to determine success?

Situational Analysis: Please provide a brief background on the initiative and the nature of the issue you were trying to impact.

Goals: Clearly state your goals. What did you strive to achieve with this initiative?

Results: Which of your original goals did you achieve and how? How did you measure the effectiveness of the initiative?

Goals: Clearly state your marketing goals and audience. What did you strive to achieve using this piece or program? Choice Hotels is one of the largest hotel franchisors in the world with 7,100 hotels globally and provides a range of high-quality lodging options for travelers. Choice has a large focus in the mid-scale segment (key brands include Comfort, Sleep Inn, and Quality), and their core target customer - the hardworking, pragmatic, and value-conscious traveler – is referred to as the “resourceful American.” These travelers often work in gray collar roles, skew towards leisure travel, and tend to drive to their destination rather than fly(1). ‘Resourceful Americans’ make up a large portion of the stays booked at Choice Hotels for our midscale brands, as well as our upscale, economy, and extended stay brands. COVID shifted traveler attitudes and behaviors across the board, with non-essential business travel put on hold and consumers choosing to drive to destinations not too far from home, at a good value(2), rather than cruises and air travel. In other words, travelers began to behave a lot like our “resourceful Americans”. We seized this opportunity to speak to a broader audience looking to release the “pent-up demand” industry polls forecasted(3). Though travel had dropped drastically in March and April, travelers’ optimism in late-April and early-May was growing, with ~40% of travelers saying they were likely to take a vacation in the coming six months, compared to 31% in early April(4). The core of our challenge was to drive bookings for a national hotel franchisor operating in various chain scales during an unprecedented global pandemic where travel was at its trough and varied wildly across the country, as well as provide travelers a much-needed source of reassurance as they sought to navigate their “new normal.” As pent-up consumer travel demand began to release, we wanted to capture their bookings. Sources 1. Choice Hotels Resourceful American Target Profile 2020 2. MMGY Travel Intentions Pulse Survey, Wave III, April 2020 3. The Harris Poll, Survey, April 2020

Results: Which of your original goals did you achieve and how? How did you measure the effectiveness of the piece or campaign? Entrants should provide quantifiable results of their tactics or campaigns. (for example, click through rates or ad equivalency)After the launch of regional assets targeted geographically, Choice Hotels saw significant revenue growth originating from bookings by consumers who lived within close driving distance of its hotels (25 miles or less), reflecting the success of our regional and road trip-based strategy. The ultimate goal of encouraging and driving bookings for Choice Hotels was met and was reflected in various earnings and profitability metrics, with performance far beyond our competitors during the pandemic. In Q3 of 2020, Choice Hotels reported $14.5MM in net profit, despite the worst year on records for the travel industry. Choice Hotels’ domestic systemwide RevPAR outperformed the general hotel industry by 20 percentage points in the market segments Choice Hotels operates. As of November 2020, Choice Hotels’ stock price had risen 46% over a six-month period during a global pandemic, significantly outperforming many hospitality peers.

Entry Title2020 Choice Hotels Recovery Campaign

DivisionRecovery Strategies - Recovery Strategies

CategoryRecovery Strategies