Choice Hotels International, Inc.

Who owns Country Inn & Suites?
In the Americas, Country Inn & Suites by Radisson is franchised by Choice Hotels International, which acquired the Radisson Americas business in 2022 for $675 million. Outside the Americas, Radisson brands belong to Radisson Hotel Group, owned by Jin Jiang International.

Is Choice Hotels publicly traded?
Yes. Choice Hotels International trades on the NYSE under ticker CHH. It was founded in 1939 as Quality Courts United and is headquartered in North Bethesda, Maryland.

How many hotels does Choice Hotels have?
As of December 31, 2025, Choice's global system had 7,575 open hotels with 656,825 rooms in 50 countries and territories, plus a pipeline of 825 hotels with 77,862 rooms.

What is Choice Hotels' revenue?
Choice reported total revenues of $1,597 million for fiscal year 2025, with adjusted EBITDA of $626 million and net income of $370 million.

Does Choice Hotels own its hotels?
Almost entirely no. Choice is a franchisor and owns or manages only 17 hotels out of more than 7,500. Independent owners operate the rest under franchise agreements, which is why the company employs only about 1,750 people directly.

When was Choice Hotels founded?
The company began in 1939 as Quality Courts United, a referral association of motel owners. It incorporated as a for-profit franchisor in 1963 and renamed itself Choice Hotels International in 1990.

The company began in 1939 as Quality Courts United, a nonprofit referral association of seven motel owners in Florida who agreed to refer guests and uphold shared standards. It was among the earliest attempts to create consistent roadside lodging in America. The group incorporated as Quality Courts Motels in 1963 and converted to a for-profit franchisor, a structure that made it one of the first national hotel franchise systems.

The company expanded through the mid-twentieth century under the Quality Inn name. Stewart Bainum Sr., a Washington-area nursing home operator, bought a controlling stake in 1980, beginning family involvement that continues today through his son Stewart Bainum Jr., the chairman. The company renamed itself Choice Hotels International in 1990 to reflect a portfolio that had grown beyond one flag.

Choice built a multi-brand ladder through internal development and acquisition. It created Sleep Inn, added Clarion, bought the Comfort brand family, launched MainStay and Suburban extended-stay flags, and acquired Econo Lodge and Rodeway Inn. The Cambria Hotels brand launched in 2005 as a wholly new upscale concept, later joined by the Ascend Hotel Collection soft brand and the Everhome Suites extended-stay line.

The defining recent acquisition was Radisson Americas. In August 2022 Choice completed a $675 million purchase of the Radisson Hotels Americas business from Radisson Hotel Group, gaining the US, Canadian, Latin American, and Caribbean rights to the Radisson, Country Inn & Suites, Park Inn, Park Plaza, and Radisson Blu flags plus about 600 hotels. The deal took Choice from a mid-market specialist into upscale full-service territory, though rights to the Radisson name outside the Americas remain with Radisson Hotel Group.

Under Patrick Pacious, who became CEO in 2017, the company pushed deeper into extended stay and higher chain scales. Through 2025 it reported record franchise awards, a 50 percent increase in US Country Inn & Suites franchise agreements, and a global pipeline of 825 hotels. In 2024 Choice abandoned a proposed $8 billion hostile pursuit of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts after the target's board rejected the offer.

Choice's most prominent recent episode was the failed 2024 pursuit of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. The $8 billion unsolicited offer was rejected by Wyndham's board, which also raised competition concerns about combining the two largest US mid-market franchisors. Choice withdrew, but the episode exposed it to criticism over strategy and the limits of its growth path.

As a large franchisor, the company periodically faces disputes with franchisees over fees, property improvement requirements, and termination rights, matters that are litigated or arbitrated in the ordinary course across the industry. Some owners have pushed back on the cost of brand standard upgrades for acquired Radisson Americas flags.

The company has also drawn scrutiny over the franchise disclosure and labor practices at independently owned hotels, though Choice itself employs only about 1,750 people directly. No major systemic regulatory enforcement actions have been reported as of November 2026.