Choice Hotels banks on new reservations system

Consider this: Until last month, Choice Hotels International was running a global reservations system as old as the World Wide Web—literally. Choice's new cloud-based global reservations system, choiceEDGE, replaces a platform that debuted the same year that "www" entered the collective parlance.

The distribution platform supports more than 6,500 Choice Hotels properties globally and is fully integrated with choiceADVANTAGE, Choice Hotels' property management system.

The switch, many years in the making, had Pat Pacious, CEO of Choice Hotels International, beaming when I spoke to him at the Americas Lodging Investment Summit in Los Angeles. There is a symmetry to Choice's new, shiny system: it arrives just around the same time Pacious does; the CEO having only held the top spot since fall. 

In that way, Pacious has a new toy to take out for a spin.

"The old system," he said, "was built on old architecture. It couldn't handle the volume and variety of transactions and the velocity to move data around."

Adapting or updating the old platform proved too difficult a task. The entire process took about two-and-a-half years, and was led by Brian Kirkland, VP of engineering at Choice Hotels.

The new GRS, Pacious said, is much more robust and even has bells and whistles such as voice-based search, artificial intelligence and, "eventually will look at blockchain," he said, which could help drive more direct bookings, thereby bypassing online travel intermediaries.

Other features of the new platform include, cloud-based scalability and stability; connectivity with online travel agents, global distribution systems and property management systems; and the capability to add selling disparate inventory types, including hotel rooms, meeting rooms, vacation rentals and package offerings.

"Technology allows us to connect between Choice, the hotels and consumers," Pacious said.

He also touted a recent partnership with Delivery.com, which is a win for Choice Privileges members. Through the new program, hotel guests get the convenience of delivery services from local restaurants directly to where they are staying, while also earning Choice Privileges loyalty points. On-demand delivery from liquor stores, grocery stores and laundry and dry cleaning is also promised coming soon.