Choice Hotels Expands Upscale Brands Development Teams

Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH), one of the world’s largest hotel companies, announced David Hale and Chris Leiser have joined the company as part of the Cambria Hotels and Ascend Hotel Collection development teams in the Midwest region.

Hale, newly appointed director of franchise sales for the Ascend Hotel Collection, Midwest, and Leiser, director of development for Cambria Hotels, Midwest, will both be responsible for leading the growth of the company’s upscale portfolio throughout the region. In addition to building relationships with current and prospective owners and developers, they will oversee the area’s strategic business plan, site selection and the successful property onboarding for their respective brands.

“The Cambria Hotels and Ascend Hotel Collection brands have experienced robust growth in the past year, increasing total franchise signings by 32 percent and opening in many highly sought-after locations, such as Chicago, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Dallas and Hawaii,” said Mark Shalala, vice president, development, upscale brands, Choice Hotels. “To fuel our continued success in the segment and key markets, our development team is actively looking for top talent to bring the brands to the next level. Chris comes to Choice with an extensive background in real estate and franchise development, and David joins the company with considerable sales and hotel development experience. We look forward to adding their expertise and leading our upscale development efforts throughout the Midwest region.”

Combined, Hale and Leiser bring more than 30 years of experience to Choice Hotels. Prior to joining Choice, Hale served as vice president of sales, hotel business development for Spire Hospitality. There, he was responsible for identifying new development opportunities and negotiating all hotel management agreements for the company. Earlier in his career, he also held sales and revenue management positions for Hilton Worldwide and Interstate Hotels and Resorts.

Leiser comes to Choice from Wyndham Hotel Group, where he most recently served as senior sales director for the company’s upscale and full-service brands in the Pacific and previously the Midwest region. In this role, he was responsible for driving unit growth for eight of the company’s brands. Earlier in his career, he held various positions in commercial real estate

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