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Choice Hotels Kicks Off 9th Annual “Mastery” Tech Innovation Summit, Operating at the Intersection of Hospitality, Franchising and Technology

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500 Choice technologists gather for trainings and workshops and to compete in a 48-hour make-a-thon to develop next-generation hospitality solutions

NORTH BETHESDA, Md., March 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH), one of the world’s leading lodging franchisors, kicks off “Mastery 2024” today, an annual week-long tech innovation summit where more than 500 company technologists come together at Choice’s Scottsdale, Arizona offices to learn and drive innovation through a series of gamified trainings and workshops that culminate in a 48-hour make-a-thon. In the make-a-thon, Choice associates ideate and build new software products leveraging advanced technology to drive profitability and value for the company and Choice hotel owners. During Mastery 2024, tech teams will develop solutions to speed up and improve the hotel onboarding process, measure and visualize a property’s environmental footprint, improve the customer service experience, and more. At the end of each make-a-thon, teams will present their new products to a committee of Choice executives, with winners receiving cash prizes and the chance to have their ideas continue to be refined and deployed across the organization.

“Mastery keeps us current on cutting-edge technologies like AI and helps spark creativity, innovation, and team building,” said Brian Kirkland, chief information officer, Choice Hotels International. “We want to make sure we are constantly innovating and trying new things so that we can continue to deliver value-driving technology for Choice, our franchisees, and our guests.”

Last year, a tool created during Mastery reduced daily tickets from 4,000 to just 40 using AI and other new technologies. Previous winning projects include online travel agency enhancements that yielded additional revenue and multiple security analysis and automation tools.

“Choice’s long-standing commitment and investment in technology provides hotel owners and operators of our brands with an edge,” said Anna Scozzafava, chief strategy officer and senior vice president of technology, Choice Hotels International. “Our hotel-facing tech is cloud-based, mobile-friendly and easy to use to ensure all owners can leverage our best-in-class tools.”

Choice recently announced the closure of its last data center, making it the first major hotel company to migrate its entire system infrastructure to AWS. Now fully on the cloud, Choice will continue to innovate and leverage the power of AI to drive even more business value for its franchisees. Choice has built and introduced industry-first owner-facing technologies, including the choiceADVANTAGE cloud-based reservation system; the Your Key to Profit platform, which centralizes profitability tools for owners; and choiceEDGE, which utilizes AI and historical trend analysis to help franchisees maximize room sales.

Choice Hotels has a history of technological firsts and innovation, including: 

In 1995, Choice launched the first hotel website with real-time rate and availability information.In 2003, Choice launched the first cloud-based property management system (PMS), choiceADVANTAGE.In 2009, Choice released the first hotel app for iOS.In 2014, Choice became the first hotel company to offer instant booking on TripAdvisor. That same year, Choice was the only hotel company listed on Forbes’ Top 100 Most Innovative Growth Companies.In 2016, Choice became the first hotel company to offer immediate in-app gift card downloads.In 2018, Choice launched choiceEDGE, the industry’s first cloud-based central reservation system (CRS).In 2019, Choice became the first hotel company to commit to being 100% on AWS (Amazon Web Services) Cloud.In 2021, Choice launched ChoiceMAX, an award-winning AI mobile-first revenue management solution.In early 2024, Choice completed its migration to the cloud.

About Choice Hotels® 

Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH) is one of the largest lodging franchisors in the world. The challenger in upscale and a leader in midscale and extended stay, Choice® has over 7,500 hotels, representing more than 630,000 rooms, in 46 countries and territories. A diverse portfolio of 22 brands that range from full-service upper upscale properties to midscale, extended stay and economy enables Choice® to meet travelers’ needs in more places and for more occasions while driving more value for franchise owners and shareholders. The award-winning Choice Privileges® rewards program and co-brand credit card options provide members with a fast and easy way to earn reward nights and personalized perks. For more information, visit www.choicehotels.com

© 2024 Choice Hotels International, Inc. All Rights Reserved     

 

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SOURCE Choice Hotels International, Inc.

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Global Influencer Stars Shine at the 2025 WIBA Awards in Cannes

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Panda Boi, Zarina Yeva, Whitney Uland, Patricia Bright, Abi Marquez,  among WIBA Awards 2025 title holders

CANNES, France, May 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The seventh annual WIBA Awards—celebrating social media personalities dedicated to making a global impact—were held on May 23, 2025, at the iconic Hôtel Martinez during the Cannes Film Festival. The prestigious event brought together hundreds of leading content creators behind the year’s most viral moments. Guests enjoyed an elegant evening featuring a cocktail reception, a Gala Dinner, and a dazzling Awards ceremony, highlighted by a special performance from Panjabi MC.

The event awarded international celebrities and extraordinary personalities such as Whitney Uland, Zarina Yeva, Patricia Bright, Abi Marquez, Jessica de Oliveira, Jasmin Gassmann, Jodok Vuille, Aurélie, Whitney Uland, Misha Miller and others. The 2025 Grand Prix WIBA title was awarded to Panda Boi, an Italy-based YouTuber with over 71 million followers on social media.

WIBA Awards were overseen by the World Influencers Association (WIBA) based in Monaco. It was the first and the only international award honoring the work of social media personalities across multiple categories.

WIBA Awards title holders are the top world influencers, such as Lena Situations, Coco Rocha, Maye Musk, Richard Orlinski, Khaby Lame, Nusret Gökçe, Nikkie Tutorials, Gianluca Vacchi, Foodgod, Kat Graham, Kelly Rutherford, Ellen Von Unwerth and others.

WIBA Awards event highlighted the most followed social causes, empowered diverse influencers’ voices, encouraged collaboration, and fostered a sense of a global community of peers. The typical instant reach of a WIBA Awards ballroom was over 200 million impressions.

As an official sponsor and partner of the event, KIKO Milano curated a glamorous backstage experience for top influencers and WIBA 2025 titleholders, also delighting guests with exclusive gifts.

WIBA 2025 Titleholders  

Panda Boi : Grand Prix
Jasmin Gassmann : Influential Actress in social media
Mara Lafontan : Motivational Lifestyle Influencer
Jodok Vuille : Music Art Influencer
Zarina Yeva : Fashion Socialite
Aurelie : Travel Influencer
Tony Czech : Sports Entertainment
Taha Shah Badussha : Influential Actor in social media
Virginia Varinelli : Fashion Business Influencer
Argy : Contemporary Art Influencer
Georgi Sandev : Influential Celebrity Makeup Artist
Jennifer Yepez : Influential Celebrity Hair Stylist
Edouard Siney : Best Talents’ Agent
Misha Miller : Trendsetter Influencer
Jessica De Oliveira : Fashion Entertainment Influencer
Patricia Bright : Video Most Successful Britain’s Social Media Personality
Ozodbek Khurramov : Leading Middle Asia Influencer
NUTSA : Singer Influencer
Whitney Uland : Influential Talent’s Coach
Maren Tschinkel : Influential Health & Wellness Model
Leane Marts : Beauty Influencer
Karolina Agata Sankiewicz : Glamourous Sport Influencer
Shintaro Kambara & Kenta Kambara : Young Visionary Designers Award
LIONFIELD : Entertainment Influencers
Bilonda Alice Mukendi : Multi Platform Influencer
Abi Marquez : Food Influencer
Charlie Griffon : Best Pet Influencer
Sean Sudarshan Rajan founder @thebillionairesclub : Influential Luxury Society

GETTY IMAGES PHOTOS:
https://dam.gettyimages.com/selects/wiba-awards-gala-ceremony-2025

Contact: contact@wiba.global  

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SOURCE WIBA Awards

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The world says ‘NamAIste’ to Made in India’s world’s first Hospitality GPT by IIHM

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AI-powered knowledge engine built on deep domain research is the global hospitality industry’s biggest innovation. Hospitality stakeholders and industry captains hail the launch of ‘NamAIste – IIHM Hospitality GPT’ as a Viksit Bharat enterprise.

KOLKATA, India, May 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — There is a new dawn in the world of hospitality. The global unison of technology and human touch, in the form of the world’s first-ever hospitality-exclusive GPT, was launched in Kolkata, India, following the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream for a ‘Make in India‘ technology in the spirit of Viksit Bharat.

Pioneered by the visionary zeal of AI evangelist and Chairman of IIHM, Dr. Suborno Bose, the NamAIste IIHM Hospitality GPT was introduced and launched, before a global audience of hospitality leaders, students, and stakeholders, as a vehicle of limitless possibilities. NamAIste – HospitalityGPT is the world’s first Generative AI-powered knowledge engine tailored for the hospitality industry.

Beyond the realms of a chatbot or a normal GPT, the “NamAIste – IIHM Hospitality GPT” is a repository of extensive, inclusive, and exclusive knowledge, information, research, innovation, and trends which will be galaxies beyond what a normal search engine or chatbot can do.

This was welcomed by the industry as nothing less than a giant satellite launch into space. In effect, it wasn’t far from that, as the NamAIste IIHM Hospitality GPT will traverse new horizons, giving closed-user access to information and research that will be unmatched.

Proudly Made in India, Made by Indians, NamAIste is a customized Large Language Model (LLM) specifically engineered for the hospitality sector. It empowers AI-driven learning, decision-making, and innovation—ushering in a new era of hospitality intelligence.

As the creator of NamAIste IIHM Hospitality GPT, Dr. Suborno Bose, Chairman, IIHM, said,

“The industry is ready to accept it. The industry is waiting. It’s a global mind changer. It is not just a tech marvel but a dawn of a new way of thinking and the dawn of reimagining things.”

During his vision address at the grand launch event at IIHM Global Campus—and joined virtually from India and nations across time zones and geographies—Dr. Suborno Bose said,

“It is an engine of innovation, excellence, and a bold announcement that India is at par with the best in the world. The time for India to lead has come — and we have arrived. If the US can have Google, and China can have DeepSeek, India can — and now does — have NamAIste. NamAIste – IIHM HospitalityGPT is designed to empower students, faculty, hospitality professionals, and industry stakeholders with real-time access to insights, trends, and global best practices.”

Entiovi Technologies was the tech partner of the project that developed NamAIste, a customized Large Language Model (LLM) specifically tailored for the hospitality industry—ensuring hospitality-centric AI-powered learning and decision-making. Sanjoy Chatterjee, Director, Entiovi Technologies, an industry-admired name in tech innovation, said during his vision address,

“It all started with an early morning conversation between me and Dr. Bose in February this year. The uniqueness of NamAIste is not technology. The whole platform is built on open-source technology. The uniqueness is creating the knowledge base from 60 countries. Imagine a student in Bengal writing a question about Japanese culinary history and the answer coming from Japanese documents in Bengali.”

When this was demonstrated, the entire audience in Kolkata and those who participated virtually burst into loud applause. Countries across the world also realised the depth and uniqueness of this exclusive knowledge.

Dr. Suborno Bose then went on to underline the significance of this global launch to the country,

“I must congratulate team IIHM and Entiovi Technologies but especially our country India, our Viksit Bharat. This is a true Make in India moment because it shows what we are capable of and this is for the entire hospitality industry which has been a huge supporter of IIHM for 34 years. This is what our mission statement is all about—innovation and creativity. This is another great example of how IIHM comes out of the traditional hospitality education to innovative education backed by AI and tech emergence,” Dr. Bose added.

He added a sensitive human touch to the proceedings when he said,

“AI cannot change the human factor. Our industry is a people industry. It’s for the people. This will always remain an industry of smiles and hospitable character. AI will assist this to ensure that we rise to the customer’s expectations purposefully and work and apply AI in a different way.”

On how this hospitality GPT is for the future, Dr. Bose said,

“It is best for the students and will change the way hospitality education would be taught in the future. It’s made by Indians, for the world. It’s a gift from India to the world of hospitality. We do not teach our students hospitality management. We teach them the business of hospitality. We invest a lot to promote that.”

This was indeed a “Greeted in India” moment. As IIHM campuses across India erupted with joy and elation at the unlocking of limitless possibilities, students, faculty, and faculty members expressed pride in their institution that went beyond preparing students for hospitality, to creating an exclusive launch vehicle for global hospitality excellence. Made right at their home and made for the world.

Key Benefits of NamAIste:

Revolutionizing hospitality education and trainingEnabling smart, data-driven decision-making for industry professionalsProviding instant access to best practices, SOPs, and service innovation strategies

The launch was joined by hospitality educators, iconic chefs, CEOs of hospitality-linked companies, all of whom will be ambassadors taking the world of NamAIste IIHM Hospitality GPT to the world, for the students, innovators, and hospitality captains.

Manish Dayya, General Manager of Sofitel, BKC Mumbai, said elatedly,

“It is a proud moment for India as this tool is made in India and supports the Make in India movement. This tool and technology will support the hospitality industry in India and globally.”

Ishan Sarkar, Chief Business Officer, Indya Foods, commented,

“An evangelist is someone who brings good news. Dr. Suborno Bose is not just an AI evangelist—he is a hospitality evangelist. NamAIste is the best news the hospitality industry has received in the modern era.”

Sabrina Dey, General Manager, ITC Windsor, Bengaluru, said,

“The NamAIste – IIHM Hospitality GPT is truly a gift. Not only to India, but to the global hospitality community. If ‘Tech and Touch’ is the mantra, and integrating AI into hospitality is the goal, then NamAIste is the perfect launch vehicle. In the world of AI, this is nothing short of a space mission—turning the seemingly impossible into reality. Congratulations to Dr. Suborno Bose and the entire IIHM team.”

Every time this first-ever knowledge repository is opened anywhere in the world, the early morning conversation between Suborno Bose and Sanjoy Chatterjee, the visionary and creator, will ring somewhere in the hospitality ecosystem.

This is IIHM’s gift to the global hospitality industry — and to hospitality students everywhere.

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2569189/IIHM_Logo.jpg
Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2695627/IIHM_NamAIste.jpg

Contact: Mr. Sujay Gupta (+919923057937)

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Club Offers Released on May 25, 2025

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NEW YORK, May 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Travelzoo® (NASDAQ: TZOO), the club for travel enthusiasts, announces the release of Club Offers for Club Members.

Rigorously vetted and negotiated for us travel enthusiasts in Germany:

199 €—LUXURY HOTEL IN DAVOS 3 days in one of Switzerland’s most fashionable places, the setting of Thomas Mann’s novel The Magic Mountain. The 5-star hotel is located directly on the promenade. Club members save 47–54 percent compared to the hotel website.

AB 379 €—TUSCANY: 6 DAYS WITH WINE TASTING & 3 COOKING COURSES
Apartments of at least 92 square meters, surrounded by cypresses and vineyards. Club members receive daily breakfast plus a 3-course candlelight dinner.

119 €—4*-HOTEL IN PARIS INCL. SEINE CRUISE, REGULAR 472 € A 2-night stay in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés district, once a meeting place for Sartre and Picasso. Just 15 minutes on foot from the Louvre and including breakfast.

99 €—NEW LUXURY HOTEL IN BUDAPEST, -72%
Located in the middle of the UNESCO-protected old town is this 5-star superior hotel. Condé Nast Traveller magazine lists it as one of the best hotels in Budapest. The “bold design” is particularly highlighted.

139 €—3 DAYS BLACK FOREST WITH HALF BOARD
4-star superior hotel with panoramic views of the countryside. Half board with organic products and access to the spa with thermal pool is included. Club members save 39–66 percent compared to the original price.

FROM 599 €—SWITZERLAND TRIP WITH GLACIER EXPRESS & HOTELS 4-day train journey in 1st class from and to Germany. Including 4-star hotels in Zermatt and St. Moritz as well as a ride on the panoramic train Glacier Express.

Some offers have limited inventory and are subject to availability.

Are you a travel enthusiast? Join the club today: https://travelzoo.com

About Travelzoo
We, Travelzoo®, are the club for travel enthusiasts. We reach 30 million travelers. Club Members receive Club Offers personally reviewed by our deal experts around the globe. We have our finger on the pulse of outstanding travel, entertainment, and lifestyle experiences. We work in partnership with thousands of top travel suppliers—our long-standing relationships give us access to irresistible deals.

Travelzoo is a registered trademark of Travelzoo. All other names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Media Contact:

Mara Zatti 
+49 30 3119 7514
mzatti@travelzoo.com

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SOURCE Travelzoo

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