Choice Hotels Takes AI Beyond Chatbots Into Hotel Operations

Choice Hotels International introduced four AI-powered tools at its annual convention in Las Vegas.

The new products are Choice Hotels Business Direct, EasyBid, CHARLIE, and RAISE. They are designed to help franchise owners improve sales, pricing, staff support, and daily hotel operations.

The launch shows that Choice is moving AI beyond simple guest-service chatbots. The company wants AI to work inside the systems hotels already use, including booking, group sales, property operations, and rate management.

The strategy is focused on franchisee performance

Choice is one of the world’s largest lodging franchisors, so most of its hotels are owned and operated by franchisees. That makes technology adoption especially important.

The timing also fits Choice’s growth plans. In the first quarter of 2026, the company reported $340.6 million in revenue and $125.7 million in adjusted EBITDA. Its global room count grew 1.7 percent year over year, and its pipeline exceeded 77,700 rooms as of March 31, 2026.

CHARLIE gives hotel teams faster answers

CHARLIE is an AI-powered virtual assistant for hotel employees. It works as a digital coach inside Choice’s operating platforms. Staff can ask questions in normal language, such as how to handle a guest charge or check how many rooms are out of service. The goal is to help employees find answers faster without searching through manuals or waiting for another team member.

EasyBid and Business Direct target business demand

EasyBid is built for group RFPs, which are requests from companies, event planners, sports teams, or other buyers looking for hotel rooms. The tool helps hotels manage those requests in one place and respond faster. EasyBid Plus can allow Choice to respond on behalf of owners at no extra cost, while owners keep oversight.

Choice Hotels Business Direct focuses on small and medium-sized companies. These businesses often book work trips but may not have formal travel programs like large corporations. The platform lets them book directly on ChoiceHotels.com, set travel rules, track travel activity, and access benefits. For hotels, the goal is to capture more direct business travel, especially during the week, when leisure demand is usually softer.

RAISE brings AI into pricing decisions

RAISE is a rate-management tool for owners. It is designed to help hotels manage room rates and inventory with less manual work.

For smaller properties, this can be difficult without a dedicated revenue manager. RAISE is meant to surface useful information faster, so owners can make better pricing decisions. It does not remove the need for human judgment, but it can help hotels react more quickly when market conditions change.

Choice is building a wider AI system

In April 2026, Choice said it was expanding AI across its enterprise with Amazon Web Services and using AgentCore to support AI agents that can retrieve trusted information and automate workflows. The company said the technology will support guest discovery, bookings, franchise operations, distribution, pricing, and inventory.

Choice’s AI rollout also fits a wider hotel technology shift. Wyndham launched a native hotel search app inside ChatGPT, showing how major hotel groups are trying to meet travelers earlier in the booking journey and keep more demand within their own direct channels.

Photo by Albert Vincent Wu on Unsplash