Choice Hotels International has promoted Judd Wadholm to senior vice president and general manager, core brands. A nearly 17-year veteran of Choice Hotels International and Radisson Americas, Wadholm is now charged with driving the growth and performance of the company's nine upper-midscale, midscale and economy brands in the U.S. market. As of the end of 2023, this portfolio consists of 5,500 hotels. Most recently, Wadholm was VP, managed hotels Americas.
"Even as we up the game in upscale and extend our lead in extended stay, Choice is as committed as ever to growing and improving the performance of our great core brands," Chief Segment and International Operations Officer Raul Ramirez said in a statement. "Judd has a proven ability to develop strong relationships with hotel owners and operators while driving hotel revenue, profitability, and guest satisfaction, and I'm confident he'll help lead our core portfolio to the next level."
Choice's core brand portfolio includes the Comfort, Country Inn & Suites, Sleep Inn, Quality Inn, Clarion, Clarion Pointe, Park Inn by Radisson, Econo Lodge and Rodeway Inn brands. Recent highlights include:
- In March, Sleep Inn unveiled newly redesigned guestrooms and common areas as part of its Scenic Dreams prototype, which was found in consumer testing to increase guests' likelihood to stay.
- In December 2023, Country Inn & Suites awarded 10 new franchise agreements, pushing the total number of agreements in 2023 to 19, the most for the brand in a single year since 2016.
- Comfort opened 33 new hotels in 2023, the most in a single year since 2019, including the first new-construction Rise & Shine prototype Comfort hotel in Mountain Grove, Missouri.
- Quality Inn opened 35 new hotels and awarded an impressive 64 franchise agreements in 2023.
"We call these brands our core for a reason," Wadholm said. "It's because they are central to what Choice does and to the tremendous value we offer hotel franchisees and guests alike. Our core is strong, and I can't wait to get to work with our talented team and experienced hotel owners to drive performance and grow our Core Brands portfolio."
Wadholm joined Choice in 2022 and previously held leadership roles in operations, owner relations, and finance with Radisson Americas and its predecessors.