Joyce CHOICE HOTELS

Silver Spring, MD.—With 25 years at Marriott International under his belt, Steve Joyce is ready to graduate to his next job, as president and c.e.o. of Choice Hotels International. The succession plan calls for Joyce to join the company as president and c.o.o. effective May 1, then succeed Charles Ledsinger, current president and c.e.o., in October by taking over c.e.o. duties.

Choice's board of directors detailed this management succession plan in late March, and the gradual passing of the baton is just fine with the new leader.

Ledsinger CHOICE HOTELS

"I've known Chuck for quite some time, I've been watching him and the company over the last nine or 10 years and I've been incredibly impressed," Joyce said.

Ledsinger, who has led choice for 10 years, will remain on the company's board of directors following his transition out of the c.e.o. role in October.

Haase CHOICE HOTELS

This long-term succession plan, which also includes the promotion of Bruce Haase to executive v.p., global brand operations, is intended to support Choice during its next growth phase, according to the company.

What that means, exactly, is still too early to tell, but Joyce has plenty of ideas.

Choice by the numbers

His goals for franchising success and global growth are directly related to his experience. His most recent role at Marriott was as executive v.p., global development/owner and franchise services.

"Choice has some very interesting global growth going on now," he said. "They have a number of partnerships and programs working. I'm hoping to bring in my expertise from Marriott to accelerate that."

At the end of 2007, the company had 89 hotels comprising 8,640 guestrooms under development in more than 15 countries outside of the United States.

Choice franchises all of its properties, so franchisee/franchisor relationships are vital to any corporate growth initiatives. Joyce said his Marriott experience will serve him well in the franchise arena as well.

"It was a transition for Marriott to move to a platform with franchisees and owners to where they were integrated into the decision making and felt it was a collaborative process," he said. "I've seen that as beneficial. What you get is a nice blend of where the brands should go. It appears to me that Chuck and his team have established a similar approach."

Brand segmentation and differentiation is another area of focus for Joyce. It's a strength he sees in the company already.

"Taking [the strength of the Choice platform] and trying to accelerate growth is the biggest challenge that all hotel companies have," Joyce said. "Choice in particular is well-positioned to take off on the growth it's been having over the last several years. There is potential for the brands it has, and potential for other ones."

With four properties open and 65 under development, the Cambria Suites brand will continue to be a hot one for Choice, Joyce said. It's a brand developers already ask him about frequently.

"Cambria's going to be an opportunity for accelerated growth, but I see growth [for other brands, too]," he said. "MainStay Suites is a strong brand. Sleep Inn has a lot of potential. Comfort Inn and Comfort Suites is one of the main programs [for Choice] and I know the company is working on continuing to make that brand strong and relevant. Comfort has interesting international potential."

In the short term, Joyce said he looks forward to building on growth. "I want to translate the skills I developed at Marriott into Choice's platform, to help it grow and get to the next level," he said.

"Choice has a reputation for having a great set of leaders focusing on the business," Joyce said. "I'm here to continue executing what's there, then add to it. This is not a turnaround; this is a really successful platform."