It was great to see so many of you at the Owners Investment Conference.

I have had the pleasure of speaking with many of you regarding the educational content, the motivational message of Alex Sheen, the Human Trafficking certification and you gave us great feedback and accolades. And for that, I thank you but.............

Each of you ARE the reason for the success of the conference and the success of CHOC.

We started 2020 as winners together and will continue winning throughout the year!!

I believe that we are winners every day, multiple times a day. Imagine how successful we would all be if that became our mantra. Imagine the change in attitude if that became your mindset. Imagine the change in the attitudes of your team members if you treat them as if they are winners every day.

OIC was a terrific opportunity to begin the year networking with your peers, connecting with new owners, and celebrating how you will take the lessons learned over our two days together to maximize your success, the success of your team, and continue to reach new heights that will ultimately make an impact on your ROI!

I strongly encourage you to continue to take advantage of all that CHOC provides by attending your regional town hall meetings, reaching out to your regional leadership and checking the CHOC site for updates.

I look forward to seeing you this year as I attend your town halls, at the CHOC business session in New Orleans and at the Fall Regionals. Please share stories of your hotel and your team's success with me throughout the year. I want to celebrate your successes and your winning with you!!!

Please make sure that we have your current contact information to ensure that you receive all the information sent to you..... and that you send to me.

Finally, remember to take that extra minute to positively impact someone's day and let them know they are winners!!.

Cassandra

Like many of you, I am deeply saddened and concerned by the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in our country and our world. I know this pandemic is having a significant impact on all of our businesses and in these uncertain times, I wanted to reach out to you personally and share what CHOC is doing to support you. As an industry, we are all in this together and in these challenging times, the power of hospitality and unity is needed most of all.

We have been in constant communication with Choice senior leadership during this difficult time. We have also solicited feedback from your CHOC Regional Directors on how we can mitigate our risk of operations and shared this feedback with Choice Hotels. The feedback I have received and shared centered around cleanliness, continental breakfast, reservation cancellation policies, LRA inspections, PIP deadlines, brand initiatives, and royalties. Choice has issued a communication that has taken our feedback into consideration. I suggest you review it carefully as it includes brand standards relaxations and temporary operational changes. I also assure you that CHOC continues to have engagement with Choice senior leadership to address other franchisee concerns during this dynamic situation.

While these are unsettling times, as proactive business owners we can take steps to help us to mitigate the risk. I am suggesting the following:

Immediately reaching out to your lender and making sure of the following: Your file is updated; Sharing with your lender information showing revenue declines/reservation cancellations; Asking your lender the process involved for a request for a rate reduction, interest-only and/or forbearance so that you can start preparing from now.

You should also reach out to your liability insurance company on any coverage you might have due to the loss of business. In addition, you should also request that your liability insurance, workers’ compensation, and employment practices and liability insurance providers to provide education on safety, sanitation, and proper hygiene along with all applicable laws.

Your chemical provider is also a resource for you. They can provide you and your team with training on proper chemical usage so that your hotel is staying properly disinfected.

Choice Hotels, AH&LA, AAHOA, and IFA are all sending emails and/or conducting webinars on topics ranging from the economic impact of the virus to safety, sanitation, and proper hygiene along with applicable EEOC and OSHA regulations relevant to this issue.

ChoiceCentral home page has all the information you need on Choice’s enhanced reservation cancellation policy. Review your reporting on ChoiceAdvantage so that you are seeing your reservation cancellations and adjusting your room rates and staffing accordingly. Specifically, your reservation activity and cancellation list reports will provide you with room cancellations.

Your local tourism development council can also be a resource for you in terms of future groups and/or groups needing rooms resulting from displacement due to the virus. Hotels in college towns should contact their college/university and set up a locally negotiated rate for college students displaced due to school closures. Thinking outside of the box for new revenue streams will be invaluable to mitigate your losses. You also need to reach out to your local, state and federal elected officials. Some communities are considering a short-term refund of bed taxes to impacted hotels.

I would encourage you also to utilize the cdc.gov website as a resource on the virus. The CDC also has guidance on employee risk assessment.

Cross-training your personnel to account for potential absenteeism resulting from sickness and/or school closures. Plan in advance and anticipate supply chain disruptions when ordering items.

I have also set up a link to assist you with reaching out on issues, questions, concerns and best practices you might have - COVID-19 CHOC Support Link - http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07egyz7lpsk7s7p8u9/a016fk87pb31n/questions

CHOC is committed to keeping you informed through this rapidly changing situation and please know we are committed to standing with you. In everything we do, we’re guided by our mission and our purpose: To represent you through a unified voice protecting the greater interests of its members by providing ideas, advocacy programs, and services – in other words, To be Your Voice.

In these types of challenging times, it is important to remember that we are all in this together. Our united voice as an industry and franchisee will undoubtedly resonate more and help us better navigate through these uncertain times.

Sincerely,

Sam Patel Chairman Choice Hotels Owners Council