FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Matthew Haller, 202-662-0770
Jenna Weisbord, 202-662-0766
mhaller@franchise.org
jweisbord@franchise.org
NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 25, 2014—Steve Joyce, president & CEO of Choice Hotels International, Inc. in Rockville, Md., assumed chairmanship of the International Franchise Association today during the group’s 54th Annual Convention.
Joyce has been involved in the lodging and franchise industries and the global business community. A long-standing IFA member, Joyce has held many leadership roles, including serving in the leadership chairs since 2011 and a board member since 2001, IFA Educational Foundation Executive Committee first vice chairman (2012-2013) and Franchisor Forum chairman (2003-2010). He has served on multiple IFA committees that provide guidance to the organization, including chairing the Long Range Planning Committee in 2009, as well as chairing the IFA 2014 Convention Committee.
With a career in the lodging industry spanning more than three decades, Joyce has a proven track record of developing and growing some of the best-known hotel brands in markets worldwide, including effectively leveraging the franchise model.
Since taking the helm of Choice Hotels in 2008, Joyce has led the company to significant gains in the company’s market share position, expansion into new markets and the advancement of new brands. The company’s brands include Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, MainStay Suites, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel, Econo Lodge and Rodeway Inn, as well as Ascend Hotel Collection. In his first four years as president & CEO, during one of the most historically challenging environments for the industry, Choice outpaced industry supply growth and increased market share. He also led efforts to improved guest satisfaction results and revenue per available room index over its competitors.
His leadership has furthered enhancements to the company’s marketing strategies, brand awareness and eCommerce initiatives. These include launching the industry’s first global iPhone application and the highest year-over-year growth in the company’s award-winning Choice Privileges rewards program, which surpassed 18 million members.
Joyce has greatly expanded Choice’s industry profile and corporate social responsibility initiatives, including establishing a multi-year signature cause partnership with Rebuilding Together, the nation’s leading nonprofit working to preserve affordable homeownership and revitalize U.S. communities. Since the program’s launch in 2009, Choice associates and franchisees have donated nearly 10,000 volunteer hours and helped communities across the United States by serving nearly 11,000 people.
Prior to joining Choice Hotels, Joyce was executive vice president, global development/owner and franchise services for Marriott International, Inc., where he was responsible for the development of Marriott’s lodging brands worldwide. Under his leadership, Marriott’s global development group successfully grew the company’s hotel brands worldwide including all mixed-use and real estate development. Prior to leading Marriott’s growth efforts, Joyce held positions in franchising, finance and operational consulting.
He is the former chairman of the U.S. Travel Association and is currently the vice chairman of the board of trustees of the ServiceSource Foundation. He also serves as a member of the board of directors for DineEquity, Inc., the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, the Autism Learning Center and the Real Estate Roundtable.
He received the 2010 Community Partner Award from ServiceSource Foundation and was named Maryland Business Gazette’s 2010 Executive of the Year. The Hospitality Division of the UJA-Federation of New York honored him in 2012 for his outstanding professional and philanthropic work. Joyce holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce from the Univ. of Virginia and has done graduate work at Cornell Univ., Wharton Business School and the Aspen Institute.
Click here for the 2014 Board of Directors.
About the International Franchise Association
The International Franchise Association is the world’s oldest and largest organization representing franchising worldwide. Celebrating over 50 years of excellence, education and advocacy, IFA works through its government relations and public policy, media relations and educational programs to protect, enhance and promote franchising. Through its media awareness campaign highlighting the theme, Franchising: Building Local Businesses, One Opportunity at a Time, IFA promotes the economic impact of the more than 825,000 franchise establishments, which support nearly 18 million jobs and $2.1 trillion of economic output for the U.S. economy. IFA members include franchise companies in over 300 different business format categories, individual franchisees and companies that support the industry in marketing, law and business development.