Choice Hotels CMO talks travel ‘maximizing’ in new global ad campaign
Actor Keegan-Michael Key stars in Choice Hotels International's 2025 global marketing campaign, which features its upscale Cambria Hotels brand. ·Hotel Dive·Courtesy of Choice Hotels International
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On Tuesday, Choice Hotels International launched its 2025 global marketing campaign aimed at “maximizing” the guest experience and building brand recognition and loyalty across its 22-flag portfolio.
Actor and writer Keegan-Michael Key returns for the second consecutive year to star in the “Check Into More” campaign, acting as the “Vacation Maximization-er,” who helps guide travelers in making the most of their trips with Choice Hotels.
Leveraging fresh consumer insights, the campaign caters to travelers’ increasing demand for unique experiences and getting more value for their money. Several ad spots are tailored to the upscale segment, where Choice is currently strategically targeting growth.
Ahead of the campaign’s launch, Choice Hotels Chief Marketing Officer Noha Abdalla sat down with Hotel Dive to discuss what informed the latest marketing push and how it fits into Choice’s larger strategy to drive loyalty and direct bookings.
New year, new campaign
Developed in collaboration with Key and creative agency 72andSunny New York, Choice’s 2025 global marketing campaign includes six 30- and 15-second spots that will run across TV and digital channels through the end of the year.
The campaign is “anchored in a video-first approach across connected TV, online video and social,” according to Choice. It will also “engage unique audiences” through podcasts, trending content and Key’s social media channels, the company detailed in a Tuesday release. Additionally, ads will be shared on platforms like Hulu, Disney, Peacock and Amazon, through extended partnerships with Choice.
The video ads showcase four of the hotel company’s brands: the upscale Radisson and Cambria brands and the midscale Quality Inn and Comfort flags. Through Key’s “signature comedic style,” the campaign highlights how guests — who have diverse needs while traveling — can maximize their stays and get the best value for their money across Choice’s “versatile” portfolio of brands, according to the company.
For example, one of the campaign spots showcases how both Radisson — offering modern rooms with adaptive work areas and spacious meeting spaces — and Cambria, which centers locally inspired design and amenities spaces, can accommodate the same guest.
In the 30-second ad, Key assists a millennial business traveler staying at a Radisson hotel to “maximize” her out-of-office email response. The message he devises details her excitement to visit the rooftop bar at a nearby Cambria for some much-needed fun after a productive and successful business-oriented stay at the Radisson.
The ad is a “perfect example of how we’ve taken the [bleisure] travel trend and brought it to life in one of our spots,” Abdalla told Hotel Dive.
Marketing to a changing audience
The 2025 campaign was informed by several ongoing travel trends, including an increase in bleisure travel, when consumers tack on days to a business trip for leisure purposes. Hospitality leaders told Hotel Dive earlier this month that bleisure travel will continue to gain momentum this year.
The campaign also highlights the rise in multigenerational travel, Abdalla noted. In addition to targeting business travelers and young professionals, Choice’s 2025 media strategy — developed in partnership with London-based Dentsu X — aims to connect with families.
In the Quality Inn ad, for example, Choice spotlights a family traveling to visit a national park and fueling up for breakfast together at the hotel ahead of that experience, with the hotel helping to “maximize” their vacation, Abdalla shared. With the campaign, Choice has “leaned into this idea that people have prioritized experiences when they travel,” she added.
The campaign was developed around the insight that 95% of U.S. travelers want to spend part of their trips on new and unique experiences, which can range from “culinary [experiences] to concerts to sports,” according to Abdalla.
“Over the last few years, we’ve seen a significant cultural shift in people booking travel based on what they want to experience, not just where they want to go,” she said in a statement.
“We really want consumers to think about Choice Hotels as the place where they can stay when they’re looking to get the most value for their money, so that they can go experience all those amazing things on their trips,” Abdalla told Hotel Dive.
The campaign’s focus on travel maximization is what sets it apart from Choice’s 2024 marketing campaign, which aimed to change the perception around Choice Hotels’ segmentation.
This year, while Choice “still wants to get across the differentiation between our upscale hotels and our midscale hotels” it “also really wants to lean into this idea that we’re a good value for your money,” Abdalla said.
Choice competitor Hilton predicted in its annual trends report that “travel maximizers” will be this year’s leading trend, with hotel guests seeking “high-impact” experiences that make the most of the time and money they spend on vacation.
When it comes to upscale travelers, particularly, their “needs aren’t changing that much — it’s more so that they want to make sure they’re getting what they paid for, and then some,” Abdalla said.
Choice eyes upscale growth
Choice has made a concerted effort over the last year to target upscale business — a push that will continue in 2025. Beyond spending on marketing, the hotel company is planning brand upgrades across its upscale portfolio this year.
Earlier this month, the hotel company announced updated visual identities, including logos, for its upscale Radisson, Radisson Blu and Radisson Individuals brands. Simultaneously, the company’s vice president of upscale brands, Megan Brumagim, told Hotel Dive that Choice is “considering ways to elevate and make more flexible” both the grab-and-go and traditional restaurant experiences at Radisson hotels.
“We just relaunched the Radisson logo and announced some new on-site benefits that consumers will be able to experience, [and] ‘Check Into More’ really brings that to life a little bit,” Abdalla said. “[The campaign] allows us to tell a story to the upscale guests — to say, ‘When staying at a Radisson or a Cambria, you’re getting more than what you pay for.’ Even the upscale traveler wants to know that they’re getting a good value.”
The company is looking to grow loyalty in both the upscale and midscale segments, Abdalla noted. Currently, the Choice Privileges rewards program has roughly 68 million members globally, but that number lags behind other hotel companies like Marriott and Hilton.
This year’s marketing campaign will be a good way to drive growth in loyalty and bookings, Abdalla said, nodding to the success of the 2024 campaign. As a result of last year’s campaign, Choice has experienced 76% higher brand favorability, she shared.
