How Consumer Trends Guide Choice Hotels with CMO Noha Abdalla | Short
About Noha Abdalla
Noha Abdalla, Chief Marketing Officer at Choice Hotels International, discussed the company's strategy and consumer trends in two podcast appearances in September and October 2024. Abdalla stated that Choice Hotels' loyalty program, Choice Privileges, has over 63 million members and that the company aims to use data from the program to identify when members may be in the market for travel and make relevant recommendations. She described the company as having been known for midscale and economy hotels but diversifying into upscale and extended stay, including the purchase of Radisson Hotels Americas. Abdalla said Choice Hotels has identified five long-term trends impacting its business: rising wages, remote work, reshoring and rebuilding America, road trips, and retirement. Abdalla noted that a campaign launching January 8, 2025, would feature Keegan-Michael Key as a spokesperson, based on the insight that consumers have different travel needs for different occasions and that Choice Hotels has a brand for each occasion. She also discussed the "crumbling of the cookie" and the power of first-party data as an opportunity for brands to build direct relationships with consumers, and mentioned a partnership with Amazon to help with customer identity. Abdalla said that while economic challenges and inflation exist, travel is an area consumers are not willing to give up, and they are thinking creatively about how to make trips more economical.