Choice Hotels Owners Council Donates $5,000 to AH&LEF Annual Giving Campaign

press release

CHOICE HOTELS OWNERS COUNCIL DONATES $5,000 TO AH&LEF ANNUAL GIVING CAMPAIGN

Washington, D.C., May 14, 2012 — The Choice Hotels Owners Council (CHOC) has donated $5,000 to the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation’s (AH&LEF) 2012 Annual Giving Campaign, supporting innovative research, scholarship, and workforce development initiatives for the hospitality industry.

CHOC is comprised of more than 3,700 mid-priced properties, including Ascend, Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality Inn, Sleep Inn, Clarion Inn, and Mainstay Suites. This is their third donation at the six-diamond level.

The Annual Giving Campaign is AH&LEF’s yearly key fundraising initiative, supporting its core missions of providing scholarships to hospitality management students, funding important research in areas such as room tax and ADA requirements, as well as promoting hospitality as a career of choice and workforce development initiatives. It is supported solely by donations from industry leaders and companies.

AH&LEF is the not-for-profit affiliate of AH&LA and is funded solely by charitable donations from progressive hospitality leaders and companies within the industry. In 2011, AH&LEF disbursed $886,000 to prepare promising college students for a career in hospitality, to attract and retain talented industry professionals, and to fund valuable research for the industry. Since the Foundation’s inception, more than $15 million has been distributed through its scholarship, education, outreach, and research programs.

"We appreciate the ongoing support of the Choice Hotels Owners Council,” said Joori Jeon, Foundation president/COO. “Donations through AH&LEF’s Annual Giving Campaign are essential to our growth and allow AH&LEF trustees to allocate funds wherever the need is greatest.”

“The Choice Hotels Owners Council believes it is very important for us to take an active role to prepare individuals in the areas of customer service and the hospitality industry,” said Cris Vasquez, CHOC chairman. “Our donation shows the commitment of our brands to furthering the professionalism we offer.”

All AH&LEF contributions are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law. For more information about donating, contact Michelle Poinelli, senior vice president of foundation programs, at (202) 289-3181 or mpoinelli@ahlef.org, or visit www.ahlef.org.

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AH&LEF is the charitable fund-raising and endowed fund-management subsidiary of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. Founded in 1953, AH&LEF is the premier organization for scholarships, professional certification, and instructional material as well as funding for hospitality industry research. For more information, visit www.ahlef.org.

Serving the hospitality industry for nearly a century, AH&LA is the sole national association representing all sectors and stakeholders in the lodging industry, including individual hotel property members, hotel companies, student and faculty members, and industry suppliers. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., AH&LA provides members with national advocacy on Capitol Hill, public relations and image management, education, research and information, and other value-added services to provide bottom line savings and ensure a positive business climate for the lodging industry. Partner state associations provide local representation and additional cost-saving benefits to members.

Choice Hotels Owners Council represents the midscale hotel owners of Choice to include Ascend, Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Clarion, MainStay Suites, Quality & Sleep. The mission of the Council is to represent the Licensees of CHOC through a unified voice, protecting the greater interests of its members by providing ideas, advocacy programs, and services. In business since 1967, the CHOC Headquarters are located in Naples, FL.