Choice Hotels Teams Up With Yelp, Travel Channel, Food Network and HGTV to Help Travelers Plan Summer Vacations

ROCKVILLE, Md., May 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Choice Hotels International (NYSE: CHH) announced today that it has teamed up with Yelp, Travel Channel, Food Network and HGTV to launch its Official Hotel of Summer campaign to help travelers plan fun-filled summer vacations. The new campaign provides travelers with a summer road trip guide for planning the ultimate summer road trip and a series of video vignettes that share advice to help stretch budgets farther this summer. The campaign shares tips like the top 10 museums to see for free, one-tank road trip wonders, scenic vistas for less, budget-friendly food stops and grilling on the road, which highlights the best BBQ road trips, all to help travelers plan their next summer vacation. 

This innovative program helps travelers plan fun and affordable summer road trips across America. The innovative online road trip guide runs now through the end of the summer. Targeting people who travel by car versus by air, the guide is packed with useful information on Choice Hotels properties as well as on restaurants, shopping, attractions, recreation and more. This handy new platform lets travelers consult Yelp's trusted reviews to plan and share their own road trips or choose from 75 recommended itineraries from 25 top American cities.

Addressing the proverbial backseat "are we there yet" refrain, the Choice Hotels Official Hotel Of Summer Road Trip Guide offers scores of options to make getting there fun. Users can map out great trips with insider tips on best stops for ice cream, mini golf, quick swims, and more. Travelers can select Choice Hotels properties close to "Yelpers'" top picks for amusement parks, water parks, beaches, festivals and scenic drives, as well as preferred spots for snorkeling, mountain biking, hiking, zip lining, antiquing, and so much more. Additionally, weekly sweepstakes winners will receive Choice Hotels gift cards, and a grand prize winner will get a weeklong road trip with an $875 hotel gift card good at Choice Hotels U.S. properties as well as a car rental, camera and more.*

The fun-fueled Road Trip Guide is part of the Choice Hotels Official Hotel Of Summer integrated marketing campaign and runs all summer. This campaign also includes sponsorships on national television as well as useful travel tips and contests on leading cable television networks' blogs and online content hubs.

Starting June 3, Choice Hotels will be sponsoring tips on how to travel for less at www.travelchannel.com/smarttravel. These 30-second video vignettes featuring Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Sleep Inn, Quality, and Econo Lodge will share advice to help travelers and their budgets go farther this summer.

Other Choice Hotels online sponsorships add to the focus on full-throttle summer travel fun. Among these initiatives, Food Network's "Grilling On The Road" series debuts online in June, highlighting favorite grilling and barbeque road trips with recipes from popular restaurants along the way. Starting in July, HGTV's Design Happens blog, as well as several other top shelter bloggers, will offer Choice Hotels-sponsored tips on such topics as getting a better night's rest at home and on the road and family travel for less.

Choice Hotels has more than 5,000 hotels throughout the United States and boasts the Choice Privileges® guest loyalty program – with more than 17 million members worldwide. As of Q1 2013, Yelp had a monthly average of 102 million unique visitors and 39 million reviews. Yelp's mobile application is available on was used on approximately 10 million unique mobile devices on a monthly average basis during Q1 2013.

To jumpstart your summer road trip fun, visit http://www.yelp.com/summerroadtripguide/.

*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Restrictions apply. Void where prohibited by law. 18 years of age or older as of 5/8/2013. Prize restrictions apply. Click here for OFFICIAL RULES AND PRIVACY POLICY. Official Rules: http://summerroadtripguide.visualmax.com/officialrules

About Choice Hotels

Choice Hotels International, Inc. franchises over 6,200 hotels, representing more than 500,000 rooms, in the United States and more than 30 other countries and territories.  As of March 31, 2013, 395 hotels, representing more than 30,000 rooms, were under construction, awaiting conversion or approved for development in the United States.  Additionally, 81 hotels, representing approximately 7,000 rooms, were under construction, awaiting conversion or approved for development in more than 20 other countries and territories.  The company's Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, MainStay Suites, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel, Econo Lodge and Rodeway Inn brands, as well as its Ascend Hotel Collection membership program, serve guests worldwide.

Choice Hotels International offers the Choice Privileges^® rewards program. With over 17 million members worldwide, it is one of the fastest growing loyalty programs in the travel industry.

SkyTouch Technology is an initiative of Choice Hotels International, Inc. that develops and markets cloud-based technology products to help industry-wide hoteliers improve their efficiency and profitability.

Additional corporate information can be found on the Choice Hotels International, Inc. web site, which may be accessed at www.choicehotels.com.

Choice Hotels, Choice Hotels International, Choice Privileges, Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, MainStay Suites, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel, Econo Lodge, Rodeway Inn, Ascend Hotel Collection and SkyTouch Technologyare proprietary trademarks and service marks of Choice Hotels International.

© 2013 Choice Hotels International, Inc.  All rights reserved.

SOURCE Choice Hotels International