Area Manager, Franchise

The Area Manager serves as a trusted advisor to a portfolio of hotel owners across the central United States, with primary support for Econo Lodge and Rodeway Inn properties. The role analyzes hotel performance, identifies opportunities, and provides on-site and virtual consultations intended to improve guest satisfaction, revenue, and profitability. The Area Manager connects owners with operational, sales, revenue, training, and execution resources across Choice Hotels.

This individual contributor collaborates with Area Managers, Area Directors, and cross-functional partners while maintaining direct relationships with hotel owners. Success requires hotel operations knowledge, analytical judgment, consultative communication, relationship building, and effective management of a remote portfolio.

• Analyze hotel performance and workflow data from internal and external sources to identify the most significant opportunities to improve performance across the assigned portfolio.
• Deliver effective and consistent on-site and virtual consultations using appropriate tools, resources, and performance insights.
• Advise owners on strategies designed to improve guest satisfaction, top-line revenue, profitability, and portfolio growth.
• Develop consultation action plans and provide timely post-consultation follow-up correspondence.
• Maintain accurate property, ownership, consultation, and management records in Salesforce.
• Monitor consultation effectiveness through regional vice president feedback, Owner Engagement Index surveys, and stakeholder adoption of recommended actions.
• Maintain current knowledge of Choice programs, franchise requirements, operating practices, market trends, and industry conditions.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams and connect owners with resources addressing operational, sales, revenue, training, and execution needs.
• Communicate unusual property-performance trends, ownership-engagement concerns, and relevant competitive intelligence to the Director, Franchise Performance & Activation.
• Support franchise growth by partnering with regional vice presidents of franchise sales to identify franchise opportunities and develop leads.
• Participate in franchise association activities, communications, and relevant corporate initiatives.
• Gather and share industry intelligence, market trends, risks, opportunities, and effective practices with franchisees, peers, and corporate partners.
• Apply Choice cultural values and performance principles in interactions with franchisees, colleagues, and internal stakeholders.
• Communicate effectively through virtual meetings, telephone, email, and text while independently managing portfolio and project priorities.

• At least five years of hotel-level leadership experience or other relevant related experience.
• Demonstrated experience analyzing performance information and using findings to improve hotel operations or business results.
• Experience consulting with, training, or influencing hotel owners, operators, or comparable business stakeholders.
• Demonstrated record of supporting hotel-performance improvement.
• Experience balancing portfolio responsibilities, deadlines, and concurrent project-support requests.

• Working knowledge of hotel operations, guest-service diagnostics, action planning, property systems, sales and marketing, and profit-and-loss statements.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.
• Ability to use Salesforce for property, ownership, and consultation documentation.
• Ability to interpret performance and workflow information using systems and sources that may include STR, GIS/Medallia, Cvent, Workday, Concur, Zoom, Tableau, Profitability Benchmarking/Hot Stats, Okta/MFA, Business Intelligence, and related corporate reporting systems.
• Ability to communicate through virtual meetings, telephone, email, and text.

• Strong analytical judgment and data-management ability.
• Excellent written, verbal, consultative, and results-focused communication.
• Strong relationship-building, listening, training, consulting, influencing, and persuasion skills.
• Effective organization, time management, accountability, and follow-through.
• Self-directed approach with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver results in a remote-work environment.

• Associate or bachelor’s degree in a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant work…