ChoiceBuys.com, the web-based purchasing system launched almost one year ago by worldwide lodging franchisor Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH), now offers detailed purchasing reports, enhanced key word searches and improved graphics, thanks to a new version just deployed.

The primary benefit of the newest version of ChoiceBuys.com is the purchasing reports, which enable franchisees of Comfort, Quality, Clarion, Econo Lodge, Sleep Inn, Rodeway Inn and MainStay Suites brand hotels to monitor purchasing activity for each supplier they use, thus tracking purchasing trends and lowering operating costs. The reports also allow suppliers marketing their products on ChoiceBuys.com to identify fast-sellling items as well as markets that need to be targeted for improved sales.

The site also features a new, enhanced key word search that allows franchisees to find supplies by model number in addition to product name, supplier name and/or service category. And the site’s graphics have been upgraded to feature larger product images and a more user-friendly layout.

“These enhancements to ChoiceBuys.com are a direct result of feedback from the 1,300 hotel properties using the system,” said Brad Douglas, vice president, strategic partnerships at Choice. “The value of the Internet is that it allows for constant adaptation and evolution. ChoiceBuys.com, already lightyears ahead of any other purchasing program in the industry, just got even easier to navigate.”

Since its launch in April 1999, ChoiceBuys.com has revolutionized the purchasing process for Choice franchisees. With over 40 percent of Choice’s domestic system logging on to the site, it has significantly improved franchisees’ ability to identify and purchase products from the industry’s top suppliers. To date, more than 150 of Choice’s endorsed suppliers are represented on the system, offering products from hard goods to linens to toner cartridges.

Mike Mitchell, chief engineer at the Comfort Inn Oceanfront in Virginia Beach, VA, credits ChoiceBuys.com with a recent $500 savings for his hotel. “I was purchasing irons, clock radios, shower heads and hairdryers,” he recounts. “By ordering via ChoiceBuys.com we were able to save nearly $500 off the total purchase versus going through our normal supply channels. The system saves me a lot of time. It allows me to compare prices. And, most of the time, it provides me with the best pricing available.”

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) is the world’s second largest lodging franchisor. Choice franchises over 5000 hotels open or under development in 37 countries under the brand names Comfort, Quality, Clarion, Sleep Inn, Econo Lodge, Rodeway Inn and MainStay Suites. All brands are registered trademarks and service marks of Choice Hotels International.

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