Choice Hotels International, Inc, one of the world’s largest hotel companies, announces the appointment of Eben Hewitt to Chief Technology Officer based out of the company’s global technology hub in Phoenix, Arizona. In this role, Hewitt will report directly to the Choice Hotels Chief Information Officer, Todd Davis, and oversee Choice Hotels’ technical vision and lead all aspects of Choice’s technology development in applications, architecture, and data—a pivotal role given the company’s strong emphasis on technology and innovation.

Hewitt already possesses a firsthand understanding of the Choice Hotels technology and business strategies as well as the company culture as a former associate having risen in the ranks to Senior Director of System Architecture. While at Choice Hotels, Hewitt led the team that won the Oracle Corporation Middleware Innovation Award for Architecture, before a brief departure in 2012 to serve as Chief Information Officer for O’Reilly Media, a Silicon Valley innovator. 

“Eben contains all the skills and proven track record as a technology leader and visionary – plus he knows and thrives in the Choice Hotels culture. We couldn’t be more pleased than to bring him back in this vital role,” said Todd Davis , chief information officer of Choice Hotels International. “The role of CTO is critical for our organization, in which technology plays such an essential role in our current and future direction. Eben’s broad experience in all aspects of information technology—including application development, architecture and infrastructure—along with knowing how to apply technology to business development and strategy, enables us to continue to use technology to advance our corporate goals and franchisee and guest experiences, especially as we progress as an industry leader in cloud-based systems and mobile technologies.” 

In addition to leading the design and implementation of technology solutions, as CTO, Hewitt will lead Choice’s culture of creative problem solving. Further, Hewitt will actively evaluate the direction and growth of industry technologies and trends to ensure Choice Hotels is staying ahead of technology developments and leveraging these developments for any potential growth opportunities.

Hewitt will also be responsible for the oversight of the the company’s technical intellectual property, while leading all information systems planning, including all phases of systems architecture and design; programming; installation and ongoing operations; and maintenance. Further, he will oversee architecture and development standards, policies and procedures and ensure adherence to these standards.

Hewitt is the author of several books on software development and technology, including one of the earliest books on big data, Cassandra: The Definitive Guide and he was a contributor to 97 Things Every Software Architect Should Know. He has worked in technology as an architect, software developer, systems administrator, manager, and consultant across many industries including media, retail, government, ISPs, and software startups. He serves on the Advisory Board for Arizona State University’s Computer Information Systems department.