The first hotel company to introduce a global iPhone app, Choice Hotels International, has launched a new iPad app.

The company has also made upgrades to its existing iPhone and Android apps, making Choice Hotels readily accessible to millions of travellers around the globe.

“Choice Hotels continues to be a leader in the emerging channels of hospitality e-commerce and through our various apps we’re able to reach the growing segment of consumers who are booking their travel on mobile devices,” said Kelly Poling, vice president of distribution strategy and e-commerce for Choice Hotels.

“Launching our iPad app is another logical extension of our distribution strategy, which puts the power of our 6,000-plus hotels in the hands of our growing mobile and tablet customer base.”

The company’s new iPad and existing iPhone and Android apps are free to download for all consumers and enable them to book rooms anytime, anywhere, using the most popular wireless devices available on the market.

This translates to a win-win situation for both consumers and for Choice Hotels, putting the company’s franchised hotels at guests’ fingertips.

There is no sign of slowing for the emerging trend of mobile travel purchasing—mobile revenue for Choice was up more than 250 percent year-over-year in 2011.

“In this super-connected world, booking options for consumers have grown while the booking time window of consumers has gotten smaller,” said Christopher Brya, director of mobile and emerging channels for Choice Hotels.

“Our customers have embraced the mobile platform and it’s our job to extend the reach of Choice Hotels into those channels as they grow and evolve, when and how our guests need us.”

When introduced in 2009, the Choice Hotels Locator app was the first global iPhone app for the hotel industry.

The company recently celebrated the one-millionth download of that app in September 2011, which generates thousands of reservations every month and is used by more than 1,500 consumers on a daily basis.