Rockville, Maryland – 15 July 2017 –
Choice Hotels announced that its Board of Directors appointed Patrick Pacious as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective January 1, 2018. Pacious currently serves as President and Chief Operating Officer, and will succeed Chief Executive Officer Stephen Joyce. Joyce will continue in his role as CEO through the end of the year, after which he will assume the role of Vice Chairman of the Board. Pacious is expected to join the Board of Directors in September.
The appointment of Pacious as President and CEO is the culmination of a thoughtful, deliberate, long-term succession planning process, focused on maintaining leadership continuity, while driving new ideas that result in continued positive business growth now and into the future. Over the past several years, Joyce has collaborated with the Board of Directors to identify and prepare his successor. The Board and Joyce identified Pacious as the right person to lead Choice into the future.
Pacious joined Choice in 2005 and has created significant value for shareholders and franchisees. Under Pacious’ direction, Choice built industry-leading global technology platforms that resulted in improved profitability and efficiencies for the company’s franchised hotel owners. He has led strategies and innovative growth initiatives around brand, marketing, development, franchise services, revenue management and performance analytics. This includes the company’s significant growth in the upscale segment with both Cambria Hotels and The Ascend Hotel Collection, as well as the successful transformation of the Comfort Brand. During his successful tenure at Choice Hotels, Pacious has held roles of increasing responsibility, was appointed Chief Operating Officer in January 2014 and additionally became President in May 2016. Previously, he held senior management consulting positions with BearingPoint and Arthur Andersen, during which time he was engaged on several projects for Choice, and is a former U.S. Navy officer.