Former President and Chief Executive Officer of Choice Hotels International Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2013 Worldwide Hospitality Awards

PARIS, Nov. 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Stewart Bainum, former President and Chief Executive Officer of Choice Hotels International, has been chosen by the Advisory Board of the Worldwide Hospitality Awards, an event organized by MKG Group to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award 2013 for his extensive and successful career in the global hospitality industry. Mr. Bainum received this prestigious award which recognizes hoteliers who have created a successful and lasting impact in the industry. Mr. Bainum opened his first hotel in 1957 and quickly grew a small chain into a major international franchise known globally today as Choice Hotels. Through his dynamic leadership and enthusiasm for hospitality, Mr. Bainum has left a lasting impression on the hotel industry.

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In addition to his extensive work as a successful hotelier, Mr. Bainum founded the Commonweal Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides more than $12 million per year to scholarships and educational programs for underserved children and youth.  Mr. Bainum was the recipient of the 2010 Hospitality Heritage Award from the American & Hotel Lodging Association (AH&LA).

"On behalf of everyone at Choice Hotels, we are delighted to learn that our former president and chief executive officer will receive this tremendous honor for his long time commitment to our company. Mr. Bainum is an extraordinary man whose long career in hospitality serves as an inspiration to our community," said Stephen P. Joyce, President and CEO of Choice Hotels International.

The MKG Group has been devoted to promoting the many initiatives of the hospitality industry all around the world through the Worldwide Hospitality Awards for over 14 years. This international competition founded by Georges Panayotis, President and CEO of MKG Group is an opportunity for hotels to highlight their teams' exemplary achievements in communication, marketing, innovation, human resources, social and environmental responsibility, and customer loyalty programs.

About Choice Hotels
Choice Hotels International, Inc. franchises more than 6,300 hotels, representing more than 500,000 rooms, in the United States and more than 30 other countries and territories.  As of September 30, 2013, 371 hotels, representing more than 29,000 rooms, were under construction, awaiting conversion or approved for development in the United States.  Additionally, 84 hotels, representing approximately 7,200 rooms, were under construction, awaiting conversion or approved for development in more than 15 other countries and territories.  The company's Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, MainStay Suites, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel, Econo Lodge and Rodeway Inn brands, as well as its Ascend Hotel Collection membership program, serve guests worldwide. All hotels are independently owned and operated.

Choice Hotels International offers the Choice Privileges® rewards program. With more than 18 million members worldwide, is one of the fastest growing hotel loyalty programs in the travel industry.

Additional corporate information can be found on the Choice Hotels International, Inc. web site, which may be accessed at www.choicehotels.com.

Choice Hotels, Choice Hotels International, Choice Privileges, Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, MainStay Suites, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel, Econo Lodge, Rodeway Inn, Ascend Hotel Collection and SkyTouch Technology are proprietary trademarks and service marks of Choice Hotels International Inc.

About MKG Group
Founded 25 years ago by Georges Panayotis, MKG Group is the leading European marketing firm in Hospitality and other services. Its activities are diversified and conducted through several complementary departments: MKG Hospitality in charge of market studies and market analysis through the largest hotel data base; MKG Qualiting in charge of Quality assessment and hotel classification; Hospitality-ON following the trade actuality, and through the organization of two major trade events: the Global Lodging Forum and the Worldwide Hospitality Awards.

© 2013 Choice Hotels International, Inc.  All rights reserved.