AI leader Ali Keshavarz joins Choice Hotels (NYSE: CHH) board
Filing Impact
Filing Sentiment
Form Type
8-K
Rhea-AI Filing Summary
Choice Hotels International has appointed Ali Keshavarz to its Board of Directors, effective June 26, 2026, for a term expiring at the 2027 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. His appointment increases the Board to twelve directors.
Keshavarz is President and Chief Data & Analytics Officer of CVS Health and a key leader in its AI strategy. He previously held senior analytics roles at Aetna and CVS Caremark and spent more than a decade at McKinsey focused on data-driven transformation. As a non-employee director, he will receive compensation consistent with other non-employee directors. The company also notes his advanced academic background and highlights its global franchising footprint of over 7,500 hotels under 22 brands.
Positive
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Negative
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8-K Event Classification
2 items: 5.02, 9.01
2 items
Item 5.02
Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers
Governance
Key personnel changes including departures, elections, or appointments of directors and executive officers.
Item 9.01
Financial Statements and Exhibits
Exhibits
Financial statements, pro forma financial information, and exhibit attachments filed with this report.
Key Figures
Board size after appointment: 12 directors
Director term end: 2027 Annual Meeting
Hotels in system: Over 7,500 hotels
+3 more
6 metrics
Board size after appointment
12 directors
Board size following Ali Keshavarz’s appointment
Director term end
2027 Annual Meeting
Term of Ali Keshavarz as director
Hotels in system
Over 7,500 hotels
Global footprint of Choice Hotels
Rooms in system
More than 650,000 rooms
Scale of franchised rooms worldwide
Brand portfolio
22 brands
Full-service upper upscale to economy properties
Countries and territories
51 countries and territories
Geographic reach of Choice Hotels
Key Terms
non-employee directors, Annual Meeting of Shareholders, Inline XBRL, lodging franchisors, +1 more
5 terms
non-employee directors financial
"As a director, Mr. Keshavarz will receive compensation consistent with that received by the Company’s other non-employee directors"
Non-employee directors are board members who do not work for the company as salaried employees and usually do not hold day-to-day management roles. They act like outside referees or independent coaches, providing oversight, asking tough questions, and protecting shareholders’ interests; investors care because these directors help ensure management is accountable, reduce conflicts of interest, and influence decisions that affect company strategy and long-term value.
Inline XBRL regulatory
"104 Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document)"
Inline XBRL is a file format for financial filings that embeds machine-readable data tags directly inside the human-readable report, so the same document can be read by people and parsed by software. For investors it makes extracting, comparing and verifying financial numbers faster and more reliable—like a grocery list where each item also has a barcode—reducing manual errors and speeding up analysis.
lodging franchisors financial
"one of the world’s leading lodging franchisors, today announced the appointment"
Choice Privileges rewards program financial
"The award-winning Choice Privileges® rewards program and co-brand credit card options provide members with a fast and easy way to earn reward nights"
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
_____________________________________________________
FORM 8-K
_____________________________________________________
CURRENT REPORT
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15 (d)
OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): June 26, 2026
_____________________________________________________
CHOICE HOTELS INTERNATIONAL, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
_____________________________________________________
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) | (Commission File Number) | (IRS Employer Identification Number) | ||||||
| (Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) | |||||||
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code (301 ) 592-5000
_____________________________________________________
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):
| Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) | |||||
| Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) | |||||
| Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) | |||||
| Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) | |||||
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of Each Class | Ticker Symbol(s) | Name of Each Exchange on Which Registered | ||||||||||||
| Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter). | |||||
| Emerging growth company | |||||
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐ | |||||
Item 5.02. Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment
of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers
The Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (the “Company”) appointed Ali Keshavarz as a director of the Company, effective June 26, 2026, for a term expiring at the 2027 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. No determination has been made as to the committee(s) on which Mr. Keshavarz will serve. As a result of Mr. Keshavarz’s appointment, the size of the Board now consists of twelve directors.
Mr. Keshavarz serves as President and Chief Data & Analytics Officer of CVS Health, where he leads enterprise strategy across data and analytics and is a key leader in the organization's AI strategy across the company’s businesses. He previously served as Chief Analytics Officer for Aetna and CVS Caremark, helping build enterprise data and analytics capabilities at scale. Before joining CVS Health, Keshavarz spent more than a decade at McKinsey, where he advised clients on data-driven transformation and co-founded the firm’s healthcare analytics practice.
As a director, Mr. Keshavarz will receive compensation consistent with that received by the Company’s other non-employee directors, as disclosed in the Company’s definitive proxy statement, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 22, 2026, in connection with the Company’s 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.
A copy of the press release regarding this announcement is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 hereto.
Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d) Exhibits.
99.1 Press Release issued by Choice Hotels International, Inc., dated July 1, 2026
104 Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document)
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
| Date: | July 1, 2026 | /s/ Jeff Lobb | ||||||||||||||||||
| Jeff Lobb | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary | ||||||||||||||||||||
Exhibit 99.1
For further information: Mediarelations@choicehotels.com
CHOICE HOTELS INTERNATIONAL APPOINTS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE LEADER
ALI KESHAVARZ TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS
New independent director brings deep expertise in AI and advanced analytics
NORTH BETHESDA, Md., July 1, 2026 — Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH), one of the world’s leading lodging franchisors, today announced the appointment of Ali Keshavarz, President and Chief Data & Analytics Officer of CVS Health, to its Board of Directors.
“Ali is a highly accomplished leader whose experience and expertise in artificial intelligence will further strengthen our Board as we advance Choice Hotels International’s long-term growth strategy and continue creating value for our franchise owners, guests, and shareholders,” said Stewart Bainum Jr., chairman of the Choice Hotels International Board of Directors.
“Ali offers a proven track record of leading enterprise data, analytics, and AI transformation at scale,” added Dominic Dragisich, interim chief executive officer, Choice Hotels International. “We look forward to benefiting from his unique perspective as we continue to drive growth, improve unit economics for our hotel owners, and leverage the power of AI across the business.”
Keshavarz serves as Chief Data & Analytics Officer of CVS Health, where he leads enterprise strategy across data and analytics and is a key leader in the organization’s AI strategy across the company’s businesses. He previously served as Chief Analytics Officer for Aetna and CVS Caremark, helping build enterprise data and analytics capabilities at scale. Before joining CVS Health, Keshavarz spent more than a decade at McKinsey, where he advised clients on data-driven transformation and co-founded the firm’s healthcare analytics practice. He holds an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School and a B.A. in mathematics and economics from Northwestern University.
About Choice Hotels® Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH), is one of the largest lodging franchisors in the world, with over 7,500 hotels, representing more than 650,000 rooms, in 51 countries and territories. A wide-ranging portfolio of 22 brands that includes full-service upper upscale, midscale, extended stay, and economy properties enables Choice® to meet travelers' needs in more places and for more occasions while driving more value for franchise owners and shareholders. The award-winning Choice Privileges® rewards program and co-brand credit card options provide members with a fast and easy way to earn reward nights and personalized perks. For more information, visit www.choicehotels.com.
© 2026 Choice Hotels International, Inc. All Rights Reserved
FAQ
What did Choice Hotels (CHH) announce in this 8-K filing?
Choice Hotels announced the appointment of Ali Keshavarz to its Board of Directors. His term is effective June 26, 2026 and runs until the 2027 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, increasing the company’s Board size to twelve members and adding advanced AI and analytics expertise.
Who is Ali Keshavarz, the new Choice Hotels (CHH) director?
Ali Keshavarz is President and Chief Data & Analytics Officer of CVS Health. He leads enterprise data and analytics strategy, previously served as Chief Analytics Officer for Aetna and CVS Caremark, and spent over a decade at McKinsey advising on data-driven transformation and healthcare analytics.
When does Ali Keshavarz’s term on the Choice Hotels (CHH) board end?
Ali Keshavarz’s term on the Choice Hotels board expires at the 2027 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. He joined the Board effective June 26, 2026, filling a non-employee director seat and bringing specialized experience in artificial intelligence and large-scale analytics initiatives.
How does Ali Keshavarz’s appointment change the Choice Hotels (CHH) board?
With Ali Keshavarz’s appointment, the Choice Hotels Board now consists of twelve directors. He joins as a new independent, non-employee director and will receive compensation consistent with other non-employee directors, with specific committee assignments to be determined by the Board later.
What scale of business does Choice Hotels (CHH) operate globally?
Choice Hotels operates over 7,500 hotels with more than 650,000 rooms across 51 countries and territories. Its portfolio spans 22 brands, covering upper upscale, midscale, extended-stay, and economy segments, all operated under a global lodging franchisor model serving both travelers and franchise owners.