ROCKVILLE, MD—Choice Hotels International Inc. has named three new regional VPs—Odette Brown, Glenn Gordon and Gary Mills—to advance the company’s corporate priorities and drive growth.
Brown has been promoted to regional VP (RVP) of franchise services, overseeing the mid-southern U.S. region. In this role, she will join an RVP team that spans the country, leading assigned area directors, regional area directors and area managers. Together, these teams will work to optimize hotel portfolio support strategies while helping drive hotel owner profitability, market share growth and other performance metrics, according to the company. Brown will help support brand-related franchisee owner council and franchisee lifecycle support activities, and will also serve as departmental liaison, assisting with and leading internal stakeholders to support the franchise services hospitality vision and prioritize the needs of Choice owners. Brown joined the company in 2014 as an area director and was elevated to regional area director in 2018. Prior to that, she was an area general manager and general manager for several hotels for nearly 10 years.
Gordon is returning to Choice in the new role of RVP of franchise sales development for the Ascend Hotel Collection brand. In this new position, he will lead the growth of the brand’s footprint in the southeast U.S. and the Caribbean, sourcing new projects and securing new franchise agreements. Gordon brings more than 15 years of franchising experience to Choice, including his prior work for the company’s franchise sales development team as well as roles with Value Place, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts and StayAPT Suites.
Mills joins Choice as RVP of franchise sales development for the Cambria Hotels brand. In this role, he will lead the growth of the brand’s footprint in Texas and the mid-central region, sourcing new projects and securing new franchise agreements. With more than 40 years in the hotel industry, Mills joined Choice after serving as VP of real estate at NewcrestImage LLC, where he helped double the size of the company. Throughout his career, he also worked at Hilton Hotels Corporation, assisting with the launch of the Hilton Garden Inn brand as well as Dream Hotel Group and the Doubletree Hotels Corporation.
