Choice Hotels International (CHH -0.20%), a global lodging franchisor behind brands such as Comfort, Quality Inn, and WoodSpring Suites, recently unveiled its second quarter 2025 results on August 6, 2025. The company reported adjusted (non-GAAP) earnings per share (EPS) of $1.92, surpassing analysts’ estimates of $1.90. Adjusted EBITDA rose modestly to a quarterly record. However, revenue (GAAP) fell short of projections at $426 million versus the $429.84 million consensus estimate. Management revised full-year 2025 guidance downward for net income and diluted EPS (GAAP), reflecting cooling domestic lodging trends. The quarter displayed robust margin and cost discipline but spotlighted ongoing headwinds affecting revenues and domestic demand.
| Metric | Q2 2025 | Q2 2025 Estimate | Q2 2024 | Y/Y Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EPS (Adjusted, Non-GAAP) | $1.92 | $1.90 | $1.84 | 4.3% |
| Revenue (GAAP) | $426 million | $429.84 million | $435 million | (-2.1%) |
| Adjusted EBITDA | $165 million | $162 million | 1.9% | |
| Net Income | N/A | $87 million | N/A | |
| Effective Royalty Rate | 5.12% | 5.04% | 0.08 pp |
Source: Analyst estimates provided by FactSet. Management expectations based on management's guidance, as provided in Q1 2025 earnings report.
Understanding the Company and Its Growth Drivers
Choice Hotels International is a well-established hotel franchisor, operating a broad portfolio across the economy, midscale, upscale, and extended stay market segments. Its network consists of over 7,400 hotels with more than 644,000 rooms globally as of June 30, 2025, positioning it to attract both business and leisure demand. It generates most of its revenue from hotel franchising operations, with additional income from partnerships, hotel ownership, and other sources.
The company’s strategy focuses on expanding its franchise system, elevating brand awareness, enhancing digital reservations, and managing costs. Recent priorities include boosting higher-revenue segments such as upscale and extended stay hotels, accelerating international growth, optimizing loyalty programs, and careful capital allocation. A key success driver is effective revenue per available room (RevPAR) growth, fueled by system size expansion, improved royalty rates, and the performance and scale of its partner programs.
Quarter in Detail: Results, Trends, and Key Actions
The quarter delivered mixed results, with headline profitability and margin metrics improving even as top-line revenue slipped. Adjusted EBITDA rose to $165 million, a quarterly record, while adjusted EPS also set a new quarterly benchmark at $1.92 (non-GAAP). These figures reflected effective cost discipline—adjusted selling, general, and administrative (SG&A) expenses fell 4% year over year to $77.6 million. Excluding a one-time payment, adjusted SG&A was 6% lower year over year.
Revenue (GAAP), however, came in lower than both the prior-year quarter and Wall Street expectations, primarily due to falling domestic RevPAR. Domestic revenue per available room declined 2.9% versus Q2 2024, hit by “macroeconomic uncertainty and previously disclosed difficult comparisons due to the timing of Easter and eclipse-related travel.” Even after accounting for these calendar events, core RevPAR was down about 1.6%. The company’s global system size continued to expand but at a more subdued pace, with total rooms up 2.1% year over year and net domestic rooms up only 1.3%.
Extended stay product lines—such as WoodSpring Suites (extended stay hotels), MainStay (extended stay), and Everhome (extended stay)—again proved a highlight. The domestic extended stay portfolio expanded 10.5% year over year as of June 30, 2025. WoodSpring Suites rooms rose 9.7% year over year as of June 30, 2025. Domestic RevPAR for Choice’s extended stay portfolio outperformed the total lodging industry by 40 basis points in Q2 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. Meanwhile, higher-revenue upscale brands grew global net rooms by 14.7% for the twelve months ended June 30, 2025, compared to June 30, 2024, and international rooms grew 5.0% to 143,838 as of June 30, 2025. The international development pipeline remains robust, supported by actions like extending a master franchise agreement in Brazil and new partnerships in China and France.
Other positive metrics included an improved system-wide effective royalty rate, up by 0.08 percentage points to 5.12%. This metric measures the percentage fee paid by franchisees to Choice relative to the room revenue generated, and slight improvements here directly support margin growth. Partnership services—fueled by loyalty, marketing, and co-branded programs—recorded a 7% year-over-year increase in revenue, and company estimates indicate continued growth opportunities in this area. The company’s global development pipeline stood at over 93,000 rooms as of June 30, 2025, with nearly 77,000 in the U.S.
Strategic capital allocation remained in focus. During the first half of 2025, Choice paid $26.9 million in dividends and repurchased $110.0 million of its own shares (811,000 shares), leaving 3.0 million shares authorized for further buyback as of June 30, 2025. In July, it completed the acquisition of the remaining 50% interest in Choice Hotels Canada for $112 million, with the unit expected to contribute approximately $18 million in EBITDA (non-GAAP) for full year 2025.
Management highlighted the steady performance of its more resilient segments—extended stay and economy—citing their relative outperformance even amid softer demand. However, select domestic economy brands saw year-over-year room count declines as of Q2 2025, including Quality (-2.6%), Sleep (-4.1%), Econo Lodge (-6.4%), and Rodeway (-4.2%). Total net franchised hotels globally declined by five units from June 30, 2024, to June 30, 2025. Pipeline momentum has also slowed, with the global pipeline at over 93,000 rooms as of June 30, 2025—lower than in earlier periods—which may affect future system growth.
No major one-time items distorted reported adjusted earnings, though SG&A figures included a $2 million guarantee payment.
The Outlook: Guidance and What Lies Ahead
Looking forward, management revised its financial projections for fiscal 2025. Net income and diluted EPS guidance both moved lower: anticipated net income (GAAP) is now $261–$276 million for FY2025, down from $275–$290 million, and diluted EPS (GAAP) is $5.54–$5.86, compared to the previous $5.86–$6.18 range. Adjusted EPS, adjusted net income, and adjusted EBITDA guidance for full-year 2025 were mostly maintained or only modestly narrowed. Revenue per available room (RevPAR) guidance was also cut, with the company now expecting a decline of 3% or flat performance in domestic RevPAR for full-year 2025 versus full-year 2024, rather than the previous expectation of flat to slightly positive growth.
Management cited “a more moderate domestic expectation amidst a changing macroeconomic backdrop” for its lowered outlook. Global system room growth guidance remains unchanged at approximately 1% for the full year. International expansion, cost control, and the extended stay segment are likely to remain important watch items for investors. Domestic hotel count and pipeline moderation, as well as persistent softness in core U.S. demand, are flagged as areas needing close attention.
Revenue and net income presented using U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) unless otherwise noted.
