Choice Hotels Kicks Off 11th Mastery Summit With 800 Associates in AI Hackathon
Choice Hotels has convened over 800 associates at its week-long 11th Mastery Summit to prototype AI, cloud and cybersecurity solutions in AWS AI league and Capture the Flag challenges. Last year’s Mastery-driven Hotel Suite overhaul used generative AI and ‘vibe coding’ to slash delivery timelines and save more than $750,000.
1. Mastery Summit Launch
Choice Hotels has launched its 11th Mastery Tech Summit in Scottsdale, Arizona, bringing over 800 associates together for a week of hands-on innovation. Associates will collaborate in workshops, competitions and knowledge-sharing sessions targeting AI, cloud, data analytics and cybersecurity to address real business challenges.
2. Challenge Formats
Participants will engage in interactive events such as AWS AI league, Capture the Flag cybersecurity hunts and Make-a-Thon software development contests. Winning teams receive cash prizes and may see their solutions adopted across the franchise system.
3. Last Year’s AI-Driven Results
In 2025, a cross-functional team used generative AI and ‘vibe coding’ to modernize the Hotel Suite platform, cutting development timelines by months and saving over $750,000. That project became the first AI-assisted, end-user-facing application to reach production company-wide.
4. Strategic Innovation Focus
The summit underscores Choice Hotels’ commitment to leveraging emerging technologies for operational efficiencies and revenue growth. Insights gained at Mastery support franchisees through enhanced business intelligence tools and secure, scalable systems.