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HOTEL OWNERS NAVIGATING industry changes wrought by the pandemic face no dearth of challenges: the decline in business travel, competition from home rental apps and ongoing labor shortages are just a few. Too often, the people owning the hotels - many of them small business owners - are figuring out how to adapt to the new hospitality landscape with added complications from the hotel brands that should be their partners. While many hotel owners have struggled to maintain their livelihoods since the pandemic began three years ago, some big hotel chain franchisers sold hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of loyalty point value to credit card companies under a system that often fails to adequately reimburse the franchisees. That is the thanks these hardworking franchisees got as they worked hard to keep hotel doors open. It does not have to be this way. Generations of franchise owners have successfully embraced entrepreneurship through the franchising model. Franchising allows budding entrepreneurs to adopt a known brand name and comprehensive business strategies in exchange for a portion of the revenue. This partnership has nurtured our industry: Hotels owned by our members employ 1.1 million Americans and contribute $368 billion to the economy. But the franchising relationship needs to be a two-way street to be truly successful. That is why we must ensure that the franchise industry engages in sustainable practices that recognize and safeguard the contributions of small business owners.

IN ITS LATEST drive to convince Wyndham Hotels & Resorts stakeholders to accept its proposed acquisition of the company, Choice Hotels International has released a detailed presentation accusing Wyndham of making misleading statements regarding the antitrust aspects of the deal. The specific accusations include that Wyndham is manipulating data on how the hotel industry works, the competition a Choice-Wyndham combination would face and the benefits of the merger for franchisees. Choice filed the presentation with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and is also available at CreateValueWithChoice.com, the company said in a statement. Choice's presentation was released nearly three weeks after Wyndham's latest statement in which it said Choice was not being forthcoming with Wyndham shareholders regarding its offer. "We are disappointed Wyndham is pushing this disinformation campaign. Their take on the antitrust risk on our proposed combination is misleading and further reflects the board's apparent entrenchment," said Patrick Pacious, Choice's president and CEO. "Wyndham's characterization of the lodging industry's competitive landscape and relevant regulatory criteria is incorrect. Our pro-competitive combination is well positioned to obtain approval, and we remain committed to completing it for the benefit of both companies' franchisees, shareholders and guests."

CHOICE HOTELS INTERNATIONAL is accusing the board of directors for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts of not being forthcoming with the company's shareholders regarding Choice's exchange offer to acquire Wyndham. In its counter to the Wyndham board's rejection of the offer, Choice took issue with Wyndham's concerns about getting regulatory approval for the deal and said Wyndham shareholders support the "industrial merits of a transaction." In its original proposal, made public in October, Choice said it sought to acquire all the outstanding shares of Wyndham at a price of $90 per share and shareholders would have received $49.50 in cash and 0.324 shares of Choice common stock for each Wyndham share they own. Choice claimed that is a 30 percent premium to Wyndham's 30-day volume-weighted average closing price ending on Oct. 16, an 11 percent premium to Wyndham's 52-week high, and a 30 percent premium to Wyndham's latest closing price. Wyndham's board unanimously rejected Choice's proposal, calling it unsolicited, "highly conditional" and not in the best interest of shareholders. On Nov. 14, however, Choice sent a letter to the Wyndham board with an "enhanced proposal" intended to address Wyndham's concerns about clearing federal regulations. On Dec. 12, Choice launched its public exchange offer to acquire Wyndham and on Dec. 19 the Wyndham board officially rejected the offer and urged shareholders not to tender shares for the deal.

PEACHTREE GROUP RECENTLY introduced new branding, logo and tagline, "Guided by Intuition, Grounded by Expertise." The branding update aims to project the company's integrated investment strategies and service platforms. This change consolidates the company's varied brand portfolio, renaming Stonehill as Peachtree Group Credit and Peachtree Hospitality Management as Peachtree Group Hospitality Management, the company said in a statement. "The new branding has given us a competitive edge in attracting top-tier talent, ensuring a consistent influx of the best minds and skills to navigate an ever-changing business landscape," said Greg Friedman, CEO and managing principal of Peachtree Group. "Moreover, our strategic branding approach, aimed at consolidating our diverse range of businesses, is poised to unleash even greater untapped potential within our investment platform. This platform, already proven in its value in the hospitality sector, has played a pivotal role in our expansion and diversification into other real estate sectors and ventures."