Choice Hotels International (CHH) 8-K Choice Hotels International Reinstates Dividend and Share Repurchase Program

Exhibit 99.1

For Immediate Release

Choice Hotels: Scott Oaksmith, Senior Vice President, Real Estate and Finance

Allie Summers, Director, Investor Relations

IR@choicehotels.com

CHOICE HOTELS INTERNATIONAL REINSTATES DIVIDEND AND SHARE REPURCHASE PROGRAM

Board Approves Quarterly Cash Dividend of $0.225 per share

ROCKVILLE, Md., May 7, 2021 - Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH) today announced that its Board of Directors has declared a cash dividend on the company’s common stock of $0.225 per share, payable on July 16, 2021 to stockholders of record on July 1, 2021.

In addition, the Board approved the resumption of the company’s share repurchase program, which has 3.4 million shares authorized for repurchase.

“Reinstating our dividend and share repurchase program reflects the Board’s confidence in the company’s current liquidity position and outlook. Our dividend and share repurchase programs have returned significant capital to shareholders throughout our history, and we expect capital returns to continue to be an element of our broader capital allocation strategy,” said Patrick Pacious, president and chief executive officer, Choice Hotels. “This decision is a testament to our thoughtful strategy and resilient business model, which continue to lead the industry recovery and will allow us to emerge from the pandemic even stronger as a company.”

As previously announced, the company will report its 2021 first quarter earnings results before the market opens on Monday, May 10, 2021, followed by a conference call at 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss the company’s performance.

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About Choice Hotels^®

Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH) is one of the largest lodging franchisors in the world. With more than 7,100 hotels, representing nearly 600,000 rooms, in over 40 countries and territories as of December 31, 2020, the Choice^® family of hotel brands provide business and leisure travelers with a range of high-quality lodging options from limited service to full-service hotels in the upscale, midscale, extended-stay and economy segments. The award-winning Choice Privileges^® loyalty program offers members benefits ranging from everyday rewards to exceptional experiences. For more information, visit www.choicehotels.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain matters discussed in this press release constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Generally, our use of words such as “expect,” “estimate,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “should,” “will,” “forecast,” “plan,” “project,” “assume,” or similar words of futurity identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on management’s current beliefs, assumptions and expectations regarding future events, which, in turn, are based on information currently available to management. Such statements may relate to projections of the company’s revenue, expenses, earnings, debt levels, ability to repay outstanding indebtedness, payment of dividends, repurchases of common stock and other financial and operational measures, including occupancy and open hotels, the company’s ability to benefit from any rebound in travel demand, the company’s liquidity, among other matters. We caution you not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements do not guarantee future performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors.

Several factors could cause actual results, performance or achievements of the company to differ materially from those expressed in or contemplated by the forward-looking statements. Such risks include, but are not limited to, continuation, resurgence or worsening of the COVID-19 pandemic, including with respect to new strains or variants; the rate and pace of vaccination in the broader population; changes in consumer demand and confidence, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on unemployment rates, consumer discretionary spending and the demand for travel, transient and group business; the impact of COVID-19 on the global hospitality industry, particularly but not exclusively in the U.S. travel market; the success of our mitigation efforts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; the performance of our brands and categories in any recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic disruption; the timing and amount of future dividends and share repurchases; changes to general, domestic and foreign economic conditions, including access to liquidity and capital as a result of COVID-19; future domestic or global outbreaks of epidemics, pandemics or contagious diseases, or fear of such outbreaks; changes in law and regulation applicable to the travel, lodging or franchising industries; foreign currency fluctuations; impairments or declines in the value of the company’s assets; operating risks common in the travel, lodging or franchising industries; changes to the desirability of our brands as viewed by hotel operators and customers; changes to the terms or termination of our contracts with franchisees and our relationships with our franchisees; our ability to keep pace with improvements in technology utilized for marketing and reservations systems and other operating systems; the commercial acceptance of our Software-as-a-Service (“SaaS”) technology solutions division’s products and services; our ability to grow our franchise system; exposure to risks related to our hotel development, financing and ownership activities; exposures to risks associated with our investments in new businesses; fluctuations in the supply and demand for hotel rooms; our ability to realize anticipated benefits from acquired businesses; impairments or losses relating to acquired businesses; the level of acceptance of alternative growth strategies we may implement; cyber security and data breach risks; ownership and financing activities; hotel closures or financial difficulties of our franchisees; operating risks associated with our international operations, especially in areas currently most affected by COVID-19; the outcome of litigation; and our ability to effectively manage our indebtedness and secure our indebtedness. These and other risk factors are discussed in detail in the company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K and our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

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