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Choice Hotels International Inc.: Q4 FY2025 earnings call

What management said about Q4 FY2025, from the documents filed with the SEC on 19 February 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 10 new. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Adjusted EBITDA reached a record: Adjusted EBITDA was $625.6 million for 2025, up from $604.1 million, with fourth-quarter adjusted EBITDA of $140.9 million against $140.4 million a year earlier. Source
  • Canada gain lifted full-year net income: Net income was $369.9 million for 2025, against $299.7 million in 2024. It includes a $100.0 million remeasurement gain on the previously held Choice Hotels Canada equity stake. Source
  • U.S. RevPAR fell, adjusted for hurricane base: U.S. RevPAR fell 7.6% in the fourth quarter and 3.0% for the year, currency-neutral. Management's adjusted fourth-quarter decline, excluding the 2024 hurricane benefit, was 2.2%. Source
  • U.S. portfolio optimization cut net rooms: Management said accelerated U.S. portfolio optimization, including strategic hotel exits, shaped the net room change, while gross openings and development stayed healthy. Source
  • Pipeline fell from third-quarter level: The year-end global pipeline is below the more than 86,000 rooms reported at September 30, 2025, in the third-quarter release. Source
  • Shareholder returns in 2025: The company returned $189.3 million to shareholders in 2025: $53.5 million in dividends and $135.8 million in repurchases, including repurchases tied to employee equity awards. Source

“Choice Hotels International delivered another year of record profitability in 2025, driven by our double-digit increase in international rooms, continued leadership in the extended-stay segment, and disciplined portfolio optimization”

Patrick Pacious, President and Chief Executive Officer

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Net income SourceFull-year 2026$265 - $275 millionNew
Adjusted net income SourceFull-year 2026$320 - $330 millionNew
Adjusted EBITDA SourceFull-year 2026$632 - $647 millionNew
Diluted EPS SourceFull-year 2026$5.72 - $5.94New
Adjusted diluted EPS SourceFull-year 2026$6.92 - $7.14New
Effective tax rate SourceFull-year 202625%New
Global RevPAR growth SourceFull-year 2026 vs. 2025-2% to 1%New
U.S. RevPAR growth SourceFull-year 2026 vs. 2025-2% to 1%New
Global net system rooms growth SourceFull-year 2026 vs. 2025~1%New
Net capital outlays for hotel development-related activities SourceFull-year 2026$20 million to $45 millionNew

What changed from last quarter

  • New guidance: The release adds full-year 2026 guidance; the prior release gave guidance for full-year 2025 only. Source
  • New: Poland was added as a direct franchise market in the fourth quarter, alongside Suriname, with a direct franchise agreement executed for Kenya. Source
  • New: Canada moved to a direct franchising model after the third-quarter acquisition of Choice Hotels Canada. Source

Full-year and fourth-quarter results

  • Adjusted EBITDA reached a record: Adjusted EBITDA was $625.6 million for 2025, up from $604.1 million, with fourth-quarter adjusted EBITDA of $140.9 million against $140.4 million a year earlier. Source
  • Canada gain lifted full-year net income: Net income was $369.9 million for 2025, against $299.7 million in 2024. It includes a $100.0 million remeasurement gain on the previously held Choice Hotels Canada equity stake. Source
  • Fourth-quarter EPS compared with last year: Fourth-quarter diluted EPS was $1.37 against $1.59 a year earlier, and adjusted diluted EPS was $1.60 against $1.55. Fourth-quarter net income was $63.7 million against $75.8 million. Source

U.S. and international performance

  • U.S. RevPAR fell, adjusted for hurricane base: U.S. RevPAR fell 7.6% in the fourth quarter and 3.0% for the year, currency-neutral. Management's adjusted fourth-quarter decline, excluding the 2024 hurricane benefit, was 2.2%. Source
  • U.S. portfolio optimization cut net rooms: Management said accelerated U.S. portfolio optimization, including strategic hotel exits, shaped the net room change, while gross openings and development stayed healthy. Source
  • International RevPAR rose in fourth quarter: International RevPAR rose 3.2% in the fourth quarter and 3.5% for the year, on a currency-neutral basis. Source
  • Global RevPAR declined: Global RevPAR fell 4.6% in the fourth quarter and 1.2% for the full year, on a currency-neutral basis. Source
  • Canada pipeline grew after acquisition: The Canada rooms pipeline grew 49% since year-end 2024, following the third-quarter acquisition of Choice Hotels Canada. Source

“With a high-quality, accretive global development pipeline, targeted investments that strengthen franchisee economics and customer lifetime value”

Patrick Pacious, President and Chief Executive Officer

Franchise agreements and pipeline

  • U.S. conversion pipeline up: The U.S. pipeline for conversion rooms rose 12% from September 30, 2025, and 7% from year-end 2024. Source
  • U.S. agreements rose in fourth quarter: U.S. franchise agreements awarded rose 3% in the fourth quarter, driven by a 12% increase for conversion hotels. Source
  • International agreements more than doubled: International franchise agreements awarded rose 35% in the fourth quarter and more than doubled for full-year 2025. Source
  • Extended stay pipeline reached 30,600 rooms: U.S. extended stay franchise agreements awarded rose 15% in 2025, bringing the U.S. extended stay pipeline to 30,600 rooms at year-end. Source
  • Pipeline fell from third-quarter level: The year-end global pipeline is below the more than 86,000 rooms reported at September 30, 2025, in the third-quarter release. Source

Brands, customers and royalty rate

  • Partnership services and fees grew: Partnership services and fees rose 14% to $113.8 million for 2025 and 16% to $32.5 million in the fourth quarter. Source
  • U.S. royalty rate expanded: The U.S. average royalty rate was 5.14% for 2025, up 8 basis points, and 5.19% for the fourth quarter, up 10 basis points. Source
  • Extended stay net rooms grew: U.S. extended stay net rooms rose 11.7% from year-end 2024, with a record number of hotel openings, up 8% in 2025. Source
  • Midscale agreements and Country Inn growth: Global midscale franchise agreements awarded rose 14% in 2025, and U.S. agreements for Country Inn & Suites by Radisson rose 50%. Source
  • Mainstay Suites enters Australia: Mainstay Suites, a midscale extended stay brand, was introduced in Australia, its first expansion outside North America. Source

Costs and adjusted results

  • Adjusted SG&A rose: Adjusted SG&A was $283.3 million for 2025, against $275.6 million. Reported SG&A was $329.0 million, against $312.4 million. Source
  • Restructuring charges rose: Non-recurring restructuring and executive severance charges were $10.5 million for 2025, against $5.7 million, and are excluded from adjusted figures. Source
  • Franchise agreement amortization rose: Franchise agreement acquisition cost amortization and charges were $20.1 million for 2025, against $15.0 million in 2024. Source
  • Reimbursable surpluses excluded from adjusted results: Reimbursable revenue of $616.2 million and expenses of $663.3 million for 2025 are excluded from adjusted measures, as these programs are managed to break-even over time. Source

Cash, capital and shareholder returns

  • Operating cash flow and liquidity: Operating cash flow was $270.4 million for 2025, including $85.6 million in the fourth quarter. Liquidity was $571.4 million, and net debt to adjusted EBITDA was 3.0x. Source
  • Capital recycling proceeds and lower outlays: Capital recycling produced $32.4 million of net proceeds in 2025, and net outlays for hotel development and lending fell $46.1 million. Source
  • Shareholder returns in 2025: The company returned $189.3 million to shareholders in 2025: $53.5 million in dividends and $135.8 million in repurchases, including repurchases tied to employee equity awards. Source
  • Repurchase authorization remaining shares: 2.8 million shares remain under the current repurchase authorization, down from 3.0 million at September 30, 2025. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Global hotel openings, full-year 2025 Source440 hotels, up 14%
Global system rooms, December 31, 2025 Source656,825 rooms, up 0.5%
International system rooms, December 31, 2025 Source159,846 rooms, up 12.5%
U.S. system rooms, December 31, 2025 Source496,979 rooms, down 2.9%
Global pipeline, December 31, 2025 Sourcemore than 77,800 rooms
Global franchise agreements awarded, full-year 2025 Sourceup 22%

Risks management discussed

  • Demand: Management attributed the U.S. RevPAR decline mainly to softer government and international inbound demand. Source
  • External: The prior-year fourth quarter included a hurricane-related benefit, which the company excluded when measuring the U.S. RevPAR change. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Met: The prior release expected to nearly double the France portfolio by year-end 2025. This release reports the onboarding completed and the portfolio nearly doubled. Source
  • Not stated: The prior release reported nearly 80% of the anticipated 9,500 rooms onboarded. This release reports more than 8,300 rooms onboarded. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.