Laying the groundwork for a fresh choice

HEADNOTE

Charles A Ledsinger and Steven T. Schultz rework the megachain from the inside-out.

Franchisee relations... decentralization.. customer service and support. The carefully chosen platforms of Chuck Ledsinger

might not be great fodder for Choice Hotels' next big consumer ad blitz-at least not in the way that inspired the lodging chain's famous suitcase campaign of the early '90s. Since assuming leadership of the Silver Spring, MD-based company in late 1998, Ledsinger has displayed a low-profile, reflective approach as Choice's president and CEO.

It's not as if there's anything seriously wrong, he says. Despite a period of management instability from the mid-to-late '90s, Choice ranks as the world's secondlargest hotel franchisor, with seven popular brands-- Comfort, Clarion, Quality, Sleep, MainStay Suites, Econo Lodge and Rodeway Inn-totaling some 5,000 hotels open or under development in 36 countries. However, Ledsinger would like to think that at its present size-and, perhaps even more critical, as the chain continues to grow-- top-level management will reestablish and maintain close ties with the franchisee--