Choice Hotels Australasia has appointed Matt Taylor internally to the position of general manager for marketing.
Taylor has been integral in leading the strategic marketing direction for Choice Hotels across Australasia, and as a result of his management and marketing initiatives, the company has experienced significant increases in brand awareness, consumer engagement and bottom line growth.
Trent Fraser, Choice’s CEO, said of the appointment: “Matt has done a terrific job in leading the business, achieving strong results and implementing innovative initiatives for our franchisee network over the last few years but especially over the past 12 months.”
Having built a career in retail and tourism, Taylor’s experience has provided a solid foundation for Choice Hotels since he joined in 2012.
As a direct result of his leadership, Choice Privileges, Choice Hotels’ international loyalty program, has seen membership almost double to more than 200,000 members and unique member stays in Choice properties have increased by almost 40 per cent, which has translated into substantially increased revenue through the program to all Choice hotels.
Taylor has also led the implementation of many digital, online and social strategies for the brand, positioning Choice as a market leader in this space and is always looking for the next innovation that will engage guests, increase revenue and assist franchisees.
In 2015, the Choice Hotels’ marketing team launched the local area marketing kit (LAMkit), a cloud-based platform which allows franchisees to create their own marketing collateral and stationery remotely. The portal then links directly to printers and digital advertising systems to ensure the process is simple and all-encompassing for franchisees.
Sponsorship has been a significant focus for Taylor, including establishing partnerships with the PGA of Australia, New Zealand Golf, Australian Cricketers Association, New Zealand Cricket Players Association and charity partners Cystic Fibrosis New Zealand and Kids Under Cover.
Before commencing his role with Choice Hotels, Taylor began his career with PETstock, where over a seven year period he built his way up to GM of marketing, before holding positions with Crazy Johns as the national marketing and communications manager and Global Retail Brands as the national marketing manager.
