JOB SUMMARY:
Choice Hotels, one of the world’s largest lodging franchisors, has an opportunity for a Data Scientist 3, Applied AI, on the Data Science team. You will play an integral role in developing predictive analytics and applied AI capabilities in support of key corporate initiatives. Our cross-functional team of data scientists and engineers develops and deploys statistical models, machine learning algorithms, and AI solutions that drive business decisions and interactions with our customers.
The team partners with leaders across the enterprise to deliver end-to-end data science solutions for Marketing, Loyalty, Global Sales, Finance, Franchise Development, eCommerce, and Brands. Examples include customer lifetime value, hotel performance forecasting, site selection, and generative AI applications. In addition to building models, the Data Scientist will contribute to upskilling the team, provide guidance on data sources for ingestion to improve modeling effectiveness, and collaborate with the Data Delivery and IT teams to ensure Choice’s AWS analytics platform can meet future state needs for machine learning, generative AI, and predictive analytics.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
Lead modeling initiatives that drive enterprise decisions, working with stakeholders to solve strategic and operational needs with statistical models and AI.
Deliver timely ad hoc analyses and product presentations, including geospatial analyses, that communicate insights to stakeholders.
Work with IT and the Data Delivery teams to enhance infrastructure needed to support real-time, machine learning, and generative AI modeling capabilities
Deploy solutions using AWS services such as Redshift, Athena, S3, SageMaker AI, Bedrock, and AgentCore.
Research cutting-edge methodologies and contribute to upskilling the overall team’s capabilities, including the use of AI-assisted development tools such as Claude Code, which are core to how the team prototypes, codes, and performs analysis day to day.
Employment Experience
5+ years of analytical experience, with a background in predictive modeling and statistical techniques such as regression, segmentation and clustering, and time series analysis
Hands-on experience building with large language models (LLMs)
Technical Skills
Experience with Machine Learning approaches and techniques such as decision trees, gradient boosted models, and neural networks, including standard data preparation and model evaluation practices
Familiarity with LLMs, prompt engineering, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and agentic workflows
Comfort with (or strong enthusiasm to adopt) AI-assisted development tools such as Claude Code; agentic coding workflows are a major part of our day-to-day work
Working knowledge of Python/R and SQL, along with Git version control and code review practices
Familiarity with the ML and AI model development lifecycle from prototyping through deployment and monitoring in production
Comfortable with lightweight data engineering, data quality monitoring, data profiling, and preparing datasets
Knowledge of AWS services such as Redshift, Athena, S3, Lambda, SageMaker AI, Bedrock, and AgentCore; AWS certification is a plus
Experience with geospatial analytics and tools (e.g., ArcGIS, GeoPandas, PostGIS) is a plus
Proficiency in Microsoft Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint and Word
Additional Skills & Competencies
Must be an energized self-starter who can work independently and who drives for results
Ability to evaluate business trends and develop successful solutions that enhance business performance
Effectively partner with business stakeholders to ensure integrated and timely insights to the enterprise
Has strong intellectual curiosity and is an active learner, able to enhance personal, professional, and business growth through new knowledge and experiences.
Results oriented; delivers results under difficult conditions and demonstrates balanced judgment under pressure
Writes clean, clear, and well-documented code that others can read, maintain, and build on
Good communication skills, including oral (one on one and presentations to large audiences) and written
Education Requirements
Master’s Degree in Data Science, Economics, Mathematics, Statistics, Operations Research or other quantitative field
COMPENSATION & SALARY RANGE:
The salary range for this position is $114,907-135,000. Pay ranges listed are what Choice Hotels reasonably expects to pay. Actual pay may be higher or lower and ranges may be adjusted in the future. Pay positioning within the range is influenced by factors including—but not limited to—education, experience, skills, certifications, performance, geographic location, business needs, seniority, and travel requirements.
LOCATION & WORK SCHEDULE:
This role is based at our corporate headquarters in North Bethesda, Maryland, and follows a hybrid work schedule, requiring regular in-office collaboration alongside remote work flexibility.
Choice prioritizes our associate wellbeing by offering a comprehensive benefits program that is both competitive and flexible to help you achieve your wellbeing goals - here are just a few:
- Competitive compensation and benefits, including medical, dental, and vision coverage
- Leave and paid time-off for holidays, vacation, personal, family, volunteer, sick, jury duty, bereavement, military, and religious observance
- Financial benefits for retirement and health savings
- Employee recognition programs
- Discounts at Choice hotels worldwide
About Choice
Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH), is one of the largest lodging franchisors in the world. With 7,500 hotels in 45+ countries and territories, we offer a range of high-quality lodging options in the upper upscale, upper midscale, midscale, extended stay, and economy segments. We’re the hotel company for those who choose to bet on themselves — the striver, the dreamer, the entrepreneur — because that’s who we are, too.
At Choice, we are united by the simple belief that tomorrow will be even better than today — for associates, our company, and our franchisees. At our worldwide corporate headquarters in North Bethesda, Maryland, at our technology center in Scottsdale, Arizona, and through our associates around the globe, every voice is heard and every idea is listened to, no matter what area of the company they come from. We are united in supporting the entrepreneurial dreams of our thousands of franchise owners, which propels us forward — giving our work at Choice a purpose larger than our business.
Our corporate office locations:
North Bethesda, MD — Located at Pike & Rose, our worldwide headquarters is less than 15 miles from Washington, D.C., one block away from the North Bethesda Metro station, with easy access to I-495, complimentary parking, electronic charging stations, restaurants and retail.
Scottsdale, AZ — Located at the northwest corner of Loop 101, the Scottsdale office is home to our technology, eCommerce and customer service organizations, with easy access to complimentary parking, electronic charging stations, restaurants and retail.
Minneapolis, MN — Select roles are based in our Minneapolis office on Highway 394, near the intersection with Highway 100, only five minutes from downtown.
Field/Remote — Select roles designated as field/remote will require associates to work from a home office, connecting virtually with Choice team members and leadership on Zoom, with possible required travel depending on the role.
Choice’s Cultural Values
Welcome and Respect Everyone | Be Bold | Be Quick | Listen | Be Curious | Show Integrity
Choice’s Leadership Principles
Act with Intention | Lead with Authenticity | Grow & Deliver
Skills Required
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Economics, Operations Research, or a related quantitative field, or equivalent education and work experience
- 5–8 years of experience in data science, advanced analytics, machine learning, statistics, or a related analytical field
- Experience building predictive models using segmentation, clustering, time series analysis, linear and generalized linear models, and other statistical methodologies
- Experience partnering with cross-functional stakeholders to deliver enterprise-scale analytical solutions
- Advanced proficiency in Python and/or R
- Strong SQL skills and experience working with large-scale datasets
- Experience with machine learning frameworks and predictive modeling techniques, including decision trees and neural networks
- Knowledge of cloud-based analytics environments, preferably AWS and Amazon SageMaker
- Master’s degree in a quantitative discipline or equivalent education and work experience
- Experience with geospatial analytics tools such as ArcGIS or GeoPandas
- Relevant industry certifications in data science, machine learning, cloud analytics, or related disciplines
Choice Hotels International Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Choice Hotels International and has not been reviewed or approved by Choice Hotels International.
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Healthcare Strength — Benefits are described as broad, including medical, dental, and vision coverage alongside telehealth and an Employee Assistance Program. Wellness programs and related wellbeing offerings are also explicitly included in the package.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time-off support is positioned as extensive, spanning paid vacation, personal and sick leave, and paid family care leave. Backup child and elder care, adoption assistance, and designated “wellbeing days” add breadth beyond standard PTO.
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Retirement Support — Retirement and financial programs include a 401(k) and Roth 401(k) as well as HSA options and financial education resources. Bonuses and referral bonuses are also listed as part of the broader rewards mix.
Choice Hotels International Insights
What We Do
Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH) is one of the world’s largest and most successful lodging franchisors. On August 11, 2022, Choice acquired Radisson Hotels Americas, adding nine brands and approximately 67,000 rooms to its portfolio in the United States, Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean. With 22 brands, Choice Hotels has more than 7,500 hotels and nearly 650,000 rooms in 46 countries and territories as of August 11, 2022. The Choice® family of hotel brands provides business and leisure travelers with a broad range of high-quality lodging options from limited service to full-service hotels in the upper upscale, upper mid-scale, midscale, extended-stay, and economy segments. At our worldwide corporate headquarters in the Washington metropolitan area (North Bethesda, MD), our IT center in Scottsdale, AZ, and St. Louis Park (MN), and through our associates across the globe, we keep those hotels humming by serving as a champion for our franchisees. When you #MakeItYourChoice, you will have the environment, the tools, and the momentum to drive your career and organizational success
