Inside track

- What business is it in?
The hotel company is the third-largest in Europe and in combination with Choice Hotels Scandinavia has 500 properties in 19 countries. CHE is operated by CHE Group, which employees 2,500 people, and has 110 hotels in the UK and Ireland.

- What brands does it operate?
Three no-frills budget brands, Comfort, Quality, and Sleep Inn, and luxury operation Clarion. The group's UK hotels make up 80% of its turnover.

• What's its form?
  CHE Europe had a tough 2003, posting a loss of £1.4m. However, like-for-like turnover was slightly up year on year at £75.5m. This prompted chairman Peter Catesby to declare the chain was well positioned, and that he expected improvements this year in all the main areas of the business. The company signed its first management contracts in 2003, and now has seven in the UK and three on the Continent.

• Where is its head office and area of operation? CHE Group is based in Edgware, Middlesex, tel: 020 8233 2001. The website is: www.choicehotelseurope.com.

• What sort of employer is it?
  Information on job opportunities can be found on the website or obtained directly from the human resources department on 020 8233 2068, or by e-mailing careers@choicehotelseurope.com. Positions are available in all areas of the business, and the company is a keen advocate of internal promotion and development. CHE has a range of graduate, management and departmental training schemes to encourage this, and is also actively encouraging older workers to lend their experience to its workforce by joining.

• How does the future look?
  In 2000 the group and its franchisees started a multimillion pound refurbishment programme across its four UK brands. To date, £28m has been invested in hotels which are more than five years old, or haven't been refurbished in that time. CHE will be adding six new Sleep Inns this year, and has just opened two Comfort Inns, at Kettering, Northamptonshire, and Harrow, Middlesex.