Dominic Dragisich is an American business executive who serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Choice Hotels International, one of the world’s largest hotel franchising companies. After spending nearly a decade in senior positions across finance, operations, brand management and corporate strategy at Choice Hotels, Dragisich was appointed permanent CEO and joined the company’s board of directors effective August 31, 2026. His appointment followed several months as interim chief executive and marked the culmination of a steady progression through some of the company’s most influential leadership positions.
Dragisich’s path to the top position at Choice Hotels is notable for the range of responsibilities he assumed before becoming CEO. Rather than building his career exclusively within hotel operations, his professional background combines corporate finance, strategic planning, acquisitions and operational management. Those experiences placed him at the center of several major periods of expansion and restructuring at Choice Hotels before he was selected to lead the company.
Career Before Choice Hotels
Before joining Choice Hotels, Dragisich accumulated experience across several industries and organizations. Earlier stages of his career included finance and operational positions with Deloitte Consulting, telecommunications company NII Holdings and Marriott International. His time with Marriott gave him experience within the hospitality business years before he would eventually become a senior executive at Choice Hotels.
Dragisich later became Chief Financial Officer of XO Communications, a telecommunications services company. His responsibilities there extended beyond traditional accounting functions and included financial planning, treasury, real estate, revenue assurance, billing, credit and other areas of financial management. He also participated in the company’s strategic planning.
During Dragisich’s tenure as CFO, XO Communications improved its revenue trajectory and profitability. He also played an important role in the process that ultimately resulted in the sale of XO Communications to Verizon Communications. That combination of financial management and experience with a significant corporate transaction would become particularly relevant during his later career at Choice Hotels.
Joining Choice Hotels
Dragisich joined Choice Hotels International in March 2017 as Chief Financial Officer. At the time, the company operated more than 6,500 franchised hotels across more than 40 countries and territories. His initial responsibilities centered on the company’s financial strategy, performance and longer-term growth initiatives.
As CFO, Dragisich became involved in considerably more than Choice Hotels’ accounting and financial reporting functions. He worked on budgeting, forecasting and capital allocation while helping establish a strategic finance operation intended to connect financial decisions more closely with the company’s long-term business objectives.
His tenure also coincided with Choice Hotels placing greater emphasis on expanding beyond its traditional position in the economy and midscale hotel markets. Dragisich participated in strategy surrounding the company’s upscale and extended-stay businesses, two areas that would become increasingly important to Choice’s broader portfolio.
Acquisitions became another significant part of his work.
Dragisich was involved in Choice Hotels’ 2018 acquisition of WoodSpring Suites, an extended-stay hotel brand that subsequently became an important component of the company’s extended-stay strategy. Several years later, he played an instrumental role in Choice Hotels’ acquisition of Radisson Hotels Americas in 2022, a transaction that substantially expanded the company’s collection of brands and properties.
Moving From Finance Into Hotel Operations
In 2023, Choice Hotels moved Dragisich out of the CFO position and into a considerably broader operational role. He became Executive Vice President of Operations and Chief Global Brand Officer.
The promotion placed him in charge of responsibilities extending across Choice Hotels’ global operations, hotel brand segments, brand development, segment services and corporate development. The transition was significant because it moved Dragisich from primarily financial and strategic responsibilities into direct oversight of major components of the company’s hotel business.
His experience as CFO nevertheless remained relevant. Understanding capital allocation, franchise economics and acquisition strategy provided a financial perspective as he took responsibility for brands operating across different portions of the lodging market.
Dragisich subsequently became Chief Growth & Strategy Officer. In that position, his responsibilities included corporate strategy, franchise development, corporate development, procurement and platform growth, as well as Choice Hotels’ managed hotel division.
By this point, Dragisich had held senior responsibility for many of the major functions that drive a hotel franchising business: finance, acquisitions, brands, operations, development and corporate strategy.
Becoming CEO of Choice Hotels
A major leadership transition occurred at Choice Hotels in May 2026 when longtime President and CEO Patrick Pacious stepped down from the chief executive position.
Dragisich was selected to serve as interim CEO beginning May 20, 2026. Choice Hotels’ board subsequently conducted a search that considered both internal and external candidates for the permanent position.
After approximately three months in the interim role, the board selected Dragisich.
On August 31, 2026, Choice Hotels announced that Dominic Dragisich had been appointed President and Chief Executive Officer and elected to the company’s board of directors. Chairman Stewart Bainum Jr. said the board viewed Dragisich’s experience within the organization, understanding of the business and approach to strategy and execution as important qualifications for leading Choice Hotels into its next stage.
Dragisich assumed leadership of a substantially larger and more diverse organization than the company he had joined in 2017. By the time of his permanent CEO appointment, Choice Hotels reported a system exceeding 7,500 hotels and 650,000 rooms across 49 countries and territories, with 22 brands spanning upper-upscale, midscale, extended-stay and economy lodging.
Business Strategy and Leadership
Dragisich’s career at Choice Hotels has largely revolved around growth combined with financial discipline. His background as a CFO distinguishes him from hotel executives who rise primarily through property management or hospitality operations.
His progression through Choice Hotels also gave him exposure to the relationship between the corporate franchisor and the independent hotel owners who operate much of the company’s system. Franchise development and franchisee economics are particularly important to Choice Hotels because the company’s business model relies heavily on independently owned and operated hotels carrying Choice brands.
As CEO, Dragisich has emphasized execution, growth, strengthening the company’s brands and obtaining greater returns from investments already made in Choice Hotels’ commercial infrastructure. He has also identified franchisee performance as an important component of the company’s strategy.
His appointment represents considerable continuity for Choice Hotels. Rather than bringing in an executive unfamiliar with the organization following Pacious’s departure, the board ultimately selected someone who had participated in many of the financial, operational and acquisition decisions that shaped the company during the previous decade.
Education
Dragisich has an academic background centered on finance and business management.
He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in finance and accounting from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia. He later attended Harvard Business School, where he earned a Master of Business Administration.
The combination of accounting, finance and management education closely reflects the trajectory of his professional career, which began with financial and operational positions and eventually expanded into corporate strategy and executive leadership.
Dominic Dragisich and the Future of Choice Hotels
Dominic Dragisich became CEO at an important point in the evolution of Choice Hotels International. The company’s portfolio had expanded considerably through acquisitions, investment in extended-stay lodging and movement into higher hotel segments. At the same time, Choice remained heavily associated with some of the most recognizable midscale and economy hotel brands in the United States.
Dragisich now has responsibility for guiding that collection of businesses while balancing the interests of shareholders, franchise owners, hotel guests and the company’s employees.
His rise within Choice Hotels was gradual rather than sudden. Beginning as CFO in 2017, he moved from oversight of the company’s finances into acquisitions and strategy, then global brands and operations, followed by growth and development responsibilities. By the time he was appointed CEO in 2026, Dragisich had already spent years participating in many of the decisions affecting the direction and expansion of the company.
That history makes his appointment an extension of his long involvement with Choice Hotels as much as it represents a change in leadership. As President and CEO, Dominic Dragisich now occupies the position responsible for determining how one of the world’s largest hotel franchising organizations develops during its next chapter.