By all accounts, the announcement Wednesday by Choice Hotels International of its intent to close its call center in Minot within the year and transition to a home-based customer service business approach came as a shock to its 350 employees, who were advised by corporate officials not to speak to the media.

“We’ve been evaluating the situation for quite some time and looking at an array of options. We felt this is the best overall solution for the company, the best overall solution for the associates in Minot and the best overall solution for our franchisees,” said David Peikin, the company’s senior director of corporate communications. “I think it’s important to emphasize that this is a deliberate, gradual transition that will occur over the next year as we move to home-based operations. We will still have a significant presence in the Minot community.”

click here for more