Los Angeles, CA, January 28, 2014 – Best Western International continues to experience robust growth in the brand’s North American development pipeline, with 130 to 140 properties expected to be added in 2014, the brand announced today at the Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS). The percentage of new-build hotel projects are also on the uptick, as almost 45 percent of Best Western’s 2014-15 pipeline will be new construction, up from 40 percent in 2013 and 35 percent in 2012.
„The new hotel construction market continues to see a steady rebound in North America, particularly in the midscale and upper-midscale markets,“ said Best Western President and CEO David Kong. „Because we offer distinctly different hotel types within those categories, we are really in that ’sweet spot‘ for lenders and developers where we can offer them the type of projects they are looking for right now.“
Now entering its third year since launching in North America, Best Western’s descriptor strategy continues to be a tremendous success. Of the new projects in Best Western’s North American pipeline, nearly 65 percent are expected to be BEST WESTERN PLUS® or BEST WESTERN PREMIER® hotel types. The diversity of the brand’s hotel offerings has also helped open new development doors in key gateway and getaway destinations. In 2013 Best Western opened its first PREMIER property in Manhattan, the BEST WESTERN PREMIER Herald Square, and new properties in Toronto and Fort Lauderdale will open in 2014.
International Development
A similar growth story is playing out for Best Western globally, where more than 60 percent of the hotels in the pipeline are new construction. Among the fastest growing markets for the brand are Africa, Indonesia and Brazil – where Best Western recently announced plans to add 30 new properties in the next five years. Meanwhile Erbil, Iraq and Colombo, Sri Lanka are among the emerging hotel destinations where Best Western will open the brand’s first property in 2014.
„Around the world we are seeing more developers embrace the idea of going with an international hotel brand, because of all the advantages it offers such as global loyalty programs, sales and marketing support and superior distribution channels. Best Western is unique in that we offer all those big brand advantages, while still giving the owner or operator the freedom to customize their hotel to meet their specific market needs,“ said Best Western Senior Vice President of Development and Member Services Ron Pohl. „I think it’s this dual offering that has allowed us to expand our international footprint so rapidly, and to penetrate exciting and underserved markets like Haiti or Iraq.“
2013 Development Milestones
2013 was among the most successful years for Best Western’s development efforts in the brand’s history. Noteworthy achievements in 2013 include:
107 new hotel agreements signed in North America, representing nearly 9,000 hotel rooms
40 percent of North American properties have gone through the brand’s Design Excellence program and in 2013 hotels invested approximately $70 million in property upgrades
Expanding the brand’s global footprint into multiple new countries including Haiti, Kenya, Kuwait and Myanmar
Opened the 200th international BEST WESTERN PLUS; there are 1,108 BEST WESTERN PLUS properties open in 47 countries
150 BEST WESTERN PREMIER properties open globally
Membership renewal rate continues to be 98 percent, reflective of the tremendous value the brand provides to its hoteliers
For more information on global development opportunities with Best Western International, please visit bestwesterndevelopers.com.
ABOUT BEST WESTERN INTERNATIONAL, INC. Best Western International, Inc., headquartered in Phoenix, Ariz., is a privately held hotel brand made up of more than 4,000* BEST WESTERN®, BEST WESTERN PLUS® and BEST WESTERN PREMIER® hotels in more than 100* countries and territories worldwide. Now celebrating 68 years of hospitality, Best Western welcomes hundreds of thousands of guests nightly. Best Western provides its hoteliers with global operational, sales, marketing and promotional support, and online and mobile booking capabilities. More than 20 million travelers are members of the brand’s award-winning loyalty program Best Western Rewards®, one of the few programs in which members earn points that never expire and can be redeemed at any Best Western hotel worldwide. The brand’s partnerships with AAA/CAA and Harley-Davidson® provide travelers with exciting ways to interact with the brand. In 2013, Best Western earned our highest level of brand recognition, including our fifth AAA/CAA Hotel Partner of the Year award, second Compuware Best of the Web Gold award, fourth No. 1 ranking in Brand Keys Consumer Loyalty Engagement Index for midscale hotels and seventh TTG Asia Best Mid-range Hotel Brand. Forty-one percent of Best Western hotels worldwide won TripAdvisor Certificates of Excellence for customer satisfaction.
For more information or to make a reservation, please visit bestwestern.com.
*Numbers are approximate and may fluctuate.
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Press Contact:
Laura Cherry
Best Western International
Los Angeles, CA
+1 (480) 286-6756
http://www.bestwestern.com