Travelers Who Digitally "Check In" to Best Western Hotels Through Social Media Channels Earn Bonus Best Western Rewards Points

PHOENIX, May 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Members of Best Western's global loyalty program, Best Western Rewards®, are now able to earn bonus rewards points redeemable for travel, gift cards, merchandise and more just for using popular social media channels thanks to the brand's partnership with the popular social media platform Topguest.

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Integrating with the Topguest platform allows guests at more than 4,000 Best Western hotels worldwide to instantly earn Best Westerns Rewards points by "checking-in" via location based social media services such as Facebook Places, Gowalla and Foursquare. Rewards members can also earn additional points through Topguest by sharing pictures through the online photo app Instagram and tweeting about their Best Western stay and experience via Twitter as well.  

To instantly earn 50 bonus Rewards points, active Best Western Rewards members connect their existing social media accounts through Topguest.com and then share their Best Western experience via their mobile device. Guests who are not yet Rewards members can also accumulate points via Topguest, which they can then cash in upon joining the free Best Western Rewards program.

"We want to creatively engage Best Western Rewards members who we know are active on a wide range of social media services, from Facebook to Gowalla,  and help them earn that free night even faster," said Tammy Lucas, managing director of marketing programs for Best Western. "Our integration with the Topguest technology platform enables us to measure, encourage, and reward engagement across the entire social web."

The Topguest integration is the latest example of Best Western helping travelers take advantage of one of the most valuable and accessible loyalty programs in the industry. The brand's innovative and award winning "Status Match...No Catch®" program, which allows members of competing loyalty programs to transfer their elite status to Best Western Rewards for free, continues to attract frequent travelers to The World's Biggest Hotel Family(sm).

The first widely promoted and packaged programs of its kind in the industry, "Status Match...No Catch" led more than 2,400 travelers to join Best Western Rewards in the two months following last year's launch and to date has generated close to 5,000 new Best Western Rewards members.

Best Western is also currently offering Rewards members the chance to win 6.5 million points, one of the industry's largest ever stand-alone points prizes, as part of the brand's "Jump Start to Summer" promotion. Rewards members can also earn a $50 gift card or 6,500 bonus points as part of the promotion, which runs through June 5th. Guests can register for the promotion at http://www.bestwestern.com/jump.

Best Western Rewards is one of the industry's most generous rewards programs and one of few that is truly international. With more than 4,000 locations in over 90 countries, Best Western makes it easy for members to earn points that can be redeemed for global free room nights with no blackout dates, dining, shopping and entertainment gift cards, gas cards, airline rewards and more. Rewards program members can book their award nights and purchase travel at www.bestwestern.com.

ABOUT BEST WESTERN INTERNATIONAL, INC.

Best Western International, Inc. is THE WORLD'S BIGGEST HOTEL FAMILY(SM), providing marketing, reservations and operational support to over 4,000* BEST WESTERN®, BEST WESTERN PLUS® and BEST WESTERN PREMIER® hotels in over 90* countries and territories worldwide. Each Best Western® branded hotel is independently owned and operated. Now celebrating 65 years of hospitality, Best Western has grown into an iconic brand that hosts 400,000* worldwide guests each night. Equally committed to the business and leisure traveler, Best Western has embarked on a mission to lead the hotel industry in customer care. World Vision is the charity of choice for Best Western in building the world's biggest family, with our hotels and staff sponsoring children in need around the globe. Our partnerships with AAA/CAA, Michael Waltrip Racing™ and Harley-Davidson® help guests make the most of every trip. For the fastest way to a free night globally, join Best Western Rewards®. For more information or to make a reservation, please visit www.bestwestern.com.

*Numbers are approximate and can fluctuate.

ABOUT TOPGUEST

Topguest is a technology company that translates social media activity by loyalty program members into incremental engagement and transaction opportunities. Launched in 2010, their clients include the largest travel loyalty programs including Best Western. The Topguest platform seamlessly connects client loyalty programs with top social media services including Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Instagram, and Gowalla. The Company is backed by notable Silicon Valley venture capital firms, including the first investors in Facebook. Topguest is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay area.  www.topguest.com | www.facebook.com/topguest | www.twitter.com/topguest

SOURCE Best Western International, Inc.