1200+ Best Western Hotels Worldwide Awarded Consumer-Driven TripAdvisor Certificates Of Excellence

PHOENIX, June 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Best Western International, THE WORLD'S BIGGEST HOTEL FAMILY^®, received more than 1200 TripAdvisor Certificates of Excellence globally – with more than 600 recipients in North America.

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This highly coveted award is determined by customer experience ratings. To qualify for the Certificate of Excellence, businesses must maintain an overall rating of four or higher, out of a possible five, as reviewed by travelers on TripAdvisor.com.

"The TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence Award gives highly rated establishments around the world the recognition they deserve. This year, just 10 percent of hotels listed on TripAdvisor received the award. Best Western is certainly a leader in the midscale hotel market with 30 percent of their hotels being honored with the Certificate of Excellence," said Christine Petersen, president, TripAdvisor for Business.

The large percentage of Best Western hotels worldwide receiving the Certificate of Excellence is derived from more than 98 percent of Best Western hotels in North America receiving a rating of three or better by travelers on TripAdvisor.com. These distinctions follow a recent Brand Keys survey which named Best Western the number one brand in the mid-scale hotel market that "Delights the Consumer."

"Earning so many Certificates of Excellence validates our brand's commitment to providing superior customer care and that our hotel owners truly use customer care as a differentiator in their competitive marketplaces," said Dorothy Dowling, senior vice president, marketing and sales, Best Western International.

With its recently launched I Care Clean initiative, Best Western continues to innovate in its approach to customer care. In response to industry research indicating consumers rated clean and well-maintained hotels their number one priority – surpassing customer service – Best Western developed the I Care Clean program. The program takes hotel cleanliness to the next level utilizing ultra violet (UV) sterilization wands, UV inspection black lights, clean remotes and pillow and blanket wraps. As a result, guest satisfaction scores for "overall experience" are up 13.3 percent at Best Western hotels trained to use the new cleaning tools.

Best Western Resources:

• Like Best Western on Facebook: www.facebook.com/BestWestern
• Check out the Best Western blog: www.youmustbetrippin.com
• Follow Best Western on Twitter: twitter.com/thebestwestern
• Download Best Western's mobile offerings: http://www.bestwestern.com/mobileapps/
• Sign-up for rewards: www.bestwesternrewards.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 66 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 14 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, racecar driver Michael Waltrip, and Harley-Davidson® provide travelers with exciting ways to interact with the brand. Best Western in 2011 was named AAA's and CAA's Hotel Partner of the Year and bestwestern.com was named the 2011 Compuware Best of the Web Gold award winner. For more information or to make a reservation, please visit www.bestwestern.com.

*Numbers are approximate and can fluctuate.

SOURCE Best Western International