Best Western® Hotels & Resorts Acquires Global Upper Upscale And Luxury Hotel Collection, WorldHotels™

Best Western now boasts a portfolio of hotel brands in every chain scale segment

PHOENIX, Feb. 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Best Western® Hotels & Resorts announced today it has acquired renowned global hotel brand WorldHotels™ representing a collection of approximately 300 unique and special hotels and resorts in premier destinations around the world.

"There is tremendous synergy between Best Western and WorldHotels. By joining forces in this new partnership, we will create competitive advantages for both companies," said David Kong, President and CEO of Best Western Hotels & Resorts. "I have the utmost respect for WorldHotels and believe in its vast potential."

The acquisition of WorldHotels was completed last week. The WorldHotels brand will play a critical role in enhancing Best Western's portfolio of offerings to include the upper upscale and luxury segments.

WorldHotels will maintain its distinctive personality and individuality while benefiting from Best Western's robust and scalable E-Commerce platform, strong partnerships, award-winning loyalty program, effective sales and marketing support, global distribution network, and powerful revenue engines.

"Best Western is one of the largest, most respected and trusted hotel brands," said Geoff Andrew, CEO, WorldHotels. "As we join forces, the combined power of our brands sets the stage for a bright future for both Best Western and WorldHotels. Through its established senior leadership team and regional presence in each market, Best Western brings a new level of expertise that will undoubtedly help grow the WorldHotels brand in key markets."

Best Western has been on a journey of amazing transformation over the past several years. In the last year alone, Best Western was named one of the world's Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company, expanded its portfolio to 13 dynamic brands reaching new guests in new segments, and won a record number of industry awards and accolades. The acquisition is a testament to Best Western's commitment to growth, modernization and continued progression, bolstering the company's position as a trusted leader in the global hospitality industry.

"In the coming months, our focus will be to unlock WorldHotels' potential by improving revenue delivery to its hotels while protecting its independent identity. We truly believe our platform and revenue engines will benefit WorldHotels and attract many more independence–minded, quality hotels to join the brand. We are very pleased that Geoff Andrew will continue as CEO of WorldHotels for the foreseeable future," concluded Kong.

About Best Western® Hotels & Resorts:
Best Western Hotels & Resorts headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, is a privately held hotel brand with a global network of over 4,200 hotels in nearly 100 countries and territories worldwide*. Best Western offers 13 hotel brands to suit the needs of developers and guests in every market: Best Western®, Best Western Plus®, Best Western Premier®, Vīb®, GLō®, Executive Residency by Best Western®, Sadie Hotel^SM, Aiden Hotel^SM, BW Premier Collection® by Best Western, and BW Signature Collection® by Best Western, as well as its recently launched franchise offerings: SureStay® Hotel by Best Western, SureStay Plus® Hotel by Best Western and SureStay Collection® by Best Western**. Now celebrating more than 70 years of hospitality, Best Western provides its hoteliers with global operational, sales and marketing support, and award-winning online and mobile booking capabilities. Best Western continues to set industry records regarding awards and accolades, including 66 percent of the brand's North American hotels earning a TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence award in 2018, Business Travel News® ranking Best Western Plus and Best Western number one in upper-mid-price and mid-price hotel brands respectively for two consecutive years, and Fast Company honoring Best Western Hotels & Resorts with a spot in the Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in the Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality category. Best Western has also won 10 consecutive AAA®/CAA® Lodging Partner of the Year awards, recognizing the brand's commitment to providing exceptional service and great value to AAA/CAA's nearly 60 million members in the U.S. and Canada. Best Western-branded hotels were top ranked in breakfast (food and beverage category) by J.D. Power's 2018 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study – ranking first for midscale; and second for upper midscale. Over 37 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-branded hotel worldwide. Best Western's partnerships with AAA/CAA and Google® Street View provide travelers with exciting ways to interact with the brand. Through its partnership with Google Street View, Best Western is the first major company of its size and scale to launch a virtual reality experience for customers, setting a new industry standard and reinventing how guests view hotels.
* Numbers are approximate, may fluctuate, and include hotels currently in the development pipeline.
**All Best Western and SureStay branded hotels are independently owned and operated.

About WorldHotels™ Collection:
The WorldHotels™ Collection delivers proven soft brand solutions for a curated global offering of 300 of the finest independent hotels and resorts.  Founded by hoteliers dedicated to the art of hospitality, only WorldHotels curates the best independent properties around the globe, each reflective of the locale by offering intuitive service, and a refined sense of character. WorldHotels' proprietary 'Start With Why' philosophy helps each hotel identify their unique set of assets that distinguish and elevate their guest experience and revenue generation performance from the competition. Geared to both business and leisure travelers, the WorldHotels Collection is classified into three tiers allowing guests to select the offering that meets their needs: WorldHotels Luxury, WorldHotels Elite and WorldHotels Distinctive.

Media Contact
Kelly Dalton
Senior Director, Communications
602.957.5752
[email protected]

Samantha Jacobs/Lindsey Wiegmann
Hemsworth Communications
954.716.7614
[email protected]

SOURCE Best Western Hotels & Resorts