BEST WESTERN PREMIER Petion-Ville Celebrates Grand Opening in Haiti

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, April 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The opening of the BEST WESTERN PREMIER Petion-Ville marks the first U.S. branded full-service hotel to open in Haiti and marks a significant milestone in the revitalization of the country.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130408/LA89806-a)

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130408/LA89806-b)

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120113/MM35506LOGO-b)

The 106 room full-service hotel is located in the business corridor north of Port-au-Prince and will provided lodging and meeting space for financial and government institutions, humanitarian organizations, non-government organizations and business and leisure travelers visiting the country. "The opening of the BEST WESTERN PREMIER Petion-Ville, provides critically needed hotel rooms, creates jobs and revenue for the local economy and is a reflection of the continuing progress being made towards the recovery of Haiti," said Mark Williams, vice president of North American Development for Best Western International at Thursday's official grand opening celebration. "This hotel is proof that Haiti is indeed open for business and it will help encourage additional business investment in Haiti."

Best Western International initially signed a development deal with Carabimmo SA in 2008 and was scheduled to begin construction within weeks of when the devastating earthquake hit in January 2010. Williams credits the local ownership group's tenacity, drive and desire to bring positive growth to Haiti with being able to overcome incredible obstacles and move this project forward to completion. "We are proud of not only the positive economic impact this project has had in the local community and in Haiti, but also what it means for the image of Haiti and its recovery as a business and leisure travel destination in the Caribbean," stated Stanley Handal of Carabimmo SA.

The full-service luxury hotel project, funded by two Haitian banks, Unibank and Capital Bank, broke ground in 2011 with the goal of investing in the local community, providing jobs and sourcing Haitian goods and services to build and furnish the hotel. The result is the creation of 130 local hospitality jobs and the work of more than 100 local artisans and craftsmen used in the design and décor of the hotel and also available for sale in the hotel's art gallery. "With global support from our partner Best Western, not only will this hotel be a success in Haiti, but it will attract additional investment into Haiti and help drive expansion of the Haitian market globally," added Handal.

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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 67 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 15 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, race car driver Michael Waltrip, and Harley-Davidson® provide travelers with exciting ways to interact with the brand. In 2012, Best Western won a record number of awards, including AAA's Hotel Partner of the Year, CAA's Partner of the Year, TravelClick's eMarketer of the Year and Compuware's Best of the Web Gold awards.

For more information or to make a reservation, please visit bestwestern.com.

*Numbers are approximate and may fluctuate.

SOURCE Best Western International