Best Western's Global Expansion Continues With Opening of First Premiers in Australia and Russia; 146 Best Western Premiers Now in 34 Countries

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Jul 31, 2012, 09:00 ET

PHOENIX, July 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The recently opened BEST WESTERN PREMIER Hotel 115 Kew in Melbourne and the Best Western Premier Mona Hotel outside of Moscow join the growing Best Western Premier branded family of hotels around the world. Under the Best Western descriptor program (BEST WESTERN^®, BEST WESTERN PLUS^® and BEST WESTERN PREMIER^®) there are now 146 BEST WESTERN PREMIER hotels in 34 countries.

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"The Best Western descriptor program is designed to make it easier for Best Western customers to choose the type of hotel that best fits their needs," said Best Western International President and CEO David Kong. "The Best Western Premier properties provide customers upscale amenities, personalized guest services and a luxury hotel experience at the value proposition they have come to trust from the Best Western brand."

Best Western Premier branded hotels not only offer leisure and business travelers an upscale hotel experience, but also hotel developers the opportunity to reach into new geographic markets with an upscale Best Western brand. Highlights of the Best Western Premier brand include:

In the second half of 2012, Best Western Premier hotels are scheduled to open in new markets including: Dominican Republic, Haiti, Kuwait, Malaysia, Nairobi and Oman.
The number of Best Western Premier hotels open in North America is expected to grow by 50 percent in the next 12 months.
Results of a June 2012 Best Western Member Satisfaction Survey, showed that 100 percent of North American Best Western Premier hotel owners are very satisfied or satisfied with and would recommend the Best Western brand.

The newest addition to the growing number of Best Western PREMIER branded hotels in North America is the BEST WESTERN PREMIER Hotel L' Aristocrate in Quebec City, Canada. Nine new Best Western Premier hotels, spread throughout the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean, are scheduled to open by the end 2012.

"We have several exciting Best Western Premier properties opening in North America that not only exemplify the upscale experience offered by the Best Western Premier brand, but also illustrate the flexibility in design and unique characteristics that define each Best Western Premier property," said Mark Williams, vice president of North American Development. "Scheduled to open in 2012, both the condo-style BEST WESTERN PREMIER Saratoga Resort Villas in Kissimmee, Florida and the BEST WESTERN PREMIER Petion-Ville Hotel in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, which will cater to the business traveler and offer five-star service and amenities, are excellent examples of the upscale, yet unique types of properties, available to developers under the Best Western Premier brand."

For information about developing a Best Western hotel, visit the Best Western Development website. To discover more about Best Western's 4,000 plus worldwide hotels or to plan and book your next trip, visit bestwestern.com.

Best Western Resources:

Like Best Western on Facebook: facebook.com/BestWestern
Check out the Best Western blog: youmustbetrippin.com
Follow Best Western on Twitter: twitter.com/thebestwestern
Download Best Western's mobile offerings: bestwestern.com/mobileapps
Sign-up for rewards: 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 bestwestern.com.

*Numbers are approximate and may fluctuate.