Phoenix–Since launching its franchise model in Fall 2016, SureStay Hotel Group has surpassed 50 open properties. The group’s portfolio now has 52 properties worldwide and a pipeline of 45 more. The brands aim to provide an alternative for upper-economy/lower-midscale travelers, offering consistent and quality levels of value, comfort, and cleanliness. SureStay is also hoping to attract developers with its fee structure and access to Best Western’s brand. The group is comprised of three distinctive brands–SureStay Hotel by Best Western (classic economy), SureStay Plus Hotel by Best Western (premium economy), and SureStay Collection by Best Western (lower-midscale soft brand).
Best Western Hotels & Resorts embarked on a brand refresh in 2015, creating eight new global brands and bringing its current brand portfolio to 11. In that time, the company has continued to grow in size and scale, as well as penetration in diverse markets globally.
“On the heels of Best Western’s transformative brand refresh, our brand remains committed to identifying opportunities for growth and evolution that foster the needs of today’s travelers and developers,” David Kong, president and CEO of Best Western Hotels & Resorts, says. “SureStay Hotel Group was introduced to provide reliable guest experiences and quality hotel products in the upper-economy/lower-midscale market, and the tremendous results SureStay has realized demonstrates that we’ve achieved exactly what we set out to do.”
Best Western Rewards (BWR) revenue contribution for North America SureStay/SureStay Plus Hotels is at 36.1 percent currently, and Best Western’s reservations system, LYNX, has delivered 40.2 percent of bookings, and total brand contribution is 62.3 percent year-to-date through February 2018.
“We spent a lot of time listening to the needs of developers as we designed SureStay Hotel Group and what we heard was they wanted fair franchise terms, a decent fee model, and best in class support,” Ron Pohl, Chief Operations Officer and Senior Vice President of Best Western Hotels & Resorts, says. “The result is the creation of a brand that has far surpassed our expectations in growth, quality, and scale.”
The company says that the majority of SureStay Hotel Group applicants are seeking to reposition and strengthen existing assets, often as a result of new ownership or renovations. Best Western conversions also comprise a large portion of SureStay Hotel Group properties. Properties must maintain a minimum 3.5 TripAdvisor rating and agree to a satisfaction guarantee and unannounced inspections.
