PHOENIX—Best Western Hotels & Resorts today announced that it has inked a master franchise agreement with Delhi-based Sorrel Hospitality. Led by a team of seasoned hospitality industry veterans with extensive experience building and managing hotel portfolios, Sorrel will be responsible for Best Western’s future positioning, growth, and development across India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.
“We see tremendous potential right now in India and we are delighted to have aligned with a company like Sorrel Hospitality, which has an outstanding track record of success, as we work to expand our footprint in India,” said Ron Pohl, senior vice president, brand management, Best Western Hotels & Resorts. “We are confident that Sorrel is the right partner to help us move closer to our very ambitious international expansion goals, and we look forward to working with their team.”
Sorrel has put together a team of leading experts to guide Best Western’s efforts in India, including Gurmeet Singh Uberai, promoter director, Atul Jain, chief operating officer, and Tajinder Singh, vice president sales and marketing. Together, the team will execute a multi-pronged, multi-year development initiative.
Sorrel has already begun an analysis of the Best Western portfolio in India, which currently includes 22 properties. The company will work to identify and retain only those that are most stable and profitable, ensuring the system embodies Best Western’s core values and brand standards. The Sorrel team will focus on enhancing Best Western’s image in India, driving quality and steady, consistent growth for developers and investors. An emphasis will also be placed on improving the guest experience and service culture.
Moving forward, Sorrel will begin aggressively pursuing the development of GLō and Vīb properties, capitalizing on India’s thriving millennial market (more than half of the Indian population is under the age of 25). The company will also officially introduce the Best Western Premier Collection brand to the market, offering an appealing, owner-friendly soft brand to India’s large number of heritage hotels and palaces.
“Sorrel Hospitality is pleased to be working with Best Western and we look forward to leveraging our experience in the Indian market in a variety of ways,” said Jain. “This will include the rollout of a management model, we feel it will better retain the brand’s identity and optimize for success. We look forward to partnering with Best Western to capitalize on the opportunities that exist in this region.”
