BERLIN—Best Western Hotels & Resorts today revealed a development pipeline of close to 500 properties, placing a strong focus on key international markets. The company currently has 239 international locations underway and another 224 in North America—60 percent of which are new-builds.
“It is evident that Best Western continues to provide exceptional value to our owners and developers around the world, as we see interest in our diverse portfolio of brands continuing to grow,” said Suzi Yoder, senior vice president of international operations for Best Western Hotels & Resorts. “It was a thrilling ride for us in 2016 and it is exciting to see even more growth potential on the horizon in 2017. We look forward to adding Best Western hotels in new destinations this year, as well as to expanding some of our newer brands, enhancing our global footprint even further.”
With seven distinct brands, Best Western provides developers tailored product options and more flexibility than ever. A detailed breakdown of Best Western’s current development pipeline includes:
• 224 properties in North America
• 109 in Europe
• 49 in Asia
• 33 in Oceania
• 20 in South America
• 15 in Africa
• 13 in the Middle East
The announcement of Best Western’s current pipeline comes on the heels of a strong 2016, which saw the celebration of the company’s 70th year in business with numerous milestones. In late 2016, Best Western also announced the debut of SureStay Hotel Group℠, designed to provide options to hotel owners who are disillusioned by one-sided contracts that don’t deliver. The new “white label” franchise model is powered by Best Western’s infrastructure and offers easy conversions to one of three SureStay brands—SureStay, SureStay PLUS, and SureStay Signature Collection.
“We’ve received quite a bit of traction early in the process with 30 SureStay hotels already approved and we are expecting to have 100 open by the end of 2017,” said Ron Pohl, senior vice president and COO for Best Western Hotels & Resorts. “SureStay has been a welcome addition and adds to our company’s robust portfolio. We look forward to seeing it grow even further, in addition to the brands that operate under the Best Western Hotels & Resorts umbrella.”
In total in 2016, Best Western welcomed nearly 100 hotels in North America and 102 hotels internationally. The company’s portfolio today stands at more than 4,100 hotels in 100 countries.
