Strengthening its position as the world`s largest hotel chain,
Strengthening its position as the world`s largest hotel chain,
In January, company officials announced plans to sign more than 400 hotels by year-end. During the first quarter, 35 hotels were added in North America and 45 were signed internationally. Key acquisitions in North America included Best Westerns in Houston, Texas; Boston, Mass.; Newark, NJ and Charlotte, NC. Key international additions included the first ever Best Western in Hong Kong and continued expansion in Europe and Asia.
We attribute this phenomenal growth to our enhanced quality initiatives, the launch of the Best Requests global minimum standards program and innovative development ideas such as our hotel prototype program, said Mark Williams, vice president of North American Development for Best Western. These enhancements are appealing to prospective hoteliers along with the recognition that comes from being associated with the world`s largest hotel chain.
Despite economic uncertainty, we feel confident in our ability to continue to grow our brand, Williams added. Best Western offers the lowest affiliation fees when compared to brands offering similar services and the recent customer shift from high-end to mid-scale hotels is also in our favor.
Best Western will continue to target areas where the brand is under-represented and can add properties to raise visibility and awareness. Markets will include a mix of urban, airport and resort properties.
Internationally, Europe is where Best Western has experienced most of its growth. France leads the way with nine new properties during the first quarter, followed by Italy, Belgium, Germany and the United Kingdom with four new properties each. In addition, expansion efforts will continue throughout Asia.
In Southeast Asia, our strategy has been to target top quality, high visibility, mid-scale properties in the key gateway cities, said Suzi MacDonald, vice president of International Operations for Best Western. Earlier this year, we introduced our first hotel in Hong Kong. We are now excited to announce yet another major accomplishment by adding our first hotel in Seoul, Korea.
The Best Western Rosedale on the Park is located in Hong Kong. The hotel is a 33-story, high-rise hotel being described as a Cyber Boutique facility. The hotel is believed to be the world`s first custom built, high-tech hotel, offering guests a wide array of technological amenities. The Best Western New Seoul Hotel in Seoul is a 155-room, four-star property located in the heart of the city`s business and economic district.
Best Western is the world`s largest hotel chain with more than 4,000 hotels in 80 countries and territories. It is a membership association of independently owned and operated hotels that provides marketing, reservations and operational support to its member hotels.
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