Best Western extends its offer from budget to luxury

An increasingly diversified portfolio of brands: Best Western is putting this new commitment into practice in a number of ways. Firstly, in the budget segment, the group of independent hotels has launched the Sure Hotel by Best Western brand licence. The hotelier has also strengthened its lifestyle offering with its new banners Sadie on the high-end and its mid-range counterpart Aiden, all in addition to the Vib urban boutique hotels. "The launch of these two brands is part of the Best Western Hotels & Resorts group's strategy to diversify and move upmarket.says Olivier Cohn, Managing Director of Best Western Hotels & Resorts France. Resolutely lifestyle, they offer an authentic travel experience geared towards sharing and encouraging new encounters in a friendly, modern setting."

Finally, in terms of luxury, Best Western has the acquisition of WorldHotels, a voluntary channel with a strong business focus a group of nearly 300 independent hotels. With a presence in most of the world's major business centres, it offers three product ranges: Luxury, Elite and Distinctive. While synergies are to be expected between the two entities, WorldHotels will be integrated into the Best Western portfolio while retaining its independence and its identity. "We are confident that our distribution centre and revenue streams will benefit WorldHotels and attract many more quality, independence-minded hotels to join the brand."said David Kong, CEO of Best Western Hotels & Resorts.

In France, this development is reflected in the first Sure hotels to open in 2018 in Paris, near the Gare du Nord station, as well as in Le Havre and Annemasse. With 283 hotels today, France is a key country for Best Western, as this is its first location after the United States. While continuing upgrading the range of products on offer Through the expansion of the three-star superior (Best Western Plus) and four-star (Best Western Premier) versions, the French management will be rolling out the new multi-brand strategy with an Aiden hotel expected in Margny-les-Compiègne in the first quarter of 2019.

At the same time, Best Western will continue to expand its network. The hotelier has welcomed 18 new arrivals last year, including the Best Western Centre Reims and Atlantys Zénith Nantes, the Best Western Plus Villa d'Est in Strasbourg and Hôtel Littéraire Marcel Aymé in Paris, and the Westminster Hotel & Spa in Nice, a BW Premier collection by Best Western.

These openings were part of a very positive dynamic for the Group, with centralised sales growth of +63% in 2018, to €112 million. This growth was made possible in particular by a sharp rise in the volume of overnight stays (+53%), combined with an increase in the average price (+6%). In this context, the business segment did its part, with the corporate customer portfolio generating sales of 11.5 million euros, an increase of +9.52 1Q3. "This result is mainly due to the partnerships with the consortia, Carlson and Amex, and to the development of foreign accounts. The new partnership with Egencia, rolled out during the year, got off to a good start."says the Group. At the same time, the seminar offer continues to grow, with an increase in average expenditure of +15 % compared with 2017.