Like all players in the hotel industry, Best Western's French network continued to feel the impact of the health crisis in 2021, while seeing an encouraging upturn in business. The reservations centre recorded sales up 51% compared with 2020, with average prices only slightly down by 4% compared with 2019, and even better performance than the pre-covid year for its website.
While the Ile-de-France region and, more generally, France's major metropolises continued to suffer, secondary towns such as coastal areas and leisure destinations had a much more positive year. Seminars are another business segment with a clear upturn in form with sales up 34% compared with 2020, despite the first five months of the year still seeing very weak demand. " But as soon as the restrictions were lifted, we saw this market explode.says Olivier Cohn, General Manager of Best Western France. The establishments could have doubled or tripled their capacity, and their rooms would have been full." . On the other hand, for corporate customers, the improvement is more measured (+13%) with, on the one hand, a clear upturn in travel for small and medium-sized businesses and a more timid recovery for large companies.
While leisure activities should continue to drive hotel activity this year, Best Western begins to see the corporate market re-emergeBut the horizon is gradually clearing after two difficult years. But the horizon is gradually clearing after two difficult years: "The increase in the number of establishments over the next few months is very solid, above the pick ups seen in 2019." said Olivier Cohn. At the same time, the 10 pt increase in customer satisfaction in two years - the Net Promoter Score has risen from 52.7 in 2019 to 62.7 in 2021 - suggests that customers are becoming increasingly attached to the network's hotels. The network has also continued to expand in 2021, with Best Western offering 303 establishments by the end of 2021compared with 295 in 2020.
" We have seen extremely dynamic growth in our network, with a number of towns added to our network, including Menton, Nice and Thionville." Quentin Vandevyver, President of the network in France. 24 new hotels have been added to the network, including five Best Westerns, including Bordeaux Sud, and six Best Western Plus, notably at Roissy, near Le Havre station, Bois Guillaume, near Rouen, and Loches. The Aiden lifestyle brand has undergone two new developments in Clermont-Ferrand and Lorient, while the budget brand Sure, launched three years ago, continued to expand in France with four openings near Dieppe, Lille, Montauban and in Plaisir, near Paris. As for the top-of-the-range BW Signature and BW Premier Collection brands, their development has focused mainly on the Côte d'Azur, a region where two top-of-the-range hotels affiliated to Worldhotels, a voluntary chain with a strong business focus which will be acquired by Best Western in 2019, will appear next year.
Best Western unveils its new development objectives
With 25 establishments approved by the Board of Directors in 2021, Best Western's development in France should continue at the same pace in the future. So much so that, for the first time, the hotelier is pleased to announce a target for the size of the network, set at 400 establishments within four years. " A net addition of 25 establishments per yearsays Olivier Cohn. We have a very strong pipeline, and our brands cover all segments, from economy to top-of-the-range."
These ambitions are part of the new 2022-2025 strategic vision presented by Best Western. " Every three years, we carry out a review of the past, of changing consumer expectations and of what the competition is doing, in order to define the direction the network should take." explains Quentin Vandevyver. Named "Towards a hotel industry with a futureThis vision follows three guidelines, starting with strengthening the group's power, in particular by increasing the brand's contribution to 40% of hotel sales - compared with 30% today - or by doubling the production of the reservation site. As part of this distribution strategy, Best Western plans to digitalise its B2B marketing with the launch of a platform for seminar groups or leisure events. Expected soon, it will enable them to select establishments according to their needs for rooms and meeting rooms and send requests to hotels, right up to payment for the event.
Enhancing the customer experience is another of the main thrusts of this new strategy, which also has a digital component through paperless check-in/check-out, the deployment of digital keys in a number of establishments, and the extension of the range of payment methods available to customers. However, while Best Western launched its MyWo, coworking is also part of this enriched experience. While around sixty hotels already have dedicated hybrid work spaces, the clearly stated aim is to have the entire network offering them by the end of the year. " We have two years to gain a share of this market, which is in the process of structuring itself.says Olivier Cohn. We are convinced that the hotel industry must play a major role in this area."
Also in tune with the times, the final theme of the new strategy concerns sustainable development and the Group's social commitment, with the aim of make Best Western France a company with a long-term mission. In addition to strengthening its CSR policy and focusing on initial training, this policy involves a number of commitments, such as the Green Key certification of 75% hotels in the network by 2025, compared with 60 hotels already certified today. From this year, around sixty new establishments should be certified. Other initiatives include a move towards zero plastic and 30% parking spaces equipped with recharging stations.
The Best Western network in figures
3,922 hotels and 352,672 rooms worldwide
2,269 hotels in North America
77 hotels in Central and Latin America
106 hotels in Australia and the South Pacific
171 hotels in Asia-Middle East
19 hotels in Africa
1280 hotels in Europe, including 303 hotels in France
