HOTELS & RESORTS

STRONG 2007 PROPELS BEST WESTERN INTERNATIONAL TOWARD BRAND ENHANCEMENT IN 2008
PHOENIX (Jan. 30, 2008) – The Best Western brand delivered a record-setting $1.1 billion in reservations revenue to its hotels in 2007, while successfully streamlining its property portfolio. The World’s Largest Hotel Chain ended the fiscal year with 4,021 hotels in 80 countries – down from nearly 4,164 in 2006 – including 2,287 in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean, and 1,734 internationally.
The current number of hotels is the result of stepped-up brand quality assurance efforts during 2007.
“Roughly 400,000 guests stay at Best Western hotels every night, and we won’t let them down. We must consistently deliver on our brand promise of quality and value,” said David Kong, president and CEO. “Enhancing our member portfolio will help us achieve this.”
With a focus on primary markets, Best Western’s improved development process helped the brand open 94 newly-built or converted properties in key U.S. and Canadian markets last year:
· San Francisco: Best Western Hotel California and Best Western Hotel Tomo
· Miami Beach, Fla.: Best Western Atlantic Beach Resort
· Chicago: Best Western Chicago Hillside
· Charleston, S.C.: Best Western Charleston Downtown Hotel
· Dallas area: Best Western Duncanville Inn & Suites
· Halifax, Nova Scotia: Best Western Chocolate Lake Hotel
· Winnipeg, Manitoba: Best Western Pembina Inn & Suites
Best Western also saw strong growth in Asia. The chain is on pace to have more than 200 hotels on the continent by 2010; most are new-builds at the four- or five-star level. Seven new hotels opened in China, including a four-star 430-room property in Beijing’s Olympic Village. A new master licensing agreement in India is expected to bring 100 new hotels to the burgeoning hospitality market over the next decade.
Best Western added an additional 150 properties across the globe, including the Best Western Premier Hotel Majestic Plaza, a 190-room property in the heart of Prague; the Best Western Hotel Berlin-Mitte in Berlin’s historic district; the Best Western Bel Air Copenhagen, located near the city’s international airport; Best Western Premier La Promenade New Caledonia, an all-suite beachfront resort property in the Pacific Islands; and the Best Western Ecovista Hotel in El Calafate, Argentina, just outside UNESCO-protected Glaciers National Park.
ABOUT BEST WESTERN INTERNATIONAL
Best Western International is THE WORLD'S LARGEST HOTEL CHAIN?, providing marketing, reservations and operational support to over 4,000* independently owned and operated member hotels in 80* countries and territories worldwide. An industry pioneer since 1946, Best Western has grown into an iconic brand that hosts 400,000* worldwide guests each night. Best Western's diverse property portfolio, its greatest strength, stems from a business model designed to give owners maximum flexibility to address market-specific needs. Equally committed to the business and leisure traveler, Best Western recently embarked on a five-year mission to lead the hotel industry in customer care. Since 2004, Best Western has served as the Official Hotel of NASCAR?. For more information or to make a reservation, please visit www.bestwestern.com.
*Numbers are approximate and can fluctuate.