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Best Western unveils new look, brand at convention

Best Western on Tuesday at its annual convention unveiled a comprehensive brand refresh, a new midscale brand and plans for a new website, mobile site and app.

With a conference theme, “Best Western is there,” Best Western President and CEO David Kong told the 1,970 hotel representatives in attendance, “Our convention theme speaks to our global presence. The theme also conveys a promise – a promise not just from one member to another, but a promise from all of us to our guests. From the day our brand was founded, we have set high standards in cleanliness and upkeep, to be a gracious host and to treat our guests like family. Given all the improvements we have made, we can now take our promise a step further.”

“We are on the brink of a powerful repositioning of our brand,” added Jayesh Patel, board chairman for Best Western.

Master brand and seven hotel brand logos
Master brand and seven hotel brand logos

Brand refresh, new look

As part of the brand refresh, Best Western International was renamed Best Western Hotels & Resorts. To support the new master brand name, Best Western has launched a new master logo and new logos for Best Western, Best Western Plus and Best Western Premier, which took about two years to develop. The rebranding emphasizes the brand’s initials, “BW,” in the new logo and will be used across all communication channels

“It was like a comfortable pair of jeans,” said Kong about Best Western’s former logo. “We need to appear more contemporary and relevant to broaden appeal. We are a fresh and vibrant brand. We have earned the right to have new logos.”

“We must always remember that our hotels create the brand,” Patel said. “If our brand is successful, our hotels will do well and will be able to raise rates. We must always act in the best interest of the brand.”

GLo: New suburban brand

Best Western also launched its seventh brand Tuesday, GLo, a midscale new-construction, suburban brand that aims to offer “a hip, boutique-style experience for savvy travelers who expect the best in value, design and comfort.”

“It is true there are a lot of boutique and lifestyle brands,” Kong said. “What’s interesting is nobody has an affordable boutique concept in the midscale segment. We believe there is a huge market for a fresh and hip concept for the broad midscale segment. It will have a striking design with plenty of selfie moments.”

Exterior rendering at GLo
Exterior rendering at GLo
Lobby and business bar rendering at GLo
Lobby and business bar rendering at GLo
Guestroom rendering at GLo
Guestroom rendering at GLo

Reflected in the brand’s name, GLo’s architecture and design have elements that use LED elements. Designed as four-story, 70-room hotels, public areas will also feature contemporary social spaces, efficient design elements and pops of color. Guestrooms will be about 250 square feet (23.2 square meters) and include multi-functional areas, and center-loaded, modern bathrooms. Expected ADR for the brand is US$90 and cost-per-key is projected to be US$65,000. 

Digital development

The launch of a mobile website is the second phase in a three-phase plan to redesign Best Western’s digital platform. Features of the new mobile website include an enhanced visual design that incorporates more images and rich media, a hotel comparison view, improved search function with the ability to filter results based on rate and amenities, a map-based feature that shows nearby attractions, and an integration with the Best Western Rewards program.

In 2016, Best Western will also unveil a new bestwestern.com. Through a partnership with Google, Best Western plans to leverage Google’s search capabilities, Google Business View and Google Business Photos.

“Our new mobile site is designed to be both responsive and adaptive,” Kong said. “The website will intuitively optimize both the display and the content based on the size of the device used.”

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