Best Western Hotels & Resorts Revolutionizes Business Model, Unveiling New
Three SureStay Brands Give Upper Economy & Midscale Owners Access to BW's Global
PHOENIX, AZ. September 28, 2016 - Best Western® Hotels & Resorts today made a bold move, introducing SureStay Hotels - a revolutionary new 'white label' franchise model in the hotel industry. SureStay will operate as a separate subsidiary while plugging hotel owners into the company's infrastructure and distribution channels.
With three distinctive brands - SureStay Hotel (Premium Economy), SureStay Plus Hotel (Lower Midscale) and SureStay Signature Collection (Midscale Soft Brand) - Best Western aims to provide options in the marketplace for franchisees who are disillusioned by one-sided contracts that do not deliver.
“In North America, there are currently 17,000 branded hotels, and another 12,000 unbranded, in the economy and midscale segments. The white label approach allows Best Western to tap into this tremendous potential without compromising its brand image,” said David Kong, President & CEO of Best Western Hotels & Resorts. “Currently, many of these hotels have little to no consumer relevance. Their brands have very little potential to drive superior revenue, and the owners are incurring high franchise fees from brands that don't provide the necessary support, service or value.”
SureStay was developed under the AAHOA Fair Franchising Principles, granting owners fair and reasonable early termination provisions with no liquidated damages, allowing them to have a voice through advisory committees, and allowing procurement outside of brand channels. All three brands will be marketed under the SureStay umbrella, with no consumer reference to Best Western Hotels & Resorts. This will allow Best Western to leverage its existing infrastructure while creating a new revenue stream, tapping into the vast opportunities that exist today in the economy space, without compromising the company's already established position in its current segments.
The benefits to ownership groups who choose to join SureStay are extensive. SureStay hotels will have access to Best Western Hotels & Resorts' preferred OTA commission rates, its scale and global distribution, award-winning desktop and mobile websites and 70 years of industry expertise. Owners will be provided a cloud-based PMS and benefit from a robust digital platform featuring Google 360 virtual reality tours and enhanced SEO and SEM support. The hotels will receive individualized corporate consulting to help manage reviews and social media platforms and property-level sales coaching. In addition, they will receive the support of a global sales team focused on commercial and leisure clients.
To qualify for SureStay, hotels will need to achieve and maintain a TripAdvisor score of 3.5 or higher. They will also need to adhere to the SureStay Service Promise, which will be a key point of emphasis.
“With SureStay, we are seeking to create a core group of hotels that will differentiate themselves from others in the market, focusing on delivering high quality and outstanding service,” said Kong. “There is no PIP for SureStay hotels. Rather, we are working to create consumer relevance and confidence through unprecedented quality and care. We believe this will really resonate with consumers in these segments.”
The first 100 hotels to join SureStay will receive an array of incentives, including waived royalty fees for 5 years, a regional manager to kick-start their sales and marketing efforts, and hotel-level training support. Additionally, 100% of the marketing and technology fee (5%) will be re-invested to help hotels succeed.
SureStay opens up a migration path for Best Western hotels who do not wish to pursue its design program. Nearly 20 SureStay letters of intent have already been signed since a soft launch to Best Western members earlier this month. Initial projections for SureStay's growth have 150 hotels online within three years and 800 by 2026.
“We believe SureStay creates a win-win-win situation - the consumers win through superior customer care, the hotels win through superior ROI and the brand wins through a new revenue stream,” said Kong. “Best Western members are firmly behind this concept as they understand the benefits and potential of this strategy. We are gratified by the warm reception and excitement surrounding SureStay, and feel we are off to a tremendous start.”
To learn more about development opportunities please visit http://www.surestaydevelopers.com/
About Best Western Hotels & Resorts:
Best Western® Hotels & Resorts headquartered in Phoenix, Ariz., is a privately held hotel brand with a global network of 4,100* hotels in more than 100* countries and territories worldwide. Best Western offers seven hotel brands to suit the needs of developers and guests in every market: Best Western®, Best Western Plus®, Best Western Premier®, Executive Residency by Best Western℠, Vîb®, BW Premier Collection® and GLo℠. Now celebrating 70 years of hospitality, Best Western provides its hoteliers with global operational, sales and marketing support, and online and mobile booking capabilities. More than 26 million travelers are members of the brand's award-winning loyalty program Best Western Rewards®, one of the few programs in which members earn points that never expire and can be redeemed at any Best Western hotel worldwide. The brand's partnerships with AAA/CAA, Minor League Baseball, and Harley-Davidson® provide travelers with exciting ways to interact with the brand. Best Western continues to set industry records regarding awards and accolades, including Business Travel News naming Best Western as the best midscale hotel brand in 2014 and Best Western Plus as the best upper mid-price hotel brand in 2014 and 2015, four consecutive Compuware Best of the Web gold awards for best hotel website, and seven consecutive AAA/CAA Hotel Partner of the Year awards. Nearly 60 percent of Best Western branded hotels earned a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence award in 2015. * Numbers are approximate, may fluctuate, and include hotels currently in the development pipeline.
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Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is a global leading lodging company based in Bethesda,Maryland, USA, with more than 4,200 properties in 80 countries and territories. Marriott International reported revenues of nearly $14 billion in fiscal year 2014. The company operates and franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts under 19 brands, including: The Ritz-Carlton®, BVlgari®, EDITION®, JW Marriott®, Autograph Collection® Hotels, Renaissance® Hotels, Marriott Hotels®, Delta Hotels and Resorts®, Marriott Executive Apartments®, Marriott Vacation Club®, Gaylord Hotels®, AC Hotels by Marriott®, Courtyard®, Residence Inn®, SpringHill Suites®, Fairfield Inn & Suites®, TownePlace Suites®, Protea Hotels® and MoxyHotels®. Marriott has been consistently recognized as a top employer and for its superior business ethics. The company also manages the award-winning guest loyalty program, Marriott Rewards® and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards® program, which together surpass 50 million members. For more information or reservations, please visit our website at 
