Best Western Hotels & Resorts has introduced 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 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 individualised 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.
The first 100 hotels to join SureStay will receive an array of incentives, including waived royalty fees for five years, a regional manager to kick-start their sales and marketing efforts, and hotel-level training support. Additionally, 100 per cent of the marketing and technology fee (5 per cent) will be re-invested to help hotels succeed. Initial projections for SureStay’s growth have 150 hotels online within three years and 800 by 2026.
*****************************************************************************************************************************
Best Western's GLō expands into Asia
BEST Western Hotels & Resorts has reached a major milestone in its Asian development, with the signing of the region’s first ever GLō hotel in Thailand.
Introduced last year, the GLō hotel concept combines bright, eye-catching exterior façades with contemporary, guest-friendly interiors.
And the brand will make its Asian debut in the up-and-coming area of Na Jomtien, just a few minutes’ drive from the popular Thai beach resort of Pattaya.
The new GLō Na Jomtien is being developed by Habitat Group Co., Ltd, with construction work due to commence in September 2017. The new-build hotel is expected to welcome its first guests in 2019.
The newest brand from Best Western Hotels & Resorts, GLō is a dynamic concept that looks set to shake up the midscale sector. Designed specifically for new-build hotels, the concept is easily recognisable by its striking exterior design, which features LED lights to make hotels highly visible from the road. Once inside, guests will benefit from streamlined services and seamless connectivity, such as fast, free wi-fi and plenty of international power outlets.