WorldHotels has been acquired by Best Western Hotels & Resorts, marking another change of ownership since it was bought over by US-based hospitality sales and marketing consortium Associated Luxury Hotels two years ago.
The WorldHotels brand, which represents a collection of approximately 300 hotels and resorts around the world, will play a “critical role” in enhancing Best Western’s portfolio of offerings to include the upper upscale and luxury segments, according to a statement from the US-headquartered hospitality group.
WorldHotels will maintain its individuality while benefiting from Best Western’s scalable e-commerce platform, partnerships, loyalty programme, sales and marketing support, global distribution network, and revenue engines.
“Best Western is one of the largest, most respected and trusted hotel brands,” said Geoff Andrew, CEO, WorldHotels. “As we join forces, the combined power of our brands sets the stage for a bright future for both Best Western and WorldHotels. Through its established senior leadership team and regional presence in each market, Best Western brings a new level of expertise that will help grow the WorldHotels brand in key markets.”
David Kong, president and CEO of Best Western Hotels & Resorts, said: “In the coming months, our focus will be to unlock WorldHotels’ potential by improving revenue delivery to its hotels while protecting its independent identity. We believe our platform and revenue engines will benefit WorldHotels and attract many more independence-minded, quality hotels to join the brand.”
Andrew will continue as CEO of WorldHotels “for the foreseeable future”, according to Kong.
