Award-Winning Best Western Rewards Loyalty Program Celebrates 30th Anniversary

Phoenix (Arizona) – May 16, 2018 (travelindex) – Best Western Hotels & Resorts is celebrating A Rewarding 30 Years with the milestone anniversary of Best Western Rewards. Since its inception in 1988, Best Western Rewards (BWR) has grown from 180,000 members to more than 32 million today. With points that never expire and access to the richest promotions in the hotel industry, BWR has been frequently recognized as an innovator, achieving a top five ranking in U.S. News & World Report’s 2017-2018 Best Hotel Rewards Programs and ranking one of the top three Best Hotel Rewards by WalletHub in 2017. With each year, the program continues to raise the bar, and now offers the industry’s lowest point threshold, free nights with no blackout dates and unique seasonal promotions.

In honor of the 30th anniversary of BWR, Best Western Hotels & Resorts today announced that it will gift lifetime Diamond Select Status to all 1,859 members who have remained a loyal part of the program since its inaugural year. Diamond Select Status offers 50% bonus points per stay, a choice of a thank you gift or points upon arrival and guaranteed free night availability.

“Year after year, our priority is to enhance overall guest satisfaction and tailor our rewards program to the travel aspirations of our members,” said Dorothy Dowling, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Best Western Hotels & Resorts. “We wanted to find a unique way to reward the members who have been with us since the beginning, and we are thrilled to celebrate with them by providing lifetime elite to them as a thank you for their continued loyalty.”

BWR has successfully evolved over three decades, demonstrating a commitment to delivering exceptional guest experiences with a renewed focus each year to offer easily redeemable and tremendously valuable benefits.

Top-Ranked, Rich Rewards
BWR is the only loyalty program in the industry where points never expire, and members have access to the richest promotions in the industry. Reward redemption begins at a lower point level requirement relative to industry competitors, and free nights earned can be redeemed at any Best Western branded hotel worldwide, with no blackout dates. Additionally, members have access to special rates and can receive up to 10% off on every night and redeem free nights that count towards attaining elite tiers. Finally, members can earn gift cards from some of the most popular shopping, entertainment, gas, and airline partners.

Instant Enrollment, Instant Rewards
Members are given instant rewards and gratification on every stay. Additionally, the Status Match…No Catch® program allows members to have their status matched with other hotel loyalty programs immediately upon enrollment.

Elite Members, Elite Rewards
In addition to enjoying the perks and benefits of BWR, elite members also receive elite rewards. Upon arrival elite members are given a choice of a “Thank You” gift or bonus points. Additionally, Best Western hotels provide guaranteed free nights for Diamond and Diamond select members at properties with availability.

BWR guests are also given a digital membership card that helps them simply and conveniently access their membership number, point balance, current tier level and exclusive deals and offers. These enhanced benefits, combined with the lowest free night redemption threshold in the industry, enable travelers to maximize stays across all 11 Best Western brands.

For more information on BWR and to sign up, please visit BestWestern.com/Rewards.

About Best Western Hotels & Resorts:
Best Western Hotels & Resorts headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, is a privately held hotel brand with a global network of 4,200* hotels in more than 100* countries and territories worldwide. Best Western offers 11 hotel brands to suit the needs of developers and guests in every market: Best Western®, Best Western Plus®, Best Western Premier®, Vīb®, GLō®, Executive Residency by Best Western®, BW Premier CollectionSM by Best Western, and BW Signature CollectionSM by Best Western; as well as its recently launched franchise offerings: SureStay® Hotel by Best Western, SureStay Plus® Hotel by Best Western and SureStay Collection® by Best Western. Now celebrating more than 70 years of hospitality, Best Western provides its hoteliers with global operational, sales and marketing support, and award-winning online and mobile booking capabilities. Best Western continues to set industry records regarding awards and accolades, including 64 percent of the brand’s North American hotels earning a TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence award in 2017, Business Travel News® ranking Best Western Plus and Best Western number one in upper-mid-price and mid-price hotel brands, and Best Western receiving seven consecutive Dynatrace® Best of the Web awards for its leading hotel website. Best Western has also won nine consecutive AAA®/CAA® Lodging Partner of the Year awards, recognizing the brand’s commitment to providing exceptional service and great value to AAA/CAA’s nearly 58 million members in the U.S. and Canada. Best Western-branded hotels were top ranked in J.D. Power’s 2017 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study – ranking first in breakfast (food and beverage category) for midscale; and second in overall guest satisfaction. Over 32 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. Best Western’s partnerships with AAA/CAA and Harley-Davidson® provide travelers with exciting ways to interact with the brand. Through its partnership with Google® Street View, Best Western is the first major company of its size and scale to launch a virtual reality experience for customers, setting a new industry standard and reinventing how guests view hotels.
– All Best Western and SureStay-branded hotels are independently owned and operated.
– Numbers are approximate, may fluctuate, and include hotels currently in the development pipeline.

Contact information:
Marketing Communications Department
Best Western Hotels and Resorts – Asia
Tel: +66 2 656 1260
Sirimanas Maungrod
Email: sirimanas.maungrod@bestwestern.com
Orapan Sornnuwat
Email: orapan.sornnuwat@bestwestern.com