Best Western GB
Encyclopedia
Best Western GB claims to be the largest independently owned and managed hotel
chain in Great Britain
and the Channel Islands
with over 280 two, three and four star properties. Best Western GB provides sales, revenue and marketing
services to all of its member hotels. Best Western Hotels GB is the international trading name of Interchange and Consort Hotels Limited.
Best Western Hotels GB has a wide variety of hotels ranging from castle
s such as the Best Western Walworth Castle Hotel
in Darlington to small hotels such as the Best Western Cliffe Hotel in Bath. They attract a roughly equal mix of corporate and leisure customers through a portfolio of city centre and countryside hotel locations.
Best Western Hotels GB offers free high speed internet access
in all public areas and bedrooms. Best Western Hotels GB as a brand also includes 8 Best Western Premier hotels.
in the US
since 1978.
Best Western International charges an initial cost to the member hotel and an annual fee for each bedroom. Best Western International also publishes a list of quality standards that each hotel needs to maintain. On joining Best Western Hotels GB, each hotel commits to an initial 3 years of membership with the group, after which membership rolls over on an annual basis.
The hotels are encouraged to keep their independent identity however they must use Best Western’s brand
ing and signage and identify themselves as a Best Western hotel. The hotels can also use their own independent name as part of their identity.
In 1978 the group elected to trade under the brand name Best Western Great Britain, effectively an affiliate of Best Western International
in the US.
Interchange merged with Consort Hotels in 1999. Interchange and Consort Hotels has since diversified into Beacon and InnFutures and is now the umbrella brand for all 3 companies. Launched in 2000, Beacon claims to be the largest purchasing consortium in the UK hospitality sector, helping over 2000 independent businesses (including Best Western hotels GB members) get exclusive deals on hospitality services and suppliers. InnFutures was launched in 2008 and introduces hotel owners, including Best Western hotels, and management contract companies to manage their hotels. The hotel owners decide InnFutures’ level of involvement.
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
chain in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and the Channel Islands
Channel Islands
The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...
with over 280 two, three and four star properties. Best Western GB provides sales, revenue and marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
services to all of its member hotels. Best Western Hotels GB is the international trading name of Interchange and Consort Hotels Limited.
Best Western Hotels GB has a wide variety of hotels ranging from castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
s such as the Best Western Walworth Castle Hotel
Walworth Castle
Walworth Castle is a 16th century mansion house, built in the style of a medieval castle and situated at Walworth, near Darlington, County Durham, England. It is a Grade 1 listed building. It was completed around 1600, probably by Thomas Holt for Thomas Jenison. It stands on the site of a former...
in Darlington to small hotels such as the Best Western Cliffe Hotel in Bath. They attract a roughly equal mix of corporate and leisure customers through a portfolio of city centre and countryside hotel locations.
Best Western Hotels GB offers free high speed internet access
Broadband Internet access
Broadband Internet access, often shortened to just "broadband", is a high data rate, low-latency connection to the Internet— typically contrasted with dial-up access using a 56 kbit/s modem or satellite Internet with inherently high latency....
in all public areas and bedrooms. Best Western Hotels GB as a brand also includes 8 Best Western Premier hotels.
Business model
Best Western Hotels GB has been an affiliate member of Best Western InternationalBest Western
Best Western International, Inc. is the third largest hotel chain, with over 4,195 hotels in nearly 80 countries. The chain, with its corporate headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, operates more than 2,000 hotels in North America alone. Best Western has a marketing program involving placement of free...
in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
since 1978.
Best Western International charges an initial cost to the member hotel and an annual fee for each bedroom. Best Western International also publishes a list of quality standards that each hotel needs to maintain. On joining Best Western Hotels GB, each hotel commits to an initial 3 years of membership with the group, after which membership rolls over on an annual basis.
The hotels are encouraged to keep their independent identity however they must use Best Western’s brand
Brand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
ing and signage and identify themselves as a Best Western hotel. The hotels can also use their own independent name as part of their identity.
History
Best Western GB began in 1967 when five independent hoteliers from Cambridge, Chester, Kenilworth, Ripon and Torquay sought to work together to generate referrals, maximise their marketing budgets and increase sales as a result. Together they formed Interchange Hotels of Great Britain. Within weeks of this formation, a further six independent hotels joined the group.In 1978 the group elected to trade under the brand name Best Western Great Britain, effectively an affiliate of Best Western International
Best Western
Best Western International, Inc. is the third largest hotel chain, with over 4,195 hotels in nearly 80 countries. The chain, with its corporate headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, operates more than 2,000 hotels in North America alone. Best Western has a marketing program involving placement of free...
in the US.
Interchange merged with Consort Hotels in 1999. Interchange and Consort Hotels has since diversified into Beacon and InnFutures and is now the umbrella brand for all 3 companies. Launched in 2000, Beacon claims to be the largest purchasing consortium in the UK hospitality sector, helping over 2000 independent businesses (including Best Western hotels GB members) get exclusive deals on hospitality services and suppliers. InnFutures was launched in 2008 and introduces hotel owners, including Best Western hotels, and management contract companies to manage their hotels. The hotel owners decide InnFutures’ level of involvement.