Best Western India, part of Best Western International hotel chain, announced the launch of its new hotel brand descriptor Best Western Plus.
As part of the international brand descriptor programme, the new brand will give Best Western India's member hotels the option to identify their properties as Best Western for midscale properties, Best Western Plus® for Upper midscale hotels and Best Western Premier® for the upscale properties.
"Discerning high end travelers, used to staying in 5 star properties, are unable to find suitable accommodation in tier II cities in India, at the moment. And Best Western Plus is our endeavor to fill this gap in the market with properties which are as good as 5 star products, maybe with less grand and spacious public areas, but with premium guest amenities and well-appointed rooms," Sudhir Sinha, president and COO, Best Western India said.
This launch will have an impact on the Indian hospitality industry - both in terms of shaping the guest expectations from international brands as well as shaping hotel owner expectations in terms of return-on-investment (ROI). "Best Western Plus will also be a much better value proposition for hotel promoters, considering that the ROI will be substantially higher for such upper midscale properties in comparison with upscale 5 star equivalent properties in the tier II cities. The investment required per key for such properties will be substantially lower than a 5 star hotel and the ADR (Average Daily Rate) and occupancies of tier II cities will be able to support such investments, rather than making the project unviable by investing heavily on 5 star products in tier II cities and then suffering on account of poor occupancies," Sinha added.
Currently Best Western in India has sellable room inventory of around 1091 keys, which is expected to increase to around 2416 keys by the end of 2011 with 29 operational hotels. Out of this 4 current hotels will be upgraded to the new Best Western Plus descriptor.
"Descriptors enable better navigation of our large and diverse hotel portfolio, making it easier for business and leisure travelers to know which type of Best Western hotel to book. This promises a satisfying experience to the customers once they check in. We’ve built 65 years of goodwill with guests worldwide and we are constantly evolving to better serve our customers," David Kong, president and CEO of Best Western International said.