The iconic logo for the Best Western brand has been a symbol of its global journey, as the company has grown to a diverse collection of more than 4,100 properties in over 100 countries.
The Best Western Hotels & Resorts masterbrand logo pulls through the company’s current blue color, updated with a modern hue and uses the distinctive hand drawn lettering which was created to be contemporary, friendly and memorable. This logo will clearly define that Best Western is a company of hotels and resorts across the globe with brands that meet the needs of today’s travelers.
The design of the Best Western hotel brand logo utilizes the hand drawn lettering, which is familiar and personable and pulls through the company’s updated blue color. The centerpiece globe comes to life through the use of special effects such as gradient, highlighting and a 3-D treatment. These effects will be distinctive within the hotel industry which traditionally uses two-dimensional logos.
The Best Western Plus logo picks up on the brand’s traditional use of red, incorporates the signature lettering and draws more emphasis to the word “Plus” using a contemporary tapered line. The diamond shape, inspired by the shape of a mobile app, distinguishes it from the Best Western hotel brand logo by giving it a more premium look within the upper midscale segment.
The Best Western Premier logo uses a classic yet contemporary font along with unique design elements to exude elegance and style. The BWP monogram brings an iconic expression with its multi-dimensional elliptical shape. The Premier word mark uses customized lettering and is accentuated with a tapered line and ties it to the Best Western masterbrand.
Best Western members will vote on the new logos for Best Western, Best Western Plus and Best Western Premier through a ballot proposal scheduled to launch October 13.
Best Western will be introducing a new construction, broad midscale hotel brand, called GLō, which will offer a hip, boutique style experience for savvy travelers who expect the best in value, design and comfort. The new brand will be designed for secondary markets, suburban and highway locations, and will feature contemporary guest rooms, modern amenities and attractive lighting elements that will create an iconic experience for guests.
Over the past 10 years, Best Western has pursued more than 30 key initiatives to improve the guest experience at our hotels. These initiatives are making an impact – we are winning more industry awards than ever before, RevPAR performance is at a record high and, through the Design Excellence Program, members are improving the product experience. However, despite these achievements, some Worldwide Sales clients continue to state that they do not feel comfortable sending travelers to Best Western due to inconsistency among our hotels in terms of a quality guest experience. In order to address this persistent problem, which is compromising your hard work and investments, a “service promise” for corporate accounts was introduced during Convention today. The service promise was overwhelmingly supported by your Governors during a special meeting in Phoenix this summer. It states, “If something is not meeting your expectation, please let us know. We want to make it right.” With this service promise, Best Western will approach major corporations and offer a money back satisfaction guarantee for their travelers. If dissatisfied, Best Western will refund the stay and deposit Best Western Rewards® points into the traveler’s account to apologize for the inconvenience. A guarantee is the best way to ensure customer satisfaction, gain trust and earn business.
In order to implement this service promise, a ballot proposal will launch on October 13 to amend Best Western Rules and Regulations 300.5 to increase the First Contact Resolution administrative fees for the minority of hotels that are not fulfilling this promise.
Using a phased approach, Best Western is redesigning its digital platform, including bestwestern.com, the mobile website and mobile applications. In August 2015, new property websites were created for over 2,000 properties across North America. This month, Best Western launched its new mobile booking experience, including a mobile website and mobile apps for smart phones and tablets, to provide a cleaner, uncluttered interface that is easy to use. The website and apps are part of a new “mobile first” strategy being implemented by the brand to accommodate the growing number of consumers using smartphones and tablets. Additionally, the new mobile experience will be delivered in English, French, Italian, German and Spanish. In early spring 2016, Best Western will unveil its entirely new bestwestern.com.
Through the new digital platform, we are creating a seamless online experience designed to increase bookings, build loyalty and further elevate the guest experience.
The new corporate name, Best Western Hotels & Resorts, emphasizes the diverse portfolio of 4,100 properties in more than 100 countries. Adding “Hotels & Resorts” to our corporate name better represents the quality and variety of properties globally and will help change the perception and guest expectation of the brand.
While research shows that the current logo is recognizable and familiar, it does not reflect the significant changes Best Western has undergone over the past 10 years. A new brand identity signals change at Best Western hotels and expands the brand’s appeal to travelers who haven’t recently experienced it.
Best Western now offers seven distinct brands, allowing the brand to meet the needs of a diverse range of travelers. In order to expand Best Western’s appeal to consumers who may not be familiar with our updated offerings, it is important we signal the changes made at Best Western branded hotels through a rebranding.
Over the past two years, Best Western has been working closely with leading design and research firms while examining thousands of possible logos. We received feedback from travelers, travel buyers, partners, Best Western Rewards® members and Best Western’s global hotel owners during the process. The challenge of rebranding a global company with diverse products in more than 100 countries required diligence and a thoughtful approach to a variety of considerations, including but not limited to signage, consumer expectations and the changing digital landscape.
The new logo family represents a brand expression founded in a friendly and fresh font created specifically for Best Western. The new logos retain aspects of past brand identities through the use of the brands iconic colors, while adding contemporary elements through the shapes and use of the distinct hand drawn lettering in each. Elements of the new logos include:
Over the last five years, Best Western has grown to seven distinct brands: Best Western®, Best Western Plus®, Best Western Plus Executive Residency®, Best Western Premier®, Vīb®, BW Premier Collection® and GLō a new broad midscale new construction boutique brand. With the introduction of new logos for the Best Western masterbrand and its Best Western, Best Western Plus and Best Western Premier brands, Best Western is communicating to consumers the distinctions between these three hotel brands.
These changes contemporize the brand, broaden its reach, signal that the company has evolved, and place additional emphasis on all seven of the company’s brands.
All Best Western properties worldwide will be coordinating signage and logo implementation. Although our international properties are governed slightly differently than our properties in North America, the implementation process will follow a parallel process.
These logos bring clear and memorable differentiation between Best Western’s brands, making it easier for guests to recognize the different hotel brands and travel experiences Best Western offers and encourage consideration for customers that may not have stayed at a Best Western hotel recently.
They provide a contemporary, modern look for the Best Western brand and signal the investments the properties and brand have made to improve and modernize its hotels, ensuring its hotels are relevant to today’s traveler.
All Best Western signage and logoed items will appear at each of our global hotels by December 2017. Best Western has been working with our six approved sign vendors, including two vendors in Canada, as well as our product supply vendors to ensure that hotels can move quickly to adopt the new identity.
We will have a critical mass of Best Western hotels featuring these updated logos by late spring to help drive awareness with travelers through a comprehensive advertising campaign leading into the busy 2016 summer travel season.
The price will vary from property to property. However, to help hotels determine sign needs, teams from the six endorsed sign vendors began conducting site visits at Best Western hotels in August. During the visit, pictures and measurements of the current exterior signs will be taken to help determine each hotel’s expected costs.
Resorts around the world in the Best Western family include:
In 2014, Best Western launched the BW Premier Collection, which consists of carefully selected upscale hotels and resorts in primary and destination locations. There are currently BW Premier Collection hotels in the U.K., Sweden and Italy, and in September 2015, the Copamarina Beach Resort & Spa in Puerto Rico was the first hotel to join the BW Premier Collection in North America.
One of the reasons for creating the BW Premier Collection was to grow the number of resort and destination hotels under the Best Western family of brands. This not only increases Best Western’s global reach, but is also a tremendous benefit to our Best Western Rewards members, giving them a greater variety of hotels and destinations where they can earn and redeem their points.
The Best Western Hotels & Resorts family of brands spans the midscale to upscale hotel segments.
The new corporate name, Best Western Hotels & Resorts, emphasizes the diverse portfolio of 4,100 properties in more than 100 countries. Adding “Hotels & Resorts” to our corporate name better represents the quality and variety of properties globally and will help change the perception and guest expectations of the brand.
While our research shows the current logo is recognizable, visible and is familiar, it does not reflect the transformation Best Western has experienced over the past 10 years. Best Western now offers seven distinct brands attracting a diverse range of travelers. In order to expand Best Western’s appeal to consumers who may not be familiar with our updated offerings, it is important that we signal the improvement and changes made at Best Western branded hotels through a rebranding campaign.
These logos bring clear and memorable differentiation between our brands, making it easier for guests to understand the different hotel types Best Western offers. With unique logos for our Best Western, Best Western Plus and Best Western Premier brands, we are illustrating the value and experience of each while underscoring the unmistakable Best Western brand family bond.
Yes, over the past two years, Best Western has been working closely with leading design and research firms while examining thousands of possible logos. Throughout the process, our members, consumers, hotel developers, corporate clients, Best Western Rewards® members and affiliates were consulted. The challenge of rebranding a global company that features such diverse hotel offerings in more than 100 countries required diligence and thoughtful consideration. We are confident that we are putting forth a stronger representation in the marketplace and ultimately a more profitable one.
Best Western Rewards® (BWR) members will see a refreshed look for the Best Western Rewards® logo and Best Western hotels starting in 2016. With hotels in more than 100 countries, Best Western will continue to make it easy for members to earn points that can be redeemed for a multitude of exciting rewards, including: global free room nights with no blackout dates, Best Western Travel Cards, gifts cards for dining, shopping and entertainment, gas cards, airline/partner rewards, and much more.
BWR member account numbers will not change as a result of the logo refresh and, therefore, new cards will not be issued. However, new virtual membership cards will be available for iPhone and Android users. Additionally, members can check their account balances and redeem awards at any time, from any device. Replacement cards will be mailed to members at any time upon request.
BWR members will continue to enjoy the same great rewards variety and value that they do today. This includes the ability to redeem points for free night stays, the Best Western Travel Card, gift cards for dining, shopping and entertainment, gas cards, airline/partner rewards, and merchandise. For a complete listing, go to bestwestern.com/rewards.
For more than 25 years, Best Western Rewards has been one of the most generous loyalty programs where points never expire. It has the lowest redemption thresholds for awards, and is one of few loyalty programs that is truly international.
Keep checking mybestwestern.com to stay updated on these important initiatives.