BANGKOK—Best Western Hotels & Resorts is aiming to increase its Asian inventory by 40% in the coming years, with the addition of multiple hotels, including many new-builds all across the region.
At present, Best Western operates 107 hotels in Asia and, with a regional pipeline now standing at 49 hotels and nearly 10,316 keys, Best Western’s Asian presence is set to increase significantly in the coming years, according to the brand. Many of these hotels are larger, with an average room size of 220 units. The expansion is expected to be driven by Best Western’s newest brand concepts, including Vīb and GLō, as well as BW Premier Collection and SureStay.
Best Western has already signed Vīb projects in several key Asian cities, including Bangkok, Danang, Vietnam; Vientiane, Laos; and Yangon, Myanmar. In addition, the region’s first BW Premier Collection hotel will open near the Thai resort town of Pattaya. In addition to these two brands, the company continues to develop its portfolio of midscale Best Western, upper-midscale Best Western Plus and upscale Best Western Premier hotels across Asia.
Japan is a key area of development, with new Best Western properties having opened recently in Tokyo and Okinawa, while the Best Western Plus brand is driving development in the Philippines, according to the company. In Malaysia, a new Best Western Premier hotel is opening in the Genting Highlands and a Best Western Plus will arrive in Kuching. Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos are all set for further development, and the company is also targeting a return to Singapore. Elsewhere, Best Western signed a landmark deal for three hotels in Thailand, including the destinations of Pattaya and Hua Hin, comprising more than 4,000 rooms.
“Best Western recently celebrated our 15th anniversary in Asia, and in that time, our hotel portfolio has developed considerably—not only in terms of quantity, but also in terms of quality,” said Olivier Berrivin, Best Western’s managing director of International Operations, Asia. “Our Asian development strategy is now entering an exciting new phase, with multiple new hotels and brand concepts set to be launched in the coming months and years.
“With the unveiling of our new global brand strategy in 2015 we set the foundations for an exciting new era in Best Western’s long and distinguished history. This new generation of Best Western hotels will rise rapidly in Asia, providing guests with a vast network of comfortable, convenient and well-connected accommodation options all across the region,” Berrivin added.