Best Western To Leverage Cultural Diversity

NEW YORK— HOTEL BUSINESS® has learned Best Western International is taking an aggressive step toward leveraging its cultural diversity and toward that, has named John Hogan director of Education and Cultural Diversity. The moves expands Hogan’s role from director of education and training, a position he has held for three years since joining the company here. “Best Western by its very nature, being in 80 countries around the world, is a culturally diverse organization. But it’s something we’ve taken for granted rather than celebrating and really playing it,” Anupam Narayan, sr. vp/global brand management and CFO told HOTEL BUSINESS.® Hogan will oversee efforts to promote cultural diversity as a business strategy via operations and marketing initiatives. This will embrace community service programs, purchasing, education, training, marketing programs and establishing scholarship programs at minority colleges and universities. “In the United States we have a member advisory group that’s sort of our cultural diversity committee of members to try and make sure that we celebrate that diversity, and actually, it’s a strength, it’s a real strength in the company. It’s a key part of the success of our organization,” said Narayan. “The more diverse the organization, I think, the stronger the organization.” While attention has been paid to the concept, Best Western felt it was important to have a point person. “It’s important to give somebody the responsibility for that,” noted Narayan. He expected the effort would serve to instill greater pride. “It starts instilling a greater sense of being part of the company, of being a human culture rather than a corporate culture, specifically. I think that’s the benefit of a cultural diversity program. And it’s not even a ‘program’; it’s an attitude, it’s an approach to business.” One tangible effort Best Western is considering is finding a way to represent all the flags of the countries where it does business, at its Phoenix headquarters. “It would be a way to remind each one of us, not only individually, but any visitor. that this is a global organization and we’re representing different countries around the world.”