CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The racing analogies were in abundance at the 2024 BWH Hotels Accelerate Conference here at the Charlotte Convention Center, North Carolina, with members displaying levels of enthusiasm typically found in venues like the Charlotte Motor Freeway, just 20 minutes north.
Beginning with a welcome ceremony for the more than 3,000 members at the NASCAR Hall of Fame on the first night of the conference, race car metaphors abounded, used to describe everything from team-building synergy to maintaining a competitive edge, a reflection of the unique company-wide dynamic across the BWH Hotels network.
“Every day is a race to win,” said Larry Cuculic, president and CEO of BWH Hotels, during the conference’s opening general session. “When you do your night audits, you want the competition in the rearview.”
Cuculic used the pit crew of a racing team to describe building an effective hotel staff, but it could be applied to the entire BWH family of properties. In 2019, Best Western Hotels made the choice to not go public, keeping the direction and profits of its more than 2,300 properties in the hands of its “members”—hotel owners, operators and managers.
Five years later, that decision remains the bedrock of the BWH model. As the only member-owned and managed hotel group, members are given the leeway and latitude to customize their guest experiences to their specific needs.
It requires a two-thirds majority vote to entertain any proposal, even the idea of going public, but don’t count on it anytime soon. “Best Western is not for sale,” said an emphatic Phil Payne, BWH board chairman.
The internal control has led to real dividends for members. Staff satisfaction remains high, and nearly $64 million in profits was distributed to members in 2023—$17 million more than in 2022.
Guest retention and satisfaction has followed suit. BWH Hotels generated $1.75 billion in North American revenue in 2023, up 6.2% over the previous year, and has seen 43 consecutive months of year-over-year growth for accommodations booked direct at bestwestern.com.
Real-Life Reflections
One of the most public ways that BWH Hotels is reaching is prospective and returning guests in North America is the new marketing campaign “Life’s A Trip.”
Recognizing the worn-out tropes of stock hospitality imagery—picture-perfect families, worry-free hotel staff, etc.—the video-heavy campaign strives to depict realistic scenarios that speak to the modern traveler.
It’s part of a broader movement to create more personalized guest experiences, particularly for the next generation of travelers who instinctively compare options and social media content before booking accommodations.
“These guests don’t want cookie-cutter [experiences], which is great because Best Western is anything but cookie-cutter,” said Joelle Park, SVP and CMO of BWH Hotels.
Meanwhile, international properties are tapping into user-generated content from targeted influencers to reach new audiences, a tactic that has increased booking rates and yielded nearly $670 million in revenue.
Digitizing the Front Desk
Coming soon to BWH Hotels is a partnership with Canary Technologies to create an AI-driven guest management system, enabling hotel operators to communicate directly with guests on a variety of topics while offering new methods to generate additional revenue.
Though still in beta testing, once operational the system will utilize guests’ existing messaging technology to ease staff operations. Guests will be able to seamlessly request early check-ins, late checkouts, pet-friendly accommodations and more.
The partnership reflects a growing shift in how the hotels provide additional services for guests. By reducing the frequency of trips or calls to the front desk, hotel staff can concentrate on more pressing issues, while guests can customize their stay before ever setting foot on the property.
This on-location story was contributed by Derek Herscovici.
