The WorldHotels brand has continued to grow in recent years, especially within the last 12 months. In December 2024, the brand announced the addition of several properties to its WorldHotels Crafted collection. This momentum continued in March, when WorldHotels signed Wenlan Hotel Northern Hangzhou and expanded its presence in China. As the brand continues to evolve, Ron Pohl, president of international operations for BWH Hotels and president of WorldHotels, is confident in its future. In an interview with LODGING at the 2025 BWH Hotels Annual Convention, Pohl shared his mindset about WorldHotels’ growth and highlighted its potential in the United States.
“I would just say that I think the WorldHotels brand will continue to grow at a faster pace, and especially here in the States, or North America,” Pohl said. “We’ve got 31 hotels today. That’s going to be a brand that will continue to get stronger and stronger here. It was founded outside of the U.S., but it has tremendous potential here in the States as well. We’ve gone into hard branding with it as well, so the more people recognize the name and recognize the brand, the more they’ll want to do it because it’s a very competitive brand in that market, and it’s a very efficient brand for the operator.”
Pohl pointed to the “unique approach” that WorldHotels takes in using the strength of the properties as they exist and boosting their charm by helping them build their distinct stories, along with the business that BWH Hotels can drive to them in a cost-effective way through their worldwide sales effort. The prioritization of storytelling at each property connects with the theme of the conference, “Welcome Begins Here,” as BWH Hotels President and Chief Executive Officer Larry Cuculic emphasized welcoming travelers into each hotel’s neighborhood and sharing what makes each place special. This approach is reminiscent of WorldHotels’ “Welcome to Our World” theme that the brand launched in 2023, a similarity that Pohl noted when commenting on the new positioning.
“The initiative underneath the four pillars of that was to help hotels identify what they want to stand for and tell their story,” Pohl said. “The reason behind that—especially in that segment, but it’s really for all travelers—is, number one, that’s why people travel, and the measure of success is if you walk away from that vacation, that experience, with a story to tell, then you’ve made an impression. You’ve created something that is a memory that people come back and talk about with their families and friends. That really connects them to the brand.”
Pohl also detailed how travelers’ interests are changing, as they are increasingly drawn to secondary and tertiary markets and learning about new cultures while having experiences that are unique to that destination. Guests’ desire to create lasting memories in new places can be the catalyst of future growth, as Pohl stated that there’s a signifiant development opportunity in a plethora of destinations that have been relatively unexplored by the masses. Likewise, Pohl underlined the potential for future growth, as there are plenty of places, varying in size, that are both appealing to travelers and worthwhile for developers.
“What people want is that local uniqueness. That’s one opportunity,” he continued. “And then the group that we partnered with very early on, the Prestige Group in Western Canada, they’ve got 10 WorldHotels with us, and theirs are all located on lakes. They’re phenomenal resort properties. We continue to look at the ‘glamping’ destinations. The Crafted brand is our fastest growing, and those are those boutique 80-to-100-room properties that don’t have to be in downtown New York City to survive. They can be in those secondary markets. There’s a lot of great places to visit in the States and Canada, but there’s none too big or too small.”
