[photopress:hotels_David_Kong_Best_Western.jpg,full,alignright]Best Western International has its sights on becoming the largest hotel chain in Asia within three years. Over the next six months, Best Western will sign 17 new hotel contracts some of which will be in China and aims to have more than 200 properties by 2010.
The chain’s Asia presence has expanded from just six hotels in 2001 to 106 today.
David Kong, Best Western president and CEO, seen here, said, ‘As the world’s largest hotel chain, we bring scale, reach and a billion-dollar reservations system to our international partners.’
It is unusual to hear the chief executive of a major chain explain the basic great attraction of management contracts. It is not the ability to run a hotel — although that is, of course, part of it. It is the reservations system that makes the difference. A standalone hotel which is not tied into a major reservations system is probably missing about 40%, possibly more, of the potential market.
Most chains empasize the quality of their offering, the treatment of every customer like a VIP and so on. But the basic attraction is the reservation system which means a hotel, run at a professional standard, can be guaranteed a steady supply of paying customers booking through the system.
David Kong then went on to say the brand’s global sales and marketing initiatives, quality assurance programs, and Gold Crown Club International loyalty program make it popular with Asian developers and hoteliers. Which is true and correct. But it is the reservations system which is the essential component.
In five years, Best Western will have 50 hotels in China including two which should open in Beijing before the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Source: Earth Times
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