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01.03.2018

Best Western Hotels Central Europe GmbH

Double-Digit Revenue Growth and New Brand Offers

After a strong growth in turnover already in 2016, the past financial year was once again concluded successfully with a double-digit growth. In 2017, total revenues generated by Best Western to hotels in ten countries in the region Central Europe grew by more than ten percent to over 171 million euros compared to the previous year. In the countries of Central Eastern Europe (Croatia, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Hungary), generated revenues were increased by 19 percent. In Germany and Luxembourg, numbers grew by eleven percent to 147.2 million euros. The Austrian Best Western hotels achieved growth in turnover of five percent, in Switzerland generated revenues remained stable at a previous year's level. The focus of Best Western Hotels Central Europe remains on expanding the hotel portfolio in all countries. Therefore, new brand offers and so-called soft brands were introduced this year, which provide sales and marketing opportunities for brand-independent hotels.

Eschborn/Vienna, March 2^nd 2018. Good news for all Best Western hotels in the ten countries Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, , Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland, which belong to the Best Western Hotels Central Europe GmbH headquartered in Eschborn, Germany: After a strong revenue growth in 2016, the past financial year 2017 saw another double-digit increase in total generated revenues. For example, revenues generated by the Best Western channels for the individual hotels in all countries grew by further 10.5 percent year-on-year to 171.67 million euros in 2017. “We are satisfied that also in the second year after the merger to Best Western Hotels Central Europe, we were able to further increase turnover for the hotels of our brands", says Marcus Smola, CEO of Best Western Hotels Central Europe GmbH. In Central Eastern Europe, eleven hotels with 1,195 rooms in Croatia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Hungary are supervised from Eschborn, Germany (as of January 1^st 2018). In these countries, Best Western generated total revenues of 5.67 million euros, which is a strong growth of 19 percent. In 2017, the roughly 200 Best Western hotels in Germany and Luxembourg were able to generate total turnover in excess of 147.2 million euros, which is a rich growth of eleven percent. In Austria, the brand currently counts nine hotels with 880 rooms (as of January 1^st 2018) in Vienna (3), Salzburg, Innsbruck, Graz, Wels, Feldkirch and Voesendorf. In the past year, the Austrian hotels received a total revenue of 5.81 million euros generated directly by the brand, which is a plus of five percent compared to the previous year. In Switzerland, the brand currently comprises of 15 hotels with a total of 1,007 rooms in Zurich (2), Bern, Zermatt (2), Chavannes-de-Bogis, Lausanne, Geneva, Schaffhausen, Lugano, Lucerne/Horw, Bulle, Winterthur, Rorschacherberg and Neuchâtel. In the past year, Swiss Best Western Hotels benefited from a total revenue of 12.56 million euros generated by Best Western and thus reached the previous year's high level. “The great and, in most cases, even increased generated revenues to the hotels show that with our services we are able to successfully bring business in hotels and that our comprehensive marketing and sales measures have been fully effective", says Smola.

With Ten Brands On a Growth Path

This year, the expansion of the hotel portfolio in the region Central Europe will be further driven by new brand concepts. With currently ten brands, Best Western offers hotel developers and operators tailor-made products and options. The guests benefit from a larger hotel variety. Great potential is seen this year especially in the area of so-called soft brands. Best Western now offers three new soft brands in all categories: Besides the BW Premier Collection, the collection for exclusive private hotels, which was launched last year, the BW Signature Collection for upper-middle-class hotels and the Sure Hotel Collection for hotels in the three-star segment have been added to the soft brand portfolio at the beginning of the year. “The demand for individual solutions to benefit from worldwide marketing is growing. With our brand diversity, hotel operators and hotel groups can choose the right concept for each hotel to meet the demands of the market best", explains Smola. “In light of the increasing consolidation and growing competition within the hotel industry, it is particularly important to offer operators and groups with very individual hotels solutions and concepts for worldwide marketing, where they can remain brand-independent and at the same time benefit from the strong sales and distribution support of a global hotel brand”, explains Smola. Apart from the already established full brands, at the start of the year 2018, Best Western Hotels & Resorts has introduced new soft brands as a marketing offer for brand-independent hotels: BW Premier Collection, BW Signature Collection and Sure Hotel Collection. The three soft brands are designed for different hotel categories and are based on the respective standards of the full brands Best Western Premier, Best Western Plus and Best Western. Following the successful introduction of the exclusive BW Premier Collection last year – the first three hotels in the region Central Europe have joined in Vienna, Ramsau near Berchtesgaden and the Motorworld Region Stuttgart in Boeblingen – the two soft brands BW Signature Collection for upper mid-range hotels and the Sure Hotel Collection for three-star hotels have now been launched for hotel operators at the beginning of 2018. The first hotel of the new BW Signature Collection will be located in Switzerland: The Hotel Waldegg in Horw close to Lucerne with 24 rooms will join the collection this year. “A soft brand is particularly attractive for hotels that are already well established in the market with their own name, but also for new hotel projects that would like to be positioned individually without extensive branding”, says Smola. All soft brand hotels by Best Western Hotels & Resorts receive the full service package of the worldwide network: The hotels are not operated under the brand name Best Western Hotel, but can be booked via all Best Western booking channels, such as the Best Western websites, the worldwide telephone reservation centres as well as GDS and other booking channels. In addition, the soft brand hotels benefit from the worldwide terms and conditions of all global partnerships - from OTAs and other distribution partners to key account management for corporate and travel agency contracts. Furthermore, all hotels are part of the worldwide loyalty program Best Western Rewards with 34 million users and loyalty partners such as Lufthansa Miles and More and Payback. “Shortly after the introduction of the new soft brands, we see a clear interest in the market and hope to be able to expand our portfolio in all countries with this new offer”, says Smola.

Successful start to the year with new hotels

In the first weeks of the year, six hotels have decided to join the successful international group. The newly added hotels cover different target groups and regions: A city hotel in Lueneburg, south of Hamburg, two conferences hotels in Trier and Wiesbaden as well as two holiday hotels in the Bavarian Forest and Horn-Bad Meinberg are now part of Best Western. Moreover, the newly-built V8 Hotel Motorworld Region Stuttgart, a design hotel for car fans, has joined the exclusive BW Premier Collection at the end of January. “Last year we had to part from several hotels in our region. At the moment, however, we experience great demand for our new offers and expanded services”, highlights Smola. “As a service partner and group of individually operated hotels it is our goal to increase the business success and competitiveness of the partner hotels with comprehensive marketing and sales activities for all relevant market segments and target groups. The hotels, some of which are family-run, keep their full entrepreneurial independence”, says Smola.

The following press picture is available for download:

Caption: Strong revenue growth in all countries: In 2017, total revenues generated by Best Western to hotels in ten countries in the region Central Europe grew by more than ten percent to over 171 million euros compared to the previous year. On the picture: Best Western Premier Hotel Slon, Ljubljana/Slovenia.

Caption: Best Western Hotels & Resorts has expanded the offer of hard and soft brands. This way, the group is able to meet the demands of the market and offer hotel operators individual concepts.

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About Best Western Hotels Central Europe:

Best Western Hotels & Resorts headquartered in Phoenix, Ariz., is a privately held hotel brand with a global network of approximately 4,000 hotels in more than 90 countries worldwide. Best Western Hotels Central Europe (BWHCE) headquartered in Eschborn / Germany is in charge of approximately 230 hotels in ten countries: Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland. In addition to its German headquarter in Eschborn there is a regional office in Vienna, Austria. All city and resort hotels of Best Western guarantee uniform and consistent quality standards worldwide and still keep their individual styles and their entrepreneurial independence. As a membership association all Best Western hotels are independently owned and operated. Best Western offers eleven hotel brands to suit the needs of developers and guests in every market: Best Western®, Best Western Plus®, Best Western Premier®, Vīb®, GLō®, Executive Residency by Best Western®, BW Premier Collection®, and BW Signature Collection^SM by Best Western; as well as its franchise offerings Sure Hotel by Best Western, Sure Plus Hotel by Best Western and Sure Hotel Collection^SM by Best Western.

As a service partner Best Western pursues to increase the profitability, success and competitiveness of their member hotels. Best Western Hotels maintain their independence while locking in all the advantages of the world's largest lodging affiliation. Member hotels benefit from a powerful global brand with full-service support and comprehensive marketing and sales activities for all relevant market segments and target groups. All hotels are optimally presented and bookable through all worldwide reservations and online booking channels. More than 34 million travelers are members of the brand’s award-winning loyalty program Best Western Rewards^®, one of the few programs in which members earn points that never expire and can be redeemed at any Best Western hotel worldwide. More information: www.bestwestern.de and www.bestwestern.com

For further information please contact:

Best Western Hotels Central Europe GmbH
Austria | Croatia | Czech Republic | Germany | Hungary | Liechtenstein | Luxemburg | Slovakia | Slovenia | Switzerland

Anke Cimbal, Director of Corporate Communications

Frankfurter Strasse 10-14, 65760 Eschborn, Germany
Tel: +49 (0) 6196 - 47 24 301, Fax: -129
Email: anke.cimbal@bestwestern.de
Websites www.bestwestern.de, www.bestwestern.de/presse

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