Best Western has undergone a global rebrand including a new logo for its masterbrand, new logos for its property brands, and a new name.
The company, which has more than 4,100 hotels and resorts worldwide, has changed its name from Best Western International to Best Western Hotels & Resorts.
“We made a deliberate choice to move from “International” to “Hotels and Resorts” to better position the depth and diversity of our hotels globally, which include many resorts across North America and other global locations,” said Dorothy Dowling, SVP of marketing and sales at Best Western.
The Best Western Hotels & Resorts masterbrand logo, in use since 1993, has been updated with a more modern blue and uses hand-drawn lettering for a contemporary and friendly look. It also incorporates the brand’s initials, BW, to make the name more functional in the digital space.
“[It’s important to] ensure that it stands out on mobile and wearable devices, and then clearly positions the diversity of our hotels globally,” said Dowling.
The logos for the hotel brands Best Western, Best Western Plus and Best Western Premier were also updated, with an aim to clearly differentiate the brands.
Best Western is also redesigning its digital platform, including BestWestern.com, which will be relaunched next spring. In August 2015, new property websites were created for more than 2,000 properties across North America. In September, Best Western launched its new mobile booking experience including a mobile website and apps designed to provide a cleaner, uncluttered interface.
As part of a move towards appealing to a younger, more tech-savvy traveller, Best Western also announced the launch of a new boutique hotel concept called GLō. The mid-scale hotel will feature design elements that speak to the name, such as an LED “Lite Brite” wall and glowing welcome desk. In Canada, BW is actively targeting GLo in suburban locations including markets such as Mississauga, Ont., Milton, Ont., and Trois-Rivieres, Que., as well as other secondary cities in Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
