We delve into the TOPHOTELPROJECTS construction database to find out how Covid19 is affecting the development plans of BWH Hotel Group, the business behind Best Western Hotels & Resorts, WorldHotels Collection and SureStay Hotel Group.
Every global hospitality business has been affected by the extraordinary Covid19 crisis and BWH Hotel Group has certainly been no exception.
The Best Western brand has a long history dating back to 1946, initially just focusing on motels before subsequently expanding into full-service properties. Today, BWH comprises three hotel companies – Best Western Hotels & Resorts, WorldHotels Collection and SureStay Hotel Group – spanning approximately 4,700 properties across more than 100 countries and territories. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, it’s behind high-profile brands like Best Western, Best Western Plus, Best Western Premier, Vīb, WorldHotels Luxury, WorldHotels Elite, WorldHotels Distinctive, WorldHotels Crafted, SureStay, SureStay Plus, and SureStay Collection.
Here, we take a closer look at the figures compiled by our researchers to get a snapshot of how the group’s development pipeline is holding up in the face of coronavirus.
BWH presses ahead with ambitious development plans
The TOPHOTELPROJECTS construction database, which focuses on four- and five-star schemes of significant scale, indicates that BWH has 59 active projects as of 3 August 2020, with a further four on hold and none cancelled.
Of these live schemes, 21 involve the flagship Best Western brand, followed by Vīb (11), Best Western Premier (ten) and Best Western Plus (nine) – with relatively few developments for SureStay Hotel Group brands and none at all for WorldHotels Collection brands:
Interestingly then, it appears that BWH is continuing to work through the vast majority of its development pipeline, unlike many other hotel groups. Obviously there remains a risk that more projects will fall through if the pandemic continues to cause widespread disruption in markets where it’s particularly exposed, like the US for example. But for now at least, the business seems committed to completing nearly all of the hotel projects currently on its books.
Best Western International, Inc., operator of the Best Western Hotels & Resorts brand, operates over 4,100 hotels and motels worldwide.
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