Best Western GB

Best Western Great Britain

Type	Marketing cooperative
Industry	Hotels
Founded	1978 (1978)
Headquarters	York, Yorkshire , United Kingdom
Area served	Great Britain and The Channel Islands
Key people	Rob Paterson, CEO
Members	280 approximately
Number of employees	150 approx (excluding member employees)
Website	www.bestwestern.co.uk

Best Western GB is an independently owned and managed hotel chain in Great Britain and the Channel Islands. The chain spans over 260 two, three, and four-star properties. Best Western GB provides sales, revenue, and marketing services to all of its member hotels. Best Western Hotels GB is the international trading name of Interchange and Consort Hotels Limited.

History

The Belsfield in Bowness-on-Windermere

Best Western GB began in 1967 when five independent hoteliers from Cambridge, Chester, Kenilworth, Ripon, and Torquay sought to work together to generate referrals, maximize their marketing budgets, and increase sales. Together they formed Interchange Hotels of Great Britain. Within weeks of this partnership, a further six independent hotels joined the group.

In 1978, the group elected to trade under the brand name Best Western Great Britain, effectively an affiliate of Best Western International in the US.

Interchange merged with Consort Hotels in 1999. Interchange and Consort Hotels has since diversified into Beacon and InnFutures and is now the umbrella brand for all three companies. Beacon is a purchasing consortium in the UK hospitality sector. Whereas, InnFutures, which was launched in 2008, introduces hotel owners and management contract companies, including Best Western hotels. The hotel owners decide InnFutures’ level of involvement.

In 2018, Peel Hotels, owner of nine establishments, became a member of Best Western hotels in the UK.

In 2020, Corus Hotels joined the UK's Best Western hotels group. The additions include two Laura Ashley properties, the Iliffe in Coventry, and the Belsfield in Bowness-on-Windermere (pictured) - a building designed by architect George Webster in 1844 and now a listed building.

Hotel Overview

Walworth Castle

Best Western Hotels GB has a wide variety of hotels ranging from castles such as the Best Western Walworth Castle Hotel in Darlington, Grade II listed buildings such as Best Western Plus Grim's Dyke Hotel in Harrow Weald and White Hart Hotel, BW Premier Collection by Best Western in Harrogate, and to smaller hotels such as the Best Western Victoria Palace in London. They also offer various lodging options located in cities and rural areas.

Business Model

Best Western Hotels GB has been an affiliate member of Best Western International in the US since 1978.

Best Western International charges an initial cost to the member hotel and an annual fee for each bedroom. Best Western International also publishes a list of quality standards that each hotel needs to maintain. On joining Best Western Hotels GB, each hotel commits to an initial three years of membership with the group, after which membership rolls over on an annual basis.

The hotels are encouraged to keep their individual identity however, they must use Best Western’s branding and signage and identify themselves as the Best Western hotel. The hotels can also use their own name as part of their identity.