Kong, who joined Best Western in 2001, is a hospitality veteran with more than 35 years of experience and has held senior management positions at Hyatt, KPMG Consulting, and Omni International. He has also worked for Hilton, Hilton International and Regent International.

"David has impeccable business acumen and is well respected by Best Western's diverse and global constituency," said Nayan Patel, Chairman of the Board, Best Western International. "Perhaps David's greatest strength is as a strategist. The Board looks forward to collaborating with David to define the future strategic vision of Best Western and counts on him to continue to work with the management team to realize the full potential of our organization," Patel added.

During his tenure at Best Western, Kong has held several high profile positions including: vice president of Strategic Service; senior vice president of Global strategy and Development, and senior vice president of Marketing and Development.

Best Western International is THE WORLD'S LARGEST HOTEL CHAIN(R) with more than 4,100 hotels in 80 countries and territories. It is a membership association of independently owned and operated hotels that provides marketing, reservations and operational support to its members.