Best Western International Adds 148 Hotels Globally in the First Two Quarters of 2004 / August 2004

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Best Western International Adds 148 Hotels
Globally in the First Two Quarters of 2004

PHOENIX (August 13, 2004) -- Best Western International, THE WORLD'S LARGEST HOTEL CHAIN®, has added 148 hotels to its system globally in the first two quarters of 2004. At the close of the company's second fiscal quarter ending May 31, Best Western had 4,097 hotels and 309,293 rooms in 80 countries and territories. The company is on track to meet its development projections of adding a total of 300 hotels worldwide by the end of the year, reports David Kong, Best Western International executive vice president of International Operations/acting president and CEO.

In North America, the chain added 55 new properties and 4,062 rooms. Key additions included the Best Western 1-95 & Conference Center with 190 rooms in Fort Lauderdale, FL; the Best Western Springfield with 179 rooms in Springfield, VA; the Best Western Lawton Hotel & Convention Center with 145 rooms in Lawton, OK, and the Best Western Half Moon Bay Lodge with 80 rooms in Half Moon Bay, CA.

"Despite a slow start to the year in North

Best Western Springfield
6721 Commerce Street
Springfield, Virginia 22150

America, we are delighted with our first six months performance," said Mark Williams, vice president, North American Membership Development. "Best Western's objective has always been to implement a carefully paced expansion plan, targeting key cities across the United States and Canada where the brand continues to have great growth opportunities."

Internationally, Best Western added 93 hotels with 5,463 rooms during the same time period. The brand welcomed 31 new members in Australia, including the five-star Best Western Pinnacles Resort & Spa in Airlie Beach, Queensland, featuring 29 fully appointed apartments with one, two and three bedrooms. In Asia, Best Western added 12 new properties, including four in Thailand, three in China, two in Korea and one hotel each in India, Oman and the Philippines. France led the expansion efforts in Europe with 11 new hotels followed by Germany with eight hotels.

"Internationally, Best Western continues to develop strategically and intelligently with Asia, Europe and the South Pacific providing good expansion opportunities for the brand," Kong added.

Best Western is a membership association of independently owned and operated hotels that provides marketing, reservations and operational support to its member hotels.

Contact:
David Trumble
Director, External Communications
(602) 957-5753
[email protected]

Also See:	Best Western Expects to Add 160 Hotels Through Conversions (60 percent) and New Construction (40 percent) In North America / February 2004
	Best Western Names David Kong Executive Vice President, International Operations / June 2004

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