PHOENIX - May 14, 2009 - The first Best Western Atrea hotel, an upper midscale prototype designed to attract business travelers, opened its doors in San Antonio in late April, the World�s Largest Hotel Chain® announced today. 

The 77-room Best Western Atrea Hotel and Suites, located less than a mile from the Lackland Air Force Base, includes more than 1,000 square feet of meeting space, an indoor pool and spa, business center and fitness center. Guests receive free high-speed internet access and a complimentary hot breakfast buffet. 

�The Atrea prototype was designed and built with direct input from frequent travelers and the development community,� said David Kong, President and CEO of Best Western International. �It's gratifying to see years of research and hard work bear fruit. Best Western now has a product that can compete effectively in the upper mid-scale market, while delivering the superior consumer value that is the hallmark of our brand.� 

First announced at Best Western�s annual Convention in October 2007, hotel developers have committed to build an additional 28 Atrea properties in both the U.S. and Canada. Best Western expects five Atrea properties to open in 2009 in Conyers, Ga., Plainfield, Ind., North Bergen, NJ, Denton, Tex., and Bryan, Tex. Atrea hotels in Calgary and Sherwood Park, Alberta, are expected to open in 2010. 
Atrea hotels can be built at a cost of $85,000 to $90,000 per key, substantially less than other upper midscale hotels that cost more than $100,000 per key to build. 
 

Atrea, is the sum of our vision and experience as The World's Largest Hotel Chain®, and features striking architectural details and a layout so flexible that can expand the public areas into a dramatic wing or streamline everything into a single structure. The Atrea Parallel and Perpendicular prototypes are five-story modular designs featuring a pool, breakfast area, bar, business center, fitness facility, media center and board room. They may be built with or without a conference center. The Atrea Central is a six-story tower with the same high impact and upscale amenities as Atrea Parallel and Perpendicular prototypes in an uncompromising, compact layout for investors with space limitations. Atrea Parallel Design This five-story modular design features a pool, breakfast area, bar, business center, fitness facility, media center and a boardroom. This prototype may be built with or without a conference center. . Atrea Central Design This six-story tower features a pool, breakfast area, bar, business center, fitness facility, media center and a boardroom.

Best Western�s Atrea prototype has several features designed to make business travelers more productive, including multifunction community spaces for meetings or social gatherings � which are often missing from upper midscale hotels � to multimedia features in guest rooms. 

�It�s an honor to open the first Atrea property, and offer an inside look into the possibilities of the Best Western brand,� said Best Western Atrea Hotel and Suites hotelier Ajay Patel. �Our Atrea hotel caters to business executives and military personnel, who are drawn to our open meeting space and amenities that maximize their travel budget. Leisure travelers are finding that we�re centrally located to the best theme parks in Texas and the trendy River Walk area.� 

To learn more about Best Western�s Atrea design prototype, visit www.bestwesterndevelopers.com or www.bestwestern.com.

ABOUT BEST WESTERN INTERNATIONAL 
Best Western International is THE WORLD'S LARGEST HOTEL CHAIN®, providing marketing, reservations and operational support to over 4,000* independently owned and operated member hotels in 80* countries and territories worldwide. An industry pioneer since 1946, Best Western has grown into an iconic brand that hosts 400,000* worldwide guests each night. Best Western's diverse property portfolio, its greatest strength, stems from a business model designed to give owners maximum flexibility to address market-specific needs. Equally committed to the business and leisure traveler, Best Western recently embarked on a mission to lead the hotel industry in customer care. Since 2004, Best Western has served as the Official Hotel of NASCAR®. For more information or to make a reservation, please visit www.bestwestern.com. 

*Numbers are approximate and can fluctuate. 

Best Western International
Troy Rutman, 602-957-5668
[email protected]
www.bestwesterndevelopers.com
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