The Best Western Travel Card has meant
big business for the hotel chain while enhancing overall brand awareness
among customers. Sales of the pre-paid gift card are pacing to exceed $6
million by the end of the year. Expanded third-party efforts have helped sales growth since May, when Best
Western unveiled the Travel Card to the corporate incentive marketplace.
Companies like giftcertificates.com and Excellence in Motivation now offer
the card as a reward option for Fortune 500 businesses, as well as for the
general consumer.

The Travel Card has also guaranteed an increased market share for many
Best Western hotels, who have sold more than $300,000 worth of product to
their guests through September while earning 10 percent commission for
their efforts.

“This is the best launch for this type of program I believe the hotel
industry has ever seen,” said Best Western Chairman of the Board, Nayan
Patel. “These solid results indicate a growing corporate and leisure need
for a convenient, easy-to-use card, that is accepted universally at 4,100
Best Western hotels in 80 countries.”

“We are very encouraged by the overwhelming consumer acceptance of the
Best Western Travel Card as evidenced by the fact that more than 80,000
cards are currently in the marketplace,” said David Kong, president and
CEO. “One of the card’s greatest attractions is that it offers the promise
of travel adventures and memories virtually anywhere in the world. This
makes the Best Western Travel Card a very desirable gift to both give and
receive.”

Used by guests to pay for both accommodations and related incidentals,
such as room service and phone charges*, the Best Western Travel Card is
accepted at more than 4,100 Best Western hotels worldwide. It is available
for purchase in U.S. dollars, Canadian dollars, euros, British pounds,
Swiss francs, Swedish kroners, Norwegian kroners and Danish kroners. The
card is offered in any denomination between $25 and $1,000 US/euro (or
equivalent in other currencies).

The Travel Card can be purchased or reloaded at most Best Western hotels,
online at travelcard.bestwestern.com or by calling Travel Card Customer
Service.

“There is no limit to the growth potential for the Best Western Travel
Card,” adds Kong. “We will continue to make enhancements to the card
program, including the creation of new retail distribution channels as
well as special marketing and promotional opportunities.”
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