Best Western International is launching two major new hotel development offerings – a stylish new hotel concept and a soft brand – both designed to meet growing demand for new hotel offerings in urban and primary markets.

Best Western’s newest hotel offering, Vīb is a stylish and technology-centric hotel concept created to meet the needs of today’s connected traveller. Vīb, which is short for “Vibrant,” is a hotel prototype designed for urban markets. Vīb’s high-density concept will be cost-effective to build and operate, making it an attractive option for owners and developers.

The boutique Vīb concept features vibrant and modern design with a focus on convenience, technology and social engagement. Vīb hotels will have large, interactive lobbies that incorporate the local flavor of their individual markets, as well as comfortable and chic guest rooms. Guests will find ample USB and power ports for electronics, a media wall with custom content in the lobby, smart TVs in the rooms to stream on-demand content, and LED mood lighting throughout the hotel.

Also announced was Best Western’s first soft brand offering, the BW Premier Collection. The BW Premier Collection will consist of carefully selected high-quality hotels in primary markets. All of the soft brand properties will be required to maintain a TripAdvisor rating of four or above and AAA/CAA rating of three Diamond or above.

Hotels within the BW Premier Collection will not be part of the official Best Western membership but they will be listed, and can be booked, on the Best Western website. Guests will be able to earn and redeem Best Western Rewards® (BWR) points at all BW Premier Collection hotels. BW Premier Collection hotels will also have the option of purchasing additional Best Western brand services such as design and sales support.

“We recognize that travelers’ preferences are evolving and it’s our job to keep up. The launch of Vīb and the BW Premier Collection represents a major move by our brand to meet the growing and shifting needs of our customers and travelers in general,” said David Kong, Best Western president and CEO. “These two initiatives will allow us to reach a new customer base and developer audiences, while still maintaining the unmatched value and customer care that everyone has come to expect from Best Western.” 

Both Vīb and the BW Premier Collection will be global offerings, targeted at urban and destination markets around the world. Best Western already has nearly 400 properties in the brand’s global development pipeline, with areas of focus being Central and South America, Asia, and the Middle East, and the new offerings are expected to increase penetration in high-demand markets.