Best Western International, 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 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.
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