The Board of Directors of Best
Western International has appointed David Kong as the hotel chain’s new
president and chief executive officer. Kong previously held the position
of executive vice president of International Operations and has been
serving as acting president and CEO since mid-August. Kong, who joined Best Western in 2001, is a hospitality veteran with more
than 35 years of experience and has held senior management positions at
Hyatt, KPMG Consulting, and Omni International. He has also worked for
Hilton, Hilton International and Regent International.

“David has impeccable business acumen and is well respected by Best
Western’s diverse and global constituency,” said Nayan Patel, Chairman of
the Board, Best Western International. “Perhaps David’s greatest strength
is as a strategist. The Board looks forward to collaborating with David to
define the future strategic vision of Best Western and counts on him to
continue to work with the management team to realize the full potential of
our organization,” Patel added.

During his tenure at Best Western, Kong has held several high profile
positions including: vice president of Strategic Service; senior vice
president of Global strategy and Development, and senior vice president of
Marketing and Development.
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