Best Western Hotels will now be known as the BWH Hotel Group and is targeting Irish hotel owners, developers and investors in all market segments with a new-look brand portfolio.
Formerly Best Western Hotels & Resorts, the group recently rebranded to BWH Hotel Group to demonstrate how the brand has changed and emerged significantly over the past number of years. BWH Hotel Group recently acquired renowned global hotel brand WorldHotels, representing a collection of approximately 300 unique and special hotels and resorts in premier destinations around the world, which will play a critical role in enhancing BWH’s portfolio of offerings to include the upper upscale and luxury segments.
The Group has launched an awareness-building campaign to demonstrate the brand’s evolution to Irish hotel owners, developers and potential investors, and aims to have 10 hotels in Ireland within five years targeting both existing properties and new builds with at least 75 rooms in both the Republic and Northern Ireland.
BWH Hotel Group has also welcomed the Bunratty Castle Hotel in Bunratty, Co Clare, to the Group, as the first BW Signature Collection hotel in Ireland. The 144-room hotel, owned by The Blarney Woollen Mills Group Ltd, will operate under its own name but with the additional opportunities offered by being part of the BWH Hotel Group portfolio.
Primarily targeted at the overseas and domestic leisure and corporate markets, the Bunratty Castle Hotel is located between Shannon Airport and Limerick City and situated just a stone’s throw from Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, which announced an €8 million development plan earlier this year. BW Signature Collection hotels are carefully selected for their unique local experiences, plentiful amenities for the leisure and corporate traveller, and offer a warm and welcoming stay.
General Manager Danny Corbett and his team will work closely with BWH Hotel Group’s team of 23 in its Dublin-based office, working across revenue, eCommerce, sales, marketing, support and business development.
BWH Hotel Group has a portfolio of 17 brands with approximately 4,700 branded hotels in operation and a global footprint covering over 100 countries. In Ireland, the Group is looking to establish the BW Signature Collection, Best Western Plus, Best Western Signature and Best Western Premier brands as well as new boutique brands, Sadie and Aiden, whether for hotel conversion opportunities or indeed new builds.
Being part of the BWH Hotel Group offers access to the Group’s US$4 billion global reservation system, participation in Best Western Rewards, the brand’s award-winning and fast-growing loyalty programme with over 38 million members to date, powerful mobile, eCommerce and technology resources. Its fee structure is competitive verses other global hotel groups and works as a simple percent fee of GRR (gross room revenue) that will improve the hotel’s profitability.
BWH Hotel Group can offer interested Irish parties short-term contracts and flexible contract terms – a five-year initial contract and one-year rolling – unlike other brands that require a commitment of at least 10-15 years. It also includes links to all GDS systems (Amadeus, Sabre, Galileo and Worldspan) and active sales and marketing teams worldwide.
Also, of interest to Irish-based hoteliers and investors is the Group’s contact with over 1,000 business travel, group and leisure accounts around the world, state-of-the-art revenue management services, and customised eCommerce and digital marketing programmes.
Vivienne Nyhan, International Director of Development, BWH Hotel Group, said: “We are thrilled to launch the BWH Hotel Group in Ireland and demonstrate the evolution of the brand in recent years to the Irish market. Following the acquisition of upper upscale and luxury hotel collection, WorldHotels, the group now boasts a portfolio of hotel brands in every chain scale segment. We are also delighted to welcome Bunratty Castle Hotel as a BW Signature Collection by Best Western hotel and we look forward to working closely with the management and staff.”
Freda Hayes, Chief Executive, The Blarney Group Ltd, said: “Bunratty Castle Hotel is a beautifully situated property located next to Bunratty Castle. We welcome our newly announced association with BWH and look forward to working with their team to promote the hotel and the charming village of Bunratty, Co Clare.”
Danny Corbett, General Manager, Bunratty Castle Hotel, said: “We are delighted to be part of the first wave of new hotels to join the BWH Hotel Group, BW Signature Collection portfolio in Ireland and to take advantage of all the benefits this global powerhouse offers.”
