Sri Lanka Development Highlights Asian Growth for Best Western International
Bangkok (PRWEB) March 27, 2014 -- Best Western International is embarking on a major expansion strategy in one of Asia’s most exciting emerging markets - Sri Lanka.
This year, the company, which operates more than 4,000 hotels worldwide, will plant its flag in Sri Lanka for the first time in its 68-year history.
Best Western International and local company “Elyon Hotels” have signed a development partnership to develop the iconic Best Western brand across the country, offering hospitality management expertise to existing and proposed hotels island-wide.
The inaugural property to be launched this summer will be the 60-room BEST WESTERN Elyon Colombo hotel, bringing the company’s world famous attributes of comfort, convenience and service excellence to the Sri Lankan capital for the very first time.
This property will be a charming city hotel with amenities including an all-day dining restaurant, specialty restaurant, a bar, room service, fitness center and meeting. And like all Best Western hotels across the world, it will offer complimentary Wi-Fi to all guests.
This opening will mark the start of a major nationwide expansion for Best Western in Sri Lanka. Under the new agreement, Elyon Hotels will identify opportunities for new midscale and upscale hotels across the country. These are likely to include locations in the capital Colombo, or other key leisure and business destinations such as Kandy, Mirrisa and Tangalle.
The initial target for the next three years is to have four more hotels with a portfolio of approximately 400 rooms, which is then expected to rise to 700 rooms within five years.
Best Western’s Vice President of International Operations for Asia & the Middle East, Glenn de Souza, said he was excited by the opportunities in Sri Lanka. “The recent economic boom following the end of three decades of war has seen Sri Lanka develop rapidly,” Mr. de Souza said.
“Driven by strong interest from India, China, the Middle East and Europe, international visitor arrivals to Sri Lanka have been growing exponentially in recent years, reaching one million for the first time in 2012. This is expected to reach 1.5 million visitors in 2014, and as an international hotelier, Best Western has a duty to provide to this soaring number of travelers with quality accommodation options.
“I am delighted that we have formed a partnership with such a well-respected company as Elyon Hotels, and I am confident of building a nationwide portfolio of Best Western hotels in Sri Lanka,” Mr. de Souza added.
Commenting on this landmark agreement, Presantha Jayamaha, Managing Director of Elyon Hotels said, “Tourism infrastructure development in Sri Lanka is seeing fast-paced growth and we are excited to be a part of these emerging growth opportunities. We, at Elyon Hotels, strongly believe that partnering an exceptional hospitality brand such as Best Western will enable us to provide exceptional tailored service standards to the discerning travelers to this paradise island.
“This partnership with Best Western will also open up a whole new traveler market into Sri Lanka, due to the vast brand recognition and loyalty card membership (more than 20 million members worldwide) enjoyed by this global brand. I am personally very excited about the potential of Best Western to enhance the tourism industry in Sri Lanka,” Mr. Jayamaha added.
In addition to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh is also a key growth market for Best Western. The size of the domestic population and booming manufacturing sector are primary drivers of growth in this market.
Best Western already operates the 51-room BEST WESTERN La Vinci Hotel in Dhaka. And the company is now planning a major, multi-brand expansion across Bangladesh, with new midscale, upscale and luxury hotels opening in Dhaka and the coastal resort town of Cox’s Bazar.
First to open will be two BEST WESTERN PLUS upscale hotels - a 232-room property in Cox’s Bazar and a 56-room hotel at Dhaka Airport. And potentially in 2015, the company will launch a 448-room BEST WESTERN and 720-room BEST WESTERN PREMIER luxury hotel in Cox’s Bazar.
“Bangladesh is one of the world’s new tiger economies, with strong GDP growth,” Mr. de Souza said. “With rising incomes, strong growth in domestic travel, and a shortage of internationally-branded hotels, we believe Bangladesh represents a major opportunity for a global company like Best Western.”
Currently, Best Western has a portfolio of more than 200 hotels across Asia. And the company expects to increase its regional collection to 300 properties in the next few years. Best Western first launched in Asia & the Middle East in 2001 and now covers 27* countries in the region.
For more information on global development opportunities with Best Western International, please visit bestwesterndevelopers.com.
To learn more about a specific hotel or discover other Best Western hotels across the world, visit http://www.bestwestern.com.
ABOUT BEST WESTERN INTERNATIONAL, INC.
Best Western International, Inc., headquartered in Phoenix, Ariz., is a privately held hotel brand made up of more than 4,000* BEST WESTERN®, BEST WESTERN PLUS® and BEST WESTERN PREMIER® hotels in more than 100* countries and territories worldwide. Now celebrating 68 years of hospitality, Best Western welcomes hundreds of thousands of guests nightly. Best Western provides its hoteliers with global operational, sales, marketing and promotional support, and online and mobile booking capabilities. More than 20 million travelers are members of the brand’s award-winning loyalty program Best Western Rewards®, one of the few programs in which members earn points that never expire and can be redeemed at any Best Western hotel worldwide. The brand’s partnerships with AAA/CAA, Minor League Baseball, and Harley-Davidson® provide travelers with exciting ways to interact with the brand. In 2013, Best Western earned our highest level of brand recognition, including our fifth AAA/CAA Hotel Partner of the Year award, second Compuware Best of the Web Gold award, fourth No. 1 ranking in Brand Keys Consumer Loyalty Engagement Index for midscale hotels and seventh TTG Asia Best Mid-range Hotel Brand. Forty-one percent of Best Western hotels worldwide won TripAdvisor Certificates of Excellence for customer satisfaction.
For more information or to make a reservation, please visit bestwestern.com.
*Numbers are approximate and may fluctuate.
Laura Cherry, Best Western International, Inc., +1 (602) 957-5668, [email protected]
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