Best Western history
Our Background
Best Western Great Britain is part of Best Western International, which has been welcoming guests for more than half a century. A brief overview of the key points in our long history is given for you below.
- 1946 - Best Western was founded by M.K. Guertin, a hotelier with 23 years in the business. The chain began as an informal link between properties, with each hotel recommending other lodging establishments to travellers.
- 1962 - Best Western was the only hospitality reservation service covering the entire United States and Canada.
- 1967 - Members of Interchange Hotels of Great Britain elect to join Best Western International.
- 1976 - Expansion of international network to include properties in Mexico, Australia and New Zealand.
- 1979 - Best Western was accommodating 15 million guests and generating $1 billion in room sales.
- 1980 - Agreements were signed bringing properties in Denmark, France, Finland, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland into the chain.
- 1981 - Best Western was now known as the world's largest chain of independently-owned hotels.
- 1986 - Best Western was honored by President Ronald Reagan for its support of a summer youth work program
- 1987 - Worldwide expansion continued with the addition of Israel, Norway and Portugal.
- 1993 - Worldwide growth extends to Russia, Lithuania and Japan.
- 1996 - New member hotels in China and Vietnam.
- 1999 - Interchange Hotels of Great Britain merges with Consort Hotels to make Best Western the largest hotel group in Great Britain.
- Today - Best Western has over 4,000 member hotels in 80 countries around the globe, each one independently-owned and managed, while being committed to our common standards of quality, service and value.