PHOENIX, Jan. 30, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Best Western International, THE WORLD'S LARGEST HOTEL CHAIN(r), has completed an extensive redesign of its consumer web sites, bringing a variety of new features and special enhancements to www.bestwestern.com, www.goldcrownclub.com, and its NASCAR portal, www.bestwesternracing.com.
Offering a more contemporary look and interactive style, the sites provide visitors with customized navigational tools and search criteria that make planning their next Best Western stay easier and more convenient. Guests can now select the standards by which they prefer to view hotel options, such as by lowest rate, distance or availability. Advanced qualifying searches using zip codes or airport cities are also offered. Once the hotel has been decided upon, guests can request the format in which they would like to view pricing during the room selection process -- including charge per day; average daily rate; or total stay. Making reservations has also become much simpler and faster, with the booking process reduced by 50 percent.
"While Best Western celebrates its 60th Anniversary in 2006, we continue to invest in the future, bringing a new standard of service to the mid-scale hotel industry," said Dorothy Dowling, senior vice president of marketing for Best Western. "As the popularity of the Internet grows year over year, so too, do consumer expectations. We believe our recent web site additions and enhancements rise to the occasion, not only meeting but exceeding our guests' wants and needs."
To mark the re-launch, Best Western is offering online visitors the opportunity to win incredible prizes by playing "The Traveling Tarot Game." Participants will be given three virtual cards, which they will click on to "turn over." If all three depict the same travel destination, the winner will receive one of a number of popular items, including an iPOD nano, a high-definition plasma TV, a portable DVD player or a $1,000 Best Western Travel Card. Customers can play the game once daily now through Feb. 19, 2006.
In a dramatic overhaul of its online imagery, Best Western has also introduced a series of 360-degree virtual tours and photographs for the majority of its 2,400 North American properties, along with some of its international hotels. Visitors can now view panoramic displays of a hotel's exterior, a standard guest room, and a deluxe room/suite, in addition to two other areas representative of the property, such as a pool, meeting room or restaurant. Virtual tours for all Best Western hotels throughout the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean will be featured on the sites by this summer.
A variety of informational material is now featured on the sites as well, detailing the company's numerous consumer programs involving such partners as NASCAR and AAA/CAA. Background on Best Western's free frequent guest programs, Gold Crown Club International and Speed Rewards, are readily available to members, or those wishing to join.
About Best Western International
Best Western International is celebrating its 60th Anniversary as a membership association of independently owned and operated hotels that provides marketing, reservations and operational support to its members. Since 2004, Best Western has served as the Official Hotel of NASCAR. Growing from a string of roadside motels starting in 1946 Long Beach, CA, to THE WORLD'S LARGEST HOTEL CHAIN(r) with 4,200 hotels in 80 countries, Best Western is one of the industry's most endearing iconic brands. For more information, please visit www.bestwestern.com, www.goldcrownclub.com or www.bestwesternracing.com.