• Best Western is a voluntary association of private hoteliers with the aim of increasing profit through coordinated sales, marketing and cross-selling.
• Organized into over 30 international affiliate offices, the association is able to take regional conditions into consideration and communicate in the local language.
• The Best Western Swiss Hotels office in Bern cares for around 40 hotels throughout Switzerland.

• The boards of all regional affiliate organizations, as well as that of the international corporation, Best Western International Ltd. – all of whom are elected by the members – are exclusively composed of hoteliers who, along with their hotels, are members of Best Western.
• The rights and responsibilities are the same for all member hotels in Switzerland and are stipulated in a contract.
• General meetings are a venue for sharing valuable information, announcing changes, and reaching joint decisions on regional marketing initiatives.

• The customer’s brand knowledge is the sure key to a successful business. A good brand pledges quality and service. It projects a good image; and, in the case of Best Western, it is famous worldwide.
• Around the world, the Best Western brand is known for attractive hotels in the 3- to 4-star bracket. Their combination of uniform standards and unique features is a particular draw.
• The Best Western logo is recognized around 15 million times a day worldwide. Each night, Best Western hotels host over 400,000 satisfied guests; and each month, over 8 million people get to know and appreciate Best Western first-hand.
• Every single Best Western hotel contributes to the value of the brand by offering good service and outstanding quality. Joining Best Western authorizes a hotel to use the brand name.
• The exclusive “Premier” brand (4- and 5-star hotels) is the jewel in the crown of the brand image. Best Western Premier Hotels stand out from other Best Western hotels in terms of facilities, design and range of services.

• Best Western is proud that many family-run hotels, steeped in tradition, have chosen to become members. It supports these charming, hospitable hotels in maintaining their distinct atmosphere and regional character.
• Guests of Best Western can count on quality that has been proven worldwide. A precise and globally consistent system of quality assurance guarantees that the required minimum standards are met in the areas of brand use, facilities, maintenance, hygiene and service. This assessment is carried out every year.
• With the online guest survey system “Medallia”, developed by Best Western, each hotel manager receives feedback with his or her guests’ opinions. This system replaces questionnaires that would have to be evaluated manually. It also benefits hoteliers in the areas of benchmarking and complaint management.

• Best Western focuses exclusively on the best possible marketing of partner hotels and works together with the hotels in developing suitable sales and marketing programs, ideal pricing structures and new products. Best Western then effectively conveys this information to customers worldwide.
• Catalogs that have been printed by the million are read by 400,000 satisfied Best Western guests around the world every day. Best Western employees distribute this material at countless trade fairs and events worldwide.
• The Best Western Travel Card is the perfect gift or business incentive; with its corporate design, this cashless, rechargeable hotel voucher has a convenient credit card format and does not expire. Any member hotel can sell the Travel Card and earn 10% commission on the sales price.
• Best Western Rewards is one of the world’s most successful loyalty programs in the hotel industry. With every stay in one of our over 4000 hotels worldwide, guests collect reward points that can be redeemed for attractive prizes. In 2009 Best Western Rewards members in Switzerland generated 7.5 million Swiss francs in sales.
• Through special cooperation agreements with airline partners such as Lufthansa or Scandinavian Airlines, as well as car rental companies and other benefit partners, Best Western brings its guests attractive benefits in partner programs. This helps in acquiring new members and fostering their loyalty to Best Western.

• Whether for the travel management division of a major corporation or for local tour operators, Best Western develops targeted sales strategies and carries out concentrated sales activities.
• The acquisition of new customers through telephone contact and the subsequent intensive support are just as integral to the activities of the Best Western office as target group mailings and our presence at trade fairs and industry events.
• Best Western handles virtual sales channels such as B2B e-business, networking, and the activation and support of multipliers. The office in Bern also boosts awareness of member hotels through social media activities (the blog www.bestofhotels.ch, Facebook, Twitter, etc.). Special offers, promotional measures and materials round off their sales activities.

• Electronic distribution systems are an indispensable component of professional marketing. The connection to international airline systems (global distribution systems) is vital to the cooperation with travel agencies and businesses. Best Western is linked to over 2000 Internet portals and 600,000 travel agency terminals worldwide.
• Through the connection to GDS, Pegasus, and Lynx – Best Western’s own booking engine – all hotels can control their products individually. In addition to providing recommendations for partner hotels within the network, all 4000 Best Western hotels can engage in cross-selling.
• You benefit from central offices in over 30 countries, two reservation call centers, and hundreds of sales and marketing employees.
• All Best Western hotels are presented in eight different languages on the international website, www.bestwestern.com; reservations can be made from there as well as from the multi-lingual regional websites.

• In order to enhance the image of the brand and each individual hotel, Best Western issues regular press releases to specialist and public media in all member countries.
• Online newsletters and print media serve to inform both the general public and Best Western Rewards members about new products, destinations and news from the world of Best Western.
• Through detailed handbooks, regular training opportunities, one-on-one coaching and online assistance, our team is always ready to support you in issues that arise in practice.
• General meetings, member newsletters, e-mails and the organization’s Intranet keep members up to date on Best Western’s regional and global activities, statistics, tips, trick and trends, as well as developments in the tourism industry.

ASH obtains special terms through the use of synergies and volume. This allows you to benefit from numerous perks, such as reduced credit card processing fees, discounts on the purchase of goods, special rates for services, etc.

• Best Western’s cost-benefit ratio is second to none; that’s because, as a not-for-profit organization, all membership fees are used for the exclusive benefit of the members. The pricing structure is approved each year by Best Western’s elected advisory council. All pricing remains transparent, and monthly statistic reports provide information on the sales volume of all Best Western hotels.
• The one-time admission fee, which includes share certificates for BWSH and ASH, is CHF 8500.
• The annual membership fees are a combination of a flat fee per hotel (CHF 15,000), a per-room rate (CHF 40), and contributions based on sales. These contributions are based exclusively on sales mediated by Best Western and not on your total sales. Reservation fees are charged on a per-reservation basis.