YORK, ENGLAND Following its “Hotels with Personality” relaunch campaign this spring, Best Western Great Britain has seen a sales increase of almost 30% year on year, with calls into its reservations team up 70%. It has also seen a 53% growth in enquiries from potential new member hotels since its marketing campaign began in April.
“The Hotels with Personality campaign has had great resonance with our target audience, and its impact has helped us achieve our highest sales increase in our 30-year history, delivering great value for our member hotels,” says David Clarke, CEO of Best Western Great Britain. “The campaign also achieved its other goal of generating more inquiries from independent hoteliers keen to join the Best Western brand. Overall, it’s been a highly successful campaign and ensured that Best Western is a group that stands apart from its competitors.”
The campaign generated more than £1.2 million in incremental sales in its first three months, with more in the pipeline. Additionally, the sales figures for Best Business, Best Western’s UK corporate loyalty program, are up 120% year on year. Best Business is for small- to medium-sized businesses that book accommodation or meeting rooms at independently-owned hotels in the Best Western group. Best Western’s UK meetings team also has seen an increase of 30% in inquiries in the same period, with bookings up 24%.
“The increase in the corporate sales figures is also very reassuring—they show that companies are returning to spending on travel, and confidence is returning to the business sector,” Clarke says. “We think that people want a hotel with a bit more personality when they are looking for somewhere to stay and that a meeting room with more character and personal service can make a difference in choosing where to hold an important meeting.”
The Hotels with Personality campaign—the first TV campaign in the group’s 30-year history—highlights the variety of the hotels in the Best Western Great Britain portfolio. It ran for three weeks in April as part of a fully integrated marketing strategy including direct mail, PR, social media, experiential activity, online and press advertising.
Best Western Great Britain, which is a subsidiary of Best Western International, boasts a portfolio of 280 independently owned and managed hotels across the UK.