Best Western Plus: Hotel Brand Profile, History, Ownership, and Market Position

1. What Is Best Western Plus?

Best Western Plus is an upper-midscale hotel brand introduced by Best Western International in 2011 as an enhanced tier within the Best Western system. The concept was developed at the company level rather than founded as an independent hotel chain by a separate entrepreneur. Its historical foundation nevertheless extends back to the Best Western referral network created by hotelier M.K. Guertin in California in 1946.

Today, Best Western Plus belongs to Best Western Hotels & Resorts within the broader BWH Hotels organization. It occupies a position above the core Best Western brand and below the more upscale Best Western Premier tier. Its properties are usually independently owned and operated, with access to Best Western branding, reservations, marketing, quality systems, and Best Western Rewards.

Within the wider travel and hospitality sector, Best Western Plus is designed for travelers who want dependable mainstream lodging with more developed rooms, public areas, and amenities than a basic midscale hotel commonly provides. Its defining proposition is not luxury or exclusivity. It is an incremental upgrade in comfort and facilities while retaining broad geographic availability and value-oriented positioning.

2. Best Western Plus at a Glance

• Hotel brand name: Best Western Plus
• Hotel family: Best Western Hotels & Resorts, part of BWH Hotels
• Brand type: Globally distributed upper-midscale hotel brand
• Introduced: 2011, following announcement of Best Western’s tiered brand strategy in 2010
• Founding organization: Best Western International, Inc.
• Historical founder behind Best Western: M.K. Guertin
• Place introduced: Developed through Best Western’s Phoenix-based organization
• Current headquarters: Phoenix, Arizona, United States
• Brand ownership: Best Western International, Inc., operating within the BWH Hotels family
• Industry segment: Upper-midscale hospitality
• Market position: Enhanced mainstream accommodation between core Best Western and Best Western Premier
• Typical property types: Highway, suburban, airport, small-city, urban, and selected resort-area hotels
• Geographic focus: Global, with especially broad recognition and distribution in North America
• Primary guest segments: Business travelers, leisure travelers, road travelers, families, groups, and loyalty members
• Core proposition: Dependable lodging with upgraded accommodations, stronger public spaces, and added amenities
• Loyalty program: Best Western Rewards
• Operating model: Primarily independently owned and operated hotels affiliated with the Best Western system
• Current status: Active global brand
• Official website: Best Western Plus official website

3. What Hotel Family Does Best Western Plus Belong To?

Best Western Plus belongs to Best Western Hotels & Resorts, which operates within BWH Hotels. BWH Hotels is the umbrella identity for a portfolio that includes Best Western Hotels & Resorts, WorldHotels, and SureStay Hotels. Best Western Plus is therefore a brand within a larger hotel family, not the parent company itself.

Within the Best Western portion of the portfolio, the brand’s position is relatively clear. Core Best Western serves the traditional midscale market, Best Western Plus provides an enhanced upper-midscale offer, and Best Western Premier addresses a more upscale, full-service-oriented position. Other brands in the portfolio cover boutique, lifestyle, extended-stay, soft-brand, economy, and luxury-affiliation segments.

Brand ownership should not be confused with hotel real-estate ownership. Best Western International controls the brand system and associated intellectual property, but individual Best Western Plus hotels are generally owned by independent hotel companies, families, partnerships, or real-estate investors. The properties use the brand under membership, licensing, affiliation, or related regional arrangements.

This structure differs in important respects from a hotel chain that owns most of its buildings or directly manages every property. Best Western supplies distribution, reservations, standards, marketing, technology, purchasing support, quality assurance, and loyalty access. The local owner remains responsible for the hotel asset and usually for day-to-day operations. Regional structures outside North America may also involve master licensees or local Best Western organizations.

Best Western Plus participates in Best Western Rewards, giving affiliated hotels access to a network-wide mechanism for earning and redeeming points and recognizing frequent guests.

4. Who Founded Best Western Plus, and How Did It Begin?

Best Western Plus does not have a separate individual founder in the way that the original Best Western network does. Best Western International created the brand tier as part of a corporate strategy announced in 2010 and implemented in 2011. The program was developed through the company’s headquarters in Phoenix, although the underlying Best Western organization traces its history to California.

The historical founder of Best Western was M.K. Guertin, a California hotelier who established Best Western Motels in 1946. Guertin’s original concept was a referral network through which independent motel operators could recommend dependable accommodations to travelers continuing their journeys. This allowed locally owned properties to gain collective reach while retaining their independence.

Best Western Plus emerged many decades later in response to a different strategic need. By the 2000s, Best Western covered a wide range of hotel types and quality levels under one primary name. That breadth produced strong distribution but made it harder for guests to know what level of property they would encounter.

The Plus designation gave qualifying hotels a distinct identity based on enhanced physical standards and amenities. It also allowed Best Western to segment its portfolio without abandoning the established name, reservation system, or independently owned operating model. Best Western Plus was therefore a brand architecture initiative, not a newly built chain starting with a single founding hotel.

5. What Is the History of Best Western Plus?

The history of Best Western Plus is best understood in two stages: the development of the Best Western system and the later creation of a differentiated upper-midscale tier.

The Best Western foundation

In 1946, M.K. Guertin organized Best Western Motels in California. The early system connected independent motel owners through referrals, shared identity, and operating expectations. The name reflected the network’s initial concentration in the western United States rather than a claim that its properties were objectively superior to all alternatives.

As automobile travel expanded, Best Western grew across the United States and later internationally. Its structure enabled independent owners to obtain wider recognition and reservation access without giving up control of their properties. Over time, the network expanded beyond roadside motels to include city hotels, airport properties, resorts, and full-service hotels.

The need for clearer segmentation

Best Western’s broad expansion created an increasingly diverse portfolio. Two hotels bearing the same core name might differ substantially in building type, room design, service level, food and beverage facilities, and meeting capacity. This diversity reflected local ownership and different markets, but it also complicated customer expectations.

In 2010, Best Western announced a tiered strategy using three descriptors: Best Western, Best Western Plus, and Best Western Premier. The system was rolled out in 2011. Core Best Western continued to address the midscale market, Plus identified qualifying upper-midscale properties, and Premier represented a more upscale tier.

Establishment of Best Western Plus

Best Western Plus was populated largely by existing hotels that met, or invested to meet, the new tier’s standards. Properties could be required to upgrade guest rooms, exterior presentation, lobbies, breakfast spaces, fitness facilities, and other amenities. This approach allowed rapid creation of a geographically broad brand without relying solely on new hotel construction.

The tier also established a clearer development proposition for owners. A hotel could retain access to the Best Western system while pursuing a higher market position than the core brand, potentially supporting stronger rates where local demand and property quality justified them.

Corporate modernization and portfolio expansion

In 2015, Best Western International adopted the Best Western Hotels & Resorts identity and introduced updated visual branding. Best Western Plus received a distinct shield logo within the redesigned brand family. The changes were intended to make the tier structure more legible and present the company as a diversified hotel organization rather than primarily a motel referral network.

Best Western subsequently expanded its wider brand portfolio into areas such as soft brands, lifestyle lodging, boutique hotels, economy hotels, and extended stay. Best Western Plus remained one of the central mainstream tiers. Selected projects have also paired it with extended-stay concepts, including Best Western Plus Executive Residency developments.

Formation of the modern hotel family

Best Western’s acquisition of WorldHotels in 2019 broadened the organization into higher-end independent hotel affiliations. The BWH Hotel Group name, subsequently presented as BWH Hotels, became the umbrella for Best Western Hotels & Resorts, WorldHotels, and SureStay Hotels.

These changes did not transform Best Western Plus into a luxury or boutique brand. Instead, they clarified its role as an upper-midscale option inside a much broader portfolio. Its history has produced a brand that combines central distribution and standards with considerable variation in property design, ownership, facilities, and local operating style.

6. What Industry Segment Does Best Western Plus Occupy?

Best Western Plus occupies the upper-midscale segment of the hotel industry. This classification reflects its position above standard midscale lodging in room finish, public areas, amenity expectations, and overall property investment, while remaining below conventional upscale and luxury hotels in service intensity and price positioning.

The classification fits several recurring characteristics. Best Western Plus hotels usually provide private guest rooms and suites, internet access, breakfast or on-site food options appropriate to the local market, fitness facilities, and business-oriented services. Many have pools, meeting rooms, bars, or restaurants, but these are not universal across the global portfolio.

Service is generally practical rather than highly personalized. Guests can ordinarily expect a staffed reception, housekeeping, and assistance with local needs, but not the extensive staffing ratios, butler service, elaborate concierge operations, or multiple destination restaurants associated with luxury hospitality.

Best Western Plus is not a single hotel format. Its portfolio includes limited-service hotels, select-service properties, and some full-service hotels. Airport and roadside locations may emphasize convenience, parking, breakfast, and fitness. Urban and destination properties may add restaurants, lounges, meeting venues, room service, or recreational facilities.

Upper-midscale is an industry segment, not a star rating. Individual hotels may receive different official star classifications depending on national systems, local facilities, and service requirements. It would therefore be inaccurate to assign one universal star rating to every Best Western Plus property.

7. How Is Best Western Plus Positioned in the Market?

Best Western Plus is positioned as an enhanced but accessible mainstream hotel brand. Its core commercial role is to serve travelers who want more than basic accommodation but do not necessarily need, or wish to pay for, a high-service upscale or luxury hotel.

Functionally, the brand offers a recognizable reservation network, generally comfortable rooms, work and leisure amenities, and widespread locations. Emotionally, it seeks to reduce uncertainty. The Best Western name signals a known hotel system, while the Plus designation communicates that the property is intended to meet a higher set of physical and amenity expectations than the core tier.

Pricing varies considerably by city, season, demand level, and individual property. In general, Best Western Plus hotels aim to command a premium over basic economy or midscale alternatives while remaining competitive with other upper-midscale brands. A Plus hotel in a major city or resort market can be expensive during peak periods, but that does not make the brand a luxury operator.

The portfolio balances standardization with local variation. Brand criteria govern important elements such as property condition, room requirements, cleanliness, technology, service expectations, and quality assurance. Independent ownership, adaptive reuse, local architecture, and market-specific facilities mean that hotels do not all look or operate identically.

This creates both an advantage and a limitation. Guests may find properties with more local character than highly standardized chain hotels, while owners can adapt facilities to market demand. At the same time, the experience may vary more than it would within a tightly standardized, centrally managed chain.

Strategically, Best Western Plus sits between value and aspiration. It is not built around exclusivity. It is built around offering a noticeable upgrade while preserving the convenience, broad distribution, and practical orientation associated with Best Western.

8. Where Does Best Western Plus Operate?

Best Western Plus operates internationally across major cities, regional business centers, airports, highway corridors, leisure destinations, and smaller communities. The brand is especially visible in the United States and Canada, where Best Western has a long-established owner network and strong recognition among road, business, and domestic leisure travelers.

In Europe, Best Western Plus hotels operate through national and regional Best Western organizations in markets that include France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Scandinavia, and other parts of the continent. European properties often include converted independent hotels and locally styled buildings, which can create more architectural diversity than purpose-built North American highway hotels.

The brand also appears across Asia-Pacific, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and Africa. Its presence varies by country, however. In some markets, Best Western Plus has a meaningful cluster of hotels. In others, it may be represented by only a few properties in capital cities, commercial centers, or tourist destinations.

Best Western Plus should not automatically be assigned the full country count reported for BWH Hotels. Corporate footprint figures often combine all Best Western, SureStay, WorldHotels, and related brands. The Plus portfolio is globally distributed, but it is only one component of that larger system.

Geographic expansion typically occurs through affiliations, conversions, new-build agreements, and relationships with regional developers. Conversion is particularly relevant because an existing independent hotel can enter the brand after completing required renovations and satisfying operating standards.

Announced projects also should be distinguished from operating hotels. A development agreement or pipeline announcement does not mean a property is open. The most reliable description is that Best Western Plus has a broad global footprint, anchored by North America and supported by established regional networks in Europe and selected growth markets elsewhere.

9. What Does Best Western Plus Provide?

Accommodation

Best Western Plus hotels provide guest rooms and, at many properties, suites or larger family accommodations. Rooms commonly include private bathrooms, work surfaces, televisions, internet access, climate control, coffee-making equipment, and practical storage. Mini-refrigerators, microwaves, sofa beds, and kitchen facilities depend on the hotel and room category.

The Plus designation generally indicates upgraded room finishes and amenities compared with the core Best Western tier. It does not prescribe one universal interior design, so furnishings and room sizes vary by region and building type.

Dining and breakfast

Breakfast is an important component of many Best Western Plus stays, particularly in North America, where complimentary breakfast is commonly part of the proposition. Formats range from continental selections to hot breakfast buffets. In other markets, breakfast may be packaged differently or sold separately.

Some properties have restaurants, bars, lounges, cafés, or room dining. These services are more common at full-service, urban, and destination hotels. They should not be assumed at every Best Western Plus.

Wellness and recreation

Fitness centers are a recurring feature of the brand tier. Many properties also provide indoor or outdoor pools, hot tubs, saunas, or other recreational facilities. Resort-area hotels may offer beach access, golf arrangements, excursions, or destination activities, but such features are property-specific rather than universal standards.

Business services and meetings

Rooms generally support basic business travel through internet access and in-room work areas. Hotels may also offer printing, business centers, meeting rooms, boardrooms, or event spaces. Larger properties can accommodate training sessions, association meetings, weddings, and social functions, while smaller roadside hotels may have little or no dedicated event capacity.

Guest services

Typical services include front-desk assistance, housekeeping, luggage support, local information, and help arranging transportation. Airport shuttles, parking, laundry facilities, electric-vehicle charging, and pet-friendly rooms vary by location. The brand is not generally associated with formal butler service or luxury staffing levels.

Loyalty and booking

Best Western Plus participates in Best Western Rewards. Members can earn and redeem rewards subject to program rules and may receive benefits linked to their membership level. The brand also benefits from Best Western’s direct reservation channels, mobile tools, corporate travel relationships, and international distribution network.

10. Why Do Guests Choose Best Western Plus?

1. A practical upgrade from basic lodging

One reason travelers may choose Best Western Plus is its position above basic midscale accommodation. Enhanced rooms, more developed lobbies, fitness facilities, and additional amenities can be relevant to guests seeking greater comfort without moving into a higher-priced upscale or luxury category.

2. Broad and convenient locations

The brand’s distribution includes airports, highway corridors, suburbs, secondary cities, commercial centers, and leisure destinations. Road travelers and regional business guests may particularly value the ability to find a recognized hotel outside the central districts where many upscale brands concentrate.

3. Familiar standards with local variation

Best Western supplies quality requirements, inspection processes, reservation systems, and brand expectations. Independent ownership can still allow hotels to reflect local architecture or market needs. Travelers who want a recognizable framework without a completely uniform building design may find this balance relevant.

4. Breakfast and useful everyday amenities

At many properties, breakfast, internet access, parking, fitness facilities, and other practical features strengthen the total-value proposition. These inclusions can matter to families, road travelers, and cost-conscious business guests. Availability and pricing should nevertheless be checked for the specific hotel.

5. Best Western Rewards participation

Frequent guests may choose the brand because stays participate in Best Western Rewards. The ability to earn or redeem points across a broader hotel network can influence travelers who already use Best Western brands, particularly when their itineraries include smaller cities and regional destinations.

6. Independent ownership backed by a larger system

Some guests prefer locally operated hotels but still want centralized booking, customer support, and an established brand identity. Best Western Plus combines these attributes. The exact experience depends on the owner and property, but the affiliation provides infrastructure that a fully independent hotel may not have.

7. Flexibility across trip types

The portfolio can support overnight road stops, airport stays, corporate visits, family trips, small meetings, and destination breaks. This versatility makes the brand relevant to travelers who prioritize functionality and location over a highly specialized lifestyle or resort concept.

11. Who Does Best Western Plus Serve?

Business and corporate travelers

Best Western Plus serves travelers visiting regional offices, industrial areas, hospitals, universities, government centers, and client locations. Internet access, work areas, breakfast, parking, and convenient locations are often more important to this segment than extensive luxury services. Some hotels also accommodate project teams and small corporate groups.

Road and regional travelers

The brand’s heritage and distribution make it especially relevant to travelers moving between cities by car. Highway access, parking, breakfast, fitness rooms, and predictable booking channels support short overnight stays and multi-stop itineraries.

Leisure travelers, couples, and families

Leisure guests use Best Western Plus for city visits, family occasions, holidays, and trips to regional attractions. Larger room configurations, suites, pools, breakfast, and proximity to destinations can be important. Family services and recreational amenities vary, so they should be confirmed at property level.

Groups and event attendees

Hotels with meeting and function space can serve wedding parties, sports teams, tour groups, reunions, and association events. The brand’s upper-midscale position may provide a workable balance between facilities and budget for organizers who do not require a convention-scale hotel.

Loyalty-oriented value seekers

Best Western Rewards members and travelers comparing total trip cost represent another important audience. These guests may evaluate room rate together with breakfast, parking, internet access, location, and reward benefits. Their priority is often dependable utility rather than exclusivity.

12. What Defines the Best Western Plus Guest Experience?

The Best Western Plus guest journey is generally designed around straightforward access, practical comfort, and a modest step up from standard midscale lodging. Guests typically encounter a conventional reception process supported by Best Western’s reservation systems and, where applicable, recognition through Best Western Rewards.

Public spaces are intended to be more developed than those at basic roadside accommodation. A property may offer a furnished lobby, breakfast area, business space, fitness room, pool, restaurant, or lounge. The exact combination depends on the hotel’s size, market, and service model.

Guest rooms emphasize functional comfort. Recurring priorities include a usable work area, reliable connectivity, appropriate bedding, in-room refreshments, and enough storage for short business or leisure stays. Design is not uniform worldwide. Newer hotels may follow contemporary prototypes, while conversions can retain distinctive local layouts and architecture.

Staff interaction is usually practical and approachable rather than formal. Front-desk employees handle check-in, local guidance, loyalty recognition, and operational requests. More extensive concierge or destination-planning services are available only at certain urban or resort properties.

Independent ownership is central to understanding the experience. Best Western establishes requirements and conducts quality assurance, but individual owners employ staff and operate the hotels. Consequently, service delivery and property character can vary. The recurring brand promise is an enhanced, dependable stay, not identical design or facilities in every country.

13. What Distinguishes Best Western Plus From Other Hotel Brands?

A clearly defined role inside the Best Western system

The Plus designation gives travelers a visible indicator that the hotel occupies a higher tier than core Best Western. This internal brand ladder allows customers to select among different levels while remaining within the same reservation and loyalty ecosystem.

Independent properties with system support

Many competing hotel brands also use franchising, but Best Western’s history as an association of independent owners remains particularly relevant. Best Western Plus hotels combine local property ownership with centralized distribution, standards, marketing, and rewards.

Strength in regional and road-based markets

The brand is not limited to central business districts or major tourism capitals. Its coverage of airports, highway corridors, suburbs, regional cities, and smaller communities gives it relevance for itineraries that extend beyond leading metropolitan hotel markets.

Property diversity

Best Western Plus includes purpose-built hotels, converted independents, historic buildings, airport properties, and destination hotels. This produces greater variation in architecture and facilities than tightly prototyped chains. The distinction can appeal to guests seeking local character, although it also makes property-level research important.

An amenity-led upper-midscale proposition

The brand’s differentiation depends less on a distinctive lifestyle identity than on tangible enhancements such as improved rooms, public spaces, fitness amenities, breakfast provision, and meeting or recreational facilities where the market supports them.

14. How Should Best Western Plus Be Understood Today?

What remains central

Best Western Plus remains closely tied to the original Best Western model of independently operated hotels using a shared brand, reservation network, and quality framework. Practical locations, broad traveler appeal, and a focus on value continue to define the proposition.

What has changed

The contemporary brand is more segmented and deliberately positioned than the undifferentiated Best Western network of earlier decades. The Plus tier gives owners and guests a clearer indication of physical quality and amenity level. Modernized branding, digital distribution, loyalty integration, international development, and broader hotel formats have moved the system beyond its motel-referral origins.

The surrounding hotel family has also changed. BWH Hotels now covers multiple segments through Best Western Hotels & Resorts, WorldHotels, and SureStay Hotels. Best Western Plus consequently operates as one defined tier within a portfolio that extends from economy accommodation to luxury-affiliated independent hotels.

What the brand name signals today

As an analytical interpretation, the Best Western Plus name signals a practical upgrade. It tells travelers to expect more developed accommodation and amenities than the basic tier, while retaining the accessibility and geographic reach associated with Best Western. It does not signal a luxury service model, a uniform architectural style, or identical facilities at every hotel.

Important limitations

The brand’s global footprint should not be mistaken for uniformity. Local ownership, regional standards, building age, renovation cycles, and market conditions influence the individual experience. Guests should evaluate the specific property’s room types, breakfast policy, parking, restaurant, pool, meeting space, and accessibility rather than assuming that every Plus hotel offers the same package.

15. Frequently Asked Questions

When was Best Western Plus founded?

Best Western Plus was introduced as a distinct brand tier in 2011, following Best Western’s announcement of a new segmentation strategy in 2010. The underlying Best Western organization is much older, dating to 1946.

Who founded Best Western Plus?

Best Western International created Best Western Plus as a corporate brand tier. It was not founded by a separate individual. M.K. Guertin founded the original Best Western network, but he did not personally establish the Plus brand introduced decades later.

Who owns Best Western Plus?

Best Western International, Inc. controls the Best Western Plus brand within BWH Hotels. Individual hotel buildings are generally owned by independent companies, investors, or families. Brand ownership therefore does not mean that BWH Hotels owns every Best Western Plus property.

Is Best Western Plus a luxury hotel brand?

No. Best Western Plus is generally classified as upper-midscale. It provides an enhanced mainstream experience with upgraded rooms, public areas, and amenities, but it does not ordinarily offer the service intensity, exclusivity, or facilities associated with luxury hospitality.

What is the difference between Best Western and Best Western Plus?

Best Western is the core midscale tier. Best Western Plus is positioned above it, with enhanced physical standards and additional amenity expectations. The exact differences vary by market and property, but Plus is intended to represent a noticeable upgrade.

Where does Best Western Plus operate?

Best Western Plus operates globally, with a particularly broad presence in North America and established distribution across Europe. It also has hotels in parts of Asia-Pacific, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and Africa.

Does Best Western Plus participate in a loyalty program?

Yes. Best Western Plus participates in Best Western Rewards. Members can earn and redeem rewards at participating properties and may receive benefits according to program status, terms, and local availability.

What amenities do Best Western Plus hotels offer?

Common features include internet access, breakfast options, work-friendly rooms, fitness facilities, and business services. Pools, restaurants, bars, meeting rooms, airport shuttles, and recreational amenities are available at some properties but are not universal across the brand.