BW’s signature Collection launched in Germany

Best Western launched its third Soft Brand in Germany: After the Gasthaus zur Waldegg in Horw near Lucerne, Switzerland has already joined the third soft brand “BW Signature Collection” of Best Western Hotels & Resorts, the hotel collection is now also launched in Germany with the Excelsior Hotel Nuernberg Fuerth.  The Soft Brand is aimed at independent private hotels of the upper middle class, which profit from a brand-independent marketing offer and want to continue to appear on the market as individual hotels.

After the first connection in Switzerland, the BW Signature Collection is now the third soft brand from Best Western Hotels & Resorts to be launched in Germany. The Excelsior Hotel Nuernberg Fuerth has been part of the hotel collection since June 2019, while the Gasthaus zur Waldegg in Horw near Lucerne, Switzerland, joined the BW Signature Collection last year. The Soft Brand is aimed at independent private hotels of the upper middle class with a special design and is particularly suitable for brand-independent hotels that have already established themselves on the market with their own name and would nevertheless like to benefit from the sales and marketing services of the global hotel group. In addition to the BW Signature Collection, Germany already has the two soft brands BW Premier Collection and Sure Hotel Collection. The three Soft Brands cover three different hotel categories. All Soft Brand Hotels of Best Western Hotels & Resorts receive the full service package of the worldwide brand: The hotels are not managed under the brand name Best Western Hotel, however, but appear on the market with their own name. “In view of the increasing consolidation and competition within the global hotel industry, it is important to offer hotel operators with very individual and independent hotels solutions and concepts for global marketing, in which the hotels can remain independent of branding and at the same time benefit from the strong sales and distribution support of a global hotel brand,” explains Marcus Smola, CEO of Best Western Hotels Central Europe GmbH based in Eschborn, Germany. All Soft Brand Hotels of Best Western Hotels & Resorts receive the full service package of the worldwide brand network: The hotels are not managed under the brand name Best Western Hotel, but can be booked via all Best Western booking channels, such as the Best Western websites, via the worldwide call centers as well as via GDS and booking channels. In addition, Soft Brands’ hotels benefit from the global contracts of all of the hotel brand’s global partnerships – from OTAs and other distribution partnerships to key account management for corporate and travel agency contracts. In addition, all Soft Brand Hotels are integrated into the global Best Western Rewards loyalty program with more than 40 million members.

The Excelsior Hotel Nuernberg Fuerth is managed by the GCH Hotelgroup based in Berlin. Throughout Germany, ten hotels of the hotel management company have so far been affiliated to the international hotel cooperation Best Western. “We are pleased that we can market now also the Excelsior Hotel with the partner Best Western and thus further expand our successful cooperation. With the BW Signature Collection, we benefit from the brand awareness of Best Western and the associated international appeal as well as additional distribution channels,” explains Sascha Hampe, COO of the GCH Hotel Group. “The hotel is the first one to be given a soft brand – a very promising solution to position the hotel even better in the market and to remain independent. In addition, the Excelsior Hotel is already a kind of landmark in Fuerth and, not least because of its special architecture like a pyramid, already well known in the region. It must retain its originality and special charm without strong brand influences affecting the special character of the house. Therefore the solution of a soft brand is ideal for us. It should not be forgotten that this makes the hotel the first hotel in the BW Signature Collection in Germany.”

Glass pyramid in Middle Franconia: The Excelsior Hotel Nuernberg Fuerth

Travellers can expect a special sight in the Bavarian town of Fuerth, right next to Nuremberg, directly on the Main-Danube Canal, because there is a glass pyramid in the middle of the Middle Franconian region – the Excelsior Hotel Nuernberg Fuerth. The four-star superior hotel offers its guests a total of 104 air-conditioned and renovated rooms, whose modern design combined with panorama windows provides additional living comfort. In addition to the hotel restaurant “Prime” with a capacity of 75 seats, the Excelsior Hotel Nuernberg Fuerth also offers the additional restaurant area “Flavour”: among other things, up to 220 guests can dine there. With a total event area of 550 square metres, the hotel has a total capacity of up to 1,000 people. The largest of the twelve conference and business rooms offers space for up to 430 participants. The fitness and wellness area is currently being renovated and will soon be added to the offer.

Suitable brand concepts for independent hotels of all categories

Overall, the Best Western Hotels & Resorts brand family includes both full brands and soft brands for all categories worldwide. Today, the group offers 16 hotel brands under one corporate umbrella that meet the needs and requirements of hotel developers and guests around the world. Full brands include Best Western, Best Western Plus, Best Western Premier, Executive Residency by Best Western, Vīb, GLō, Aiden and Sadie as well as Sure Hotels and Sure Hotels Plus, which are managed outside Europe under the name SureStay. In addition, Best Western Hotels & Resorts presents three Soft Brands as marketing offers for hotels that are managed without Best Western branding and at the same time benefit from the hotel group’s worldwide service offering: BW Premier Collection, BW Signature Collection and Sure Hotel Collection. The three soft brands are designed for different hotel categories and their respective standards are based on the brands of the full brands Best Western Premier, Best Western Plus and Best Western. With the acquisition of WorldHotels in February 2019, the independent Soft Brands WorldHotels Luxury, WorldHotels Elite and WorldHotels Distinctive now complement the group’s portfolio. “All hotels of Best Western, Sure Hotels and WorldHotels are entrepreneurially independent and individually managed. Our broad brand offering offers hotel operators, developers and investors the opportunity to choose the right concept for their own hotel,” explains Marcus Smola.