The American hotelier recently opened properties under its Sure Hotels Collection and Aiden brands. Between the French Riviera and Texas, an overview of June openings.
Launch of Sure Hotel Collection in France
Announced last year, the arrival in France of Sure Hotel Collection, a new brand by Best Western® Hotels & Resorts, is now a reality. Positioned in the midscale segment with an average price between 70 and 90 €, the brand opened its first French property, Hotel Matisse. Installed in Sainte-Maxime (Var), the three-star hotel has 28 rooms decorated individually. It offers four levels of service: classic rooms, superior rooms, prestige rooms and Family. It also has a 40 m² seminar space, a bar, a restaurant and a swimming pool.
Visually speaking, any brand connection is quite discreet. The property counts mostly on a strong identity anchored in what's local, deployed around a "Mediterranean way of life" and the the artist Henri Matisse after whom it is named.
Olivier Cohn (General manager Best Western Hotels & Resort France) justifies the development of the brand in France saying: "The launch of this new brand in France fits Best Western® Hotels & Resorts's diversification strategy and makes it possible to welcome new members that wish join the group and benefit from its distribution network while remaining independent. We are proud to have one more brand in our "Collection" portfolio that should experience strong development, like its rapid development abroad that has more than 50 properties since 2017."
Sure Hotel Collection has been expanding rapidly since its launch two years ago. It already has 55 properties worldwide, between the United States and Europe. Success comes in part from the incorporation of the brand in the group's loyalty program, Best Western Rewards. Another important fact, "the hotels joining the brand may thus benefit from the group's strength and expertise in terms of distribution while remaining independent" explains a press release. This also explains the rapid unfurling of the brand, operating on a soft brand model.
First Aiden property in the United States
The midscale brand Aiden has been around since 2018. But this is its first step onto American territory with this new address in Texas. After the inauguration of a property in Seoul and another in Picardy (France), the group is opening an Aiden by Best Western @ Austin City Hotel. The property will have 158 rooms, a swimming pool, a restaurant, and a 650 m² meeting and conference room. Located near the lively South Congress district, otherwise known as 'SoCo', it follows all the codes of this brand with a modern style, that is worked and marked by the local character "designed to reflect the unique personality of the community it serves."
Brad LeBlanc, principal VP and development director for Best Western Hotels & Resorts, explains the choice of location: "We are thrilled to expand Aiden's presence in North America, and especially in the city of Austin, whose eccentric ambiance is perfectly in keeping with the brand's exciting style." The city of Austin with "its entertaining and young setting" is the perfect complement to the cool and relaxed personality of the Aiden brand," closes Debbie Simmons (director of the property).
The brand targets hotel owners that want to refresh their properties. David Kong, CEO Best Western, explains that Aiden, alongside the upscale brand Sadie, "offers independent hoteliers and promoters a possibility to position their properties in a unique way, taking advantage of our ready to go and personalized conception and renovation program."
In 2019, with a total of 13 brands, Best Western Hotels & Resorts is the hotel group with the second largest presence in Europe with 77,422 rooms, according to data published by Hospitality ON. It ranks fifth in France, with 272 hotels for 14,597 rooms.
