Best Western Taps Vet For Corporate Sales

<B>Best Western Taps Vet For Corporate Sales</B>

Best Western International has named Bob Gilbert vice president of worldwide marketing and sales, responsible for negotiating with corporate travel buyers on behalf of the membership association's more than 4,100 independently owned and operated hotels.

Best Western owners have been seeking to provide consistency to assure buyers that business travelers would find a worldwide uniform product in terms of services and amenities wherever in the system their travels take them. "I'm a strong supporter of the minimum quality standards that were adopted in January," Gilbert said. "We operate in 83 countries, so it's a challenge to bring consistency to bear when local cultures vary so greatly. But the members have been very supportive."

Gilbert pointed out that many of the standards will end up saving travelers--and their companies--money. "Things like dataports in every room, free local calls and free access for long-distance calls all end up as cost-savers and, cumulatively, those savings can be substantial," he said. The list of 16 standards for North American properties and 14 for international locations are now in the process of being phased in.

Prior to Best Western, Gilbert, who is a Certified Travel Counselor, headed his own management and marketing consulting firm and held marketing positions at Walt Disney Travel Co. and Choice International. As soon as the 30-year industry veteran arrived at Best Western's Phoenix headquarters, it became clear that the sputtering U.S. economy was taking a toll on lodging industry occupancy rates. "Corporate clients invariably do some belt tightening on their travel budgets and some trading down of approved hotels is likely to occur," he said. "Midscale chains are the likely beneficiaries here, so Best Western is well-positioned in this regard."

But Gilbert also knows that temporary gains can be fleeting. "The challenge is to see if we can hold on to those improvements in market share once the economy returns to normal," he said. "What distinguishes Best Western is that it's a totally customer-driven organization. I'm always asking our sales team, 'What does the corporate travel buyer want? How do they want to do business?' My goal at the end of the day is to make us the easiest people to do business with.