Best Western Adds Two Boutique Brands to its Portfolio

Best Western announced the launch of two new boutique brands last week, Sadie Hotel and Aiden Hotel, targeting the booming lifestyle-driven midscale hotel category.

The upscale Sadie and upper midscale Aiden will “reflect the style and pulse of the community they are in” with “colorful, imaginative lobbies” and chic and sophisticated design.

They will join Best Western’s Vib and Glo brands in the boutique space, but are being marketed to hotel owners as conversions rather than new builds, with the goal of faster brand growth. Vib, for example, was announced in 2014 and opened its first property three years later in 2017.

Sadie Hotels and Aiden Hotels “present the opportunity for independent hoteliers or developers with branded hotels to reposition their property in a unique way, taking advantage of our cost-effective, turnkey, and customized design and renovation program,” Best Western’s CEO David Kong said in a statement. “Hotels are quickly integrated with Best Western’s powerful revenue engines intended to drive a fast ramp-up in business.”

Kong has been making a push in recent years to grow the scale of the company in an effort to compete with disruptors such as online travel agencies and Airbnb.