Bangkok (Thailand) – November 3, 2017 (travelindex) – Best Western Hotels and Resorts is pleased to announce that Venti, the team from Thammasat University in Bangkok, has won the first Best Western Rewards Social Media Business Contest 2017.

This exciting initiative challenged students in Thailand to develop a practical business plan for Best Western Rewards – Best Western's industry-leading guest loyalty program. After more than two months and nearly 50 submissions, the five best teams were invited to a live final at the Best Western Plus Wanda Grand Hotel in Bangkok on Thursday, October 19.

The teams were under pressure as they presented their business plans directly to a seven-member panel of experts; but Venti kept his cool and emerged victorious. The winners received a fantastic, fully paid four-day trip to Tokyo with three nights' accommodation at the Best Western Tokyo Nishikasai Grande.

The runners-up, Muuvolteen Associates from Chulalongkorn University, won a fully paid two-day vacation in Phuket at the Best Western Patong Beach. The other finalists received Best Western travel vouchers worth US$100 and certificates.

The expert jury for the live final consisted of Top Koaysomboon, editor-in-chief of Time Out Bangkok; Sriwan Dawieang and Natthapong Auwhangsanti, founders of the lifestyle travel portal ChangTrixGet.com; and five senior executives from Best Western. Rodney Simpson, Senior Regional Director of Operations – Asia at Best Western, served as jury chairman.

“The Best Western Rewards Social Media Business Plan Competition has really excited the students in Thailand,” said Rodney. “When we launched the competition this summer, we wanted to give them the opportunity to further develop their entrepreneurial skills in a real-world work environment. We are absolutely thrilled with the response.”

“We received almost 50 entries from student teams across Thailand. Most of them were creative, professionally presented, and demonstrated genuine business acumen. This competition proves that the future of business in Thailand is in very good hands. Perhaps we will even see one of these students in a leadership position at Best Western Hotels & Resorts in the coming years.”

“Congratulations to Venti for their winning entry and many thanks to all the teams who participated and made this competition such a rewarding experience,” he concluded.

With its regional Asia headquarters in Bangkok, Best Western Hotels & Resorts is committed to fostering young talent in Thailand. The Best Western Rewards Social Media Business Plan Contest offers Thai students a platform to showcase their skills, gain practical experience before graduation, and thus optimally prepare for their entry into the professional world.

About Best Western Hotels & Resorts: Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, Best Western Hotels & Resorts is a privately owned hotel brand with a global network of 4,100* hotels in more than 100* countries and territories worldwide. Best Western offers ten hotel brands designed to meet the needs of hoteliers and guests in every market: Best Western®, Best Western Plus®, Best Western Premier®, Vīb®, GLō®, Executive Residency by Best Western®, and BW Premier Collection®, as well as the recently launched franchise offerings SureStay®, SureStay Plus®, and SureStay Signature Collection®. Celebrating over 70 years of hospitality, Best Western provides its hoteliers with worldwide support in operations, sales, and marketing, along with award-winning online and mobile booking capabilities. Best Western continues to set industry records in terms of awards and accolades. For example, in 2017, 64 percent of the brand's North American hotels received the TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence. Business Travel News® ranked Best Western Plus and Best Western among the top three upper-midrange and midrange hotel brands for three consecutive years. Best Western also won the Dynatrace® Best of the Web Award for its leading hotel website seven times in a row. Best Western was also named AAA®/CAA® Lodging Partner of the Year eight times in a row, recognizing the brand's commitment to providing exceptional service and value to its 56 million AAA members in the U.S. and Canada. Over 30 million travelers are members of the award-winning Best Western Rewards® loyalty program, one of the few programs where points have no expiration date and can be redeemed at any Best Western hotel worldwide. Best Western's partnerships with AAA/CAA and Harley-Davidson® offer travelers exciting ways to connect with the brand. Through its partnership with Google® Street View, Best Western is the first major company of its size and scale to introduce a virtual reality experience for customers, setting a new industry standard and reinventing the way guests see hotels.

– Each Best Western hotel is an independent company. – The figures are approximate, subject to change, and include hotels currently under development.

Contact information: Marketing Communications Department Best Western Hotels and Resorts – Asia Tel.: +66 2 656 1260 Sirimanas Maungrod Email: [email protected] Orapan Sornnuwat Email: [email protected]