CMK10

This is a good point and it's especially true if you do any kind of road travel away from interstates.

eajusa

Agreed. And let me tell you no major chain has as many hotels near the National Parks as Best Western. Also these hotel at the National parks are some of the nicest Best Westerns in the chain.

Barcky

Did a Priceline Express Deal opaque booking last November and got the Best Western Plus in Livermore, CA for what I considered a great price. Hadn't been to a BW in years (decades?) but was very pleasantly surprised and pleased. It was a very new property and I will stay there again in the future. I think the Plus level of the BW brand will meet my expectations for brief stays with sufficient comfort and amenities.

As a result of this experience I have booked the Best Western Plus Chateau Granville in downtown Vancouver, BC for a one night stay this summer prior to a cruise. They have a nice cruise package including breakfast and transportation to the cruise terminal.

I remember using the thick (think phone book) Best Western highway atlas and location guide in the 1970s and early 80s to plan trips. How times have changed.

colonius

I am holding BW Diamond status through a status match. BW was not my first choice to begin with, but after a number of experiences I am about to return my membership card and put BW on my "avoid at all cost list".

My experiences over 2 years:

- Never greeted as a Diamond member
- Never offered any Diamond benefit
- Not a single upgrade
- Was denied my reserved and confirmed room type at the Best Western Olds, AB this April, no compensation offered. The message was: "take the worst room type in the house at the rate for the upgraded room you reserved or get lost"
- Opened a case about this with BW Corporate, never heard about it again

In summary: every other hotel chain probably treats you better with zero status than BW treats their Diamond members. I will not stay at a BW again if there is any other option within a 50 mile radius.

CMK10

That jives with my experience as a Diamond from 2010-2012 and a Platinum from 2012-2013. Once I got an early check-in but other than that, I don't think any hotel or employee noticed or cared what status you had.

sdsearch

As just a Platinum, I get a bag of bottles of water and some Nature Valley bars almost every time I stay at BW Meridian I&S in Orange CA (Anaheim area). I presume if you stayed there as Diamond you'd probably get that too.

I also sometimes get upgraded there when it's a slow night, but not every time I stay there. But I can't tell whether the upgrades are due to my status or just due to me being a recurring guest at this hotel. (Btw, I'm always doing 1-night stays only, since virtually all the BW promos are stay-based. And hotels are often more likely to upgrade on short stays than on longer ones.)

mav

I agree about the B.W. in the USA . I don't use them unless there is a 5,000 point bonus offer to book 1 night. Some of the BW's in the UK and Europe, however, are very nice. We will be staying at the Best Western Rehlegg in Ramsau Bavaria for 3 nights this July. We have never stayed here before, however the reviews are very promising. I'll give my thoughts on it after our stay. There are no Hiltons, Marriott's and now no I.C. properties near Berchtesgaden and that is where we want to be.

storewanderer

I think many US Best Westerns don't really have anything to upgrade you to. I suspect many "elites" at BW obtained it through status match (that was how I got it) also and this probably doesn't help the properties take the program very seriously either.

I've only ever had one upgrade at a BW and I had to ask for it upon check in. Booked the lowest cost available room at the Brookings, OR location and upon check in, after asking, was upgraded to one of the rooms that had a "better ocean view."

On the plus side I've noticed BW "kicking out" some properties that I'd describe as poor in the past year in the US. I'd rather stay in a nice place than get a free bottle of water for having some sort of card.

thunderdeacon

I have stayed at quite a few best westerns over the past year or so, and I have noticed that almost all of them are either new builds or have been recently rennovated. This includes the "regular" (non-plus) best westerns with exterior doors. Most of the rooms I have stayed in at Best Western have been just as nice as the average HI-Express, Fairfield Inn, or Comfort Inn room.

og

Why is it so critical for the front desk staff to say " gee - you must be an important person - you're Diamond " ( or whatever ). Is that really needed - especially if there are other people around?

GUWonder

The program is worse than mediocre for me, even as the hotel portfolio covers some of my travel destinations very well. I don't fancy the program because for my typical BW stay patterns, it takes me 15-20 nights to get one free night at the same property as where I earned the points.

CMK10

In a loyalty program, it's nice when the hotel/airline/rental car company/whatever recognizes loyalty. A simple thank you from one of their employees goes a long way.

gardengirl

Did anyone see BW on Undercover Boss?

Here's a couple links:

http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/new...hotel_TV_star/

We are regular Marriott guests mostly due to timeshare ownership. However, I recently got matched status with BW to stay across the street from my sister. Small town with no Marriott nearby. The staff was great and helped me get a room with the telephone reservations said their was no availability. Small pool but it was clean and perfect temp. My nieces kids loved coming for a visit. It's just down the road from an entry to Blue Ridge Parkway and Joey's Pancake House in Maggie Valley, NC.

http://bestwesternnorthcarolina.com/...ntainbrook-inn

http://www.joeyspancake.com

I'm trying to get enough points added to my account for a night at the BW next to the Marco Polo Airport in Venice. The reviews look good and so does the ease to the airport for an a.m. flight. Don't know if the value per point is that great but it's better than paying cash.

xichang08

We just completed a one night stay at this property (July 6-7).

Things we liked very much: free parking in front of hotel, free WiFi, afternoon cake, and breakfast. Also the free welcome drink provided while checking in, terrace dining with great views, fantastic dinner at hotel, and the beautiful grounds.

The room was rather small but was fine for the two of us. The room did not have air conditioning and was very hot. We stopped at the desk and asked for a fan and it was delivered within 15 minutes. This really helped with the heat.

Although the WiFi is free, you must get a voucher at reception. Ours used the room number as user id but it had a unique password.

We certainly enjoyed our one night stay and are already planning a return in September

DBCme

There are property-to-property variations to be expected but my overall impression of the BW Rewards program is...meh.

Received the Diamond match, and other than getting bonus points on every visit haven't really seen any perks. Usually aren't "junior suites" and such that other programs can upgrade people into. I've had late check-outs and early check-ins, but possibly it's because I'm a pretty swell guy who smiles and asks nicely, not because of status.

I find BW properties generally above average. The amenities (free wifi, free hot breakfast, often a pool) usually surpass those of four star hotels and up. But the corresponding frequent stay program is nothing exciting and thus doesn't keep me completely loyal to the brand.