Best Western’s Ron Pohl Receives Impressive Industry Recognition

Ron Pohl is honored with the prestigious
AH&LEI Arthur Landstreet Award

Phoenix, Ariz. (September 29, 2016) - Best Western® Hotels & Resorts’ Senior Vice President of Brand Management Ron Pohl was awarded the 2016 American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute’s Arthur Landstreet Award on Tuesday at The Lodging Conference in Phoenix, Arizona. Named after the Tennessee hotelier who founded the Educational Institute, the Arthur Landstreet award is presented to the individual who has made a lasting impact on the quality of professional development and training in the hospitality industry. Best Western Hotels & Resorts President & CEO David Kong earned the award in 2012.

 “This well-deserved recognition speaks to the high quality educational tools and programs we have developed for our hotel owners and staff,” said David Kong, President and CEO of Best Western Hotels & Resorts. “Ron’s contributions to Best Western have been invaluable in shaping today’s Best Western and in ensuring our future success.”

Pohl joined Best Western in 2007 as vice president of operations. In that role, he significantly improved revenue management systems, implemented new and innovative education and training resources and launched the industry-leading Best Western I Care® program.

He also created Best Western International University – Best Western’s online education website for hotel staff and corporate employees – which includes a partnership using AHLEI courses and certifications, Rosetta-stone and the University of Phoenix. During the past year, 1,953 Best Western employees representing more than 1,800 properties earned the Certified Front Desk Manager (CFDM) from AHLEI. The company will offer three additional online training and certification programs targeting additional professional positions.

Pohl demonstrates a passion for promoting hospitality studies and empowering the next generation of industry professionals and serves on the Advisory Board for Grand Canyon University, partnering with the University on the promotion of its new Hospitality College. 

In addition, under Pohl’s leadership, Best Western® Hotels and Resorts has been awarded a silver award from the Brandon Hall Group for a ground-breaking customer service training program called  I Care^®, Every Guest Every Time. A key feature of this innovative program includes a live hospitality virtual reality (“VR”) simulator that enables front desk, housekeeping, maintenance, and breakfast staff to practice and develop their interpersonal and guest communication skills in realistic, lifelike scenarios.

ABOUT BEST WESTERN HOTELS & RESORTS

Best Western® Hotels & Resorts headquartered in Phoenix, Ariz., is a privately held hotel brand with a global network of 4,100* hotels in more than 100* countries and territories worldwide. Best Western offers seven hotel brands to suit the needs of developers and guests in every market: Best Western®, Best Western Plus®, Best Western Premier®, Executive Residency by Best Western℠, Vīb ®, BW Premier Collection® and GLō℠. Now celebrating 70 years of hospitality, Best Western provides its hoteliers with global operational, sales and marketing support, and online and mobile booking capabilities. More than 26 million travelers are members of the brand’s award-winning loyalty program Best Western Rewards®, one of the few programs in which members earn points that never expire and can be redeemed at any Best Western hotel worldwide. The brand’s partnerships with AAA/CAA, Minor League Baseball, and Harley-Davidson® provide travelers with exciting ways to interact with the brand. Best Western continues to set industry records regarding awards and accolades, including Business Travel News naming Best Western as the best midscale hotel brand in 2014 and Best Western Plus as the best upper mid-price hotel brand in 2014 and 2015, four consecutive Compuware Best of the Web gold awards for best hotel website, and seven consecutive AAA/CAA Hotel Partner of the Year awards. Nearly sixty percent of Best Western branded hotels earned a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence award in 2015. 

* Numbers are approximate, may fluctuate, and include hotels currently in the development pipeline.