BEST WESTERN®'S RON POHL WINS SILVER
IN BEST IN BIZ AWARDS 2017
BW’s Senior Vice President and Chief Operations Officer Named a Silver Winner in the Executive of the Year – Large Companies Category
PHOENIX (November 30, 2017) – Best Western Hotels & Resorts’ Senior Vice President and Chief Operations Officer Ron Pohl has been named a silver winner in the Executive of the Year – Large Companies category by the Best in Biz Awards, the only independent business awards program judged each year by prominent editors and reporters from top-tier publications in North America.
The award recognizes executives who excel at delivering on their companies' goals, while also balancing the wellbeing of their employees and the benefits to their customers and communities in mind.
Pohl’s commitment to excellence, innovative vision, and investment in employees’ professional development are a testament to Pohl’s receipt of this award. For more than a decade, Pohl has been a key leader in driving success for the powerhouse brand. On the heels of its iconic brand refresh, this year has been a pivotal turning point for Best Western; and he has led initiatives paramount to revolutionizing the 70-year-old company, and meeting the evolving needs of today’s travelers. Among many of Pohl’s impressive initiatives, notably he helped expand the company’s portfolio from one brand to 11 – and all of them have experienced incredible success in the past year; launched the I Care® Every Guest Every Time employee training program – making Best Western the first hotel company to leverage virtual reality to transform communications between front desk staff and guests; and revamped Best Western’s breakfast offerings to provide customizable and healthy options for guests.
Recognizing that a critical part of Best Western’s future success is making an investment in the company’s future, Ron also became involved in the creation and implementation of the Best Western Future Leaders Program for its hoteliers, and the Best Western Leadership Development Program for corporate employees. Both programs are designed to support and drive professional development.
Each year, Best in Biz Awards’ entrants span the spectrum, from some of the most innovative local start-ups to the most recognizable global brands. The seventh annual program was particularly hotly contested, with more than 650 entries from an impressive array of public and private companies of all sizes and from a variety of industries and geographic regions in the U.S. and Canada. Best in Biz Awards 2017 honors were presented in 65 categories, including Company of the Year, Fastest-Growing Company, Most Innovative Company, Best Place to Work, Support Department, Executive of the Year, Most Innovative Product, Best New Product, App, Event and Website of the Year.
“Ron is an exceptional member of Best Western’s executive leadership team,” said David Kong, President and CEO of Best Western Hotels & Resorts. “This well-deserved recognition is a reflection of Ron’s commitment to growing our brand and establishing a promising future for Best Western. We are incredibly proud of all that he has accomplished, and are grateful to have him as a leader of our brand.”
Since 2011, winners of Best in Biz Awards have been determined based on scoring from independent judging panels composed of prominent editors and reporters from some of the most respected newspapers, TV outlets, and business, consumer, technology and trade publications in North America. Best in Biz Awards’ uniqueness stems, in part, from this distinct composition of its judging panels, allowing it to best leverage the judges’ unparalleled expertise, experience and objectivity to determine award winners. The 2017 judging panel included: Accounting Today, AdWeek, Associated Press, Atlanta Tribune, Business News Daily, Consumer Affairs, Entrepreneur, eWeek, Forbes, Harvard Business Review, Healthcare Innovation News, Inc., Investment Advisor Magazine, Laptop, MediaPost, Pittsburgh Business Times, Security Products Magazine, Wired, WLRN and Yahoo Tech.
“The participants in this year’s Executive of the Year category made the judging nearly impossible,” said Jack M. Germain, ECT News Network, judging his sixth Best in Biz Awards competition. “All the CEOs have lists of credentials that qualify them for the Who’s Who winners list in any corporate boardroom. Each one has an impressive record of achievements and a unique approach to deliver his or her company’s goals. They all have embraced their employees’ needs and the benefits of making technology work for them.”
For a full list of gold, silver and bronze winners in Best in Biz Awards 2017, visit: http://www.bestinbizawards.com/2017-winners.
About Best Western® Hotels & Resorts:
Best Western Hotels & Resorts headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, is a privately held hotel brand with a global network of 4,200† hotels in more than 100† countries and territories worldwide. Best Western offers 11 hotel brands to suit the needs of developers and guests in every market: Best Western®, Best Western Plus®, Best Western Premier®, Vīb®, GLō®, Executive Residency by Best Western®, BW Premier Collection®, and BW Signature CollectionSM by Best Western; as well as its recently launched franchise offerings: SureStay® Hotel by Best Western, SureStay Plus® Hotel by Best Western and SureStay CollectionSM by Best Western. Now celebrating more than 70 years of hospitality, Best Western provides its hoteliers with global operational, sales and marketing support, and award-winning online and mobile booking capabilities. Best Western continues to set industry records regarding awards and accolades, including 64 percent of the brand’s North American hotels earning a TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence award in 2017, Business Travel News® ranking Best Western Plus and Best Western number one in upper-mid-price and mid-price hotel brands, and Best Western receiving seven consecutive Dynatrace® Best of the Web awards for its leading hotel website. Best Western has also won nine consecutive AAA®/CAA® Lodging Partner of the Year awards, recognizing the brand’s commitment to providing exceptional service and great value to AAA/CAA’s nearly 58 million members in the U.S. and Canada. Best Western-branded hotels were top ranked in J.D. Power’s 2017 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study – ranking first in breakfast (food and beverage category) for midscale; and second in overall guest satisfaction. Over 32 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. Best Western’s partnerships with AAA/CAA and Harley-Davidson® provide travelers with exciting ways to interact with the brand. Through its partnership with Google® Street View, Best Western is the first major company of its size and scale to launch a virtual reality experience for customers, setting a new industry standard and reinventing how guests view hotels.
* All Best Western and SureStay-branded hotels are independently owned and operated.
† Numbers are approximate, may fluctuate, and include hotels currently in the development pipeline.
About Best in Biz Awards:
Since 2011, Best in Biz Awards, Inc. has made its mark as the only independent business awards program judged each year by a who’s who of prominent reporters and editors from top-tier publications from North America and around the world. Best in Biz Awards honors are conferred in two separate programs: North America and International, and in 65 categories, including company, team, executive, product, and PR and media. For more information, visit: http://www.bestinbizawards.com.