Maverick of the Year at Gold Stevie Award to Best Western’s Bruce Wienberg

Phoenix (Arizona) – May 8, 2018 (travelindex) – Best Western Hotels and Resorts today announced that Vice President of Operations Bruce Wienberg has been named a Gold Stevie Award winner in the Maverick of the Year – Consumer Services category. This year marks the 16th Annual American Business Awards – the premier business awards program in the U.S., with winners selected from a pool of more than 3,700 nominations across all industries. Wienberg’s win is a significant accomplishment for the hospitality industry veteran and for Best Western Hotels & Resorts.

“Bruce’s commitment to enhancing the customer experience has been a driving force behind our brand’s evolution and a catalyst for elevating industry standards,” said Ron Pohl, Senior Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, Best Western Hotels & Resorts. “The Maverick of the Year Award is truly fitting for a professional like Bruce, whose forward-thinking and innovative mindset makes an impact on our business daily.”

Since joining Best Western Hotels & Resorts in 2003, Wienberg has demonstrated his commitment to innovation and success. His assistance in rolling out Best Western’s award-winning I Care® Every Guest Every Time training program, which utilizes industry-leading Mursion avatar training simulations, has created the highest guest satisfaction scores in the company’s history. The program has also helped Best Western land a spot on Fast Company’s Top 10 Most Innovative Companies list in the AR/VR category. Wienberg also championed the brand’s new “Build Your Own” breakfast program, which is now available at most Best Western-branded properties and emulated at hotels across the globe. The program was recently awarded a top ranking in J.D. Power’s 2017 Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study in the category of food and beverage for midscale.

“The nominations submitted for The 2018 American Business Awards were outstanding. The competition was intense, and those recognized as Stevie Award winners should be immensely proud of this accomplishment,” said Michael Gallagher, president and founder of the Stevie Awards.

Nicknamed the Stevies for the Greek word meaning “crowned,” the awards will be presented to winners at a gala ceremony at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York on Monday, June 11. Tickets are now on sale.

Details about The American Business Awards and the list of 2018 Stevie winners are available at www.StevieAwards.com/ABA

For more information on Best Western Hotels & Resorts, please visit BestWestern.com

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 CollectionSM by Best Western, 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 Collection® 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.

Contact information:
Marketing Communications Department
Best Western Hotels and Resorts – Asia
Tel: +66 2 656 1260
Sirimanas Maungrod
Email: sirimanas.maungrod@bestwestern.com
Orapan Sornnuwat
Email: orapan.sornnuwat@bestwestern.com