Best Western and Google's Mobile Friendly 360-degree Business Photo Listings

Best Western International recently announced this month its efforts to change the way consumers use hotels by partnering with Google. The hotel chain will be the first hotel brand to launch Google Business Photos for all hotels in North America. According to the company, the brand will have all its 2,200 hotels in North America photographed for Business Photos by the end of 2014. Google Business Photos are premium-quality 360-degree virtual tours powered by Google Street View technology.

EMP1 / Google

“Best Western’s leadership and owners acted strongly and decisively on two superior market insights: consumer decision making in the hospitality category is increasingly moving online, and the internet is becoming more of a visually-driven medium. It made perfect sense for Best Western, as a digital leader, to invest in this partnership with the leading online search company to offer the best experience possible,” said Best Western’s Dorothy Dowling, senior vice president of marketing and sales.

Best Western hotels will provide travelers with an interactive experience when they are searching for a hotel. With just a few clicks guests will be able to virtually walk through the hotel and explore the lobby or restaurant or go inside a guest room. Travelers will see Google Business Photos at Google Search results, Google Maps, Google+ and Google Hotel Finder whether they’re using their computers, smartphones or tablets.

ABOUT BEST WESTERN INTERNATIONAL, INC.

Best Western International, Inc., headquartered in Phoenix, Ariz., is a privately held hotel brand made up of more than 4,000* BEST WESTERN®, BEST WESTERN PLUS, BEST WESTERN PREMIER hotels in more than 100* countries and territories worldwide. Now celebrating 67 years of hospitality, Best Western welcomes hundreds of thousands of guests nightly. Best Western provides its hoteliers with global operational, sales, marketing and promotional support, and online and mobile booking capabilities. More than 20 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, race car driver Michael Waltrip, and Harley-Davidson® provide travelers with exciting ways to interact with the brand. In 2012, Best Western won a record number of awards, including AAA’s Hotel Partner of the Year, CAA’s Partner of the Year, TravelClick’s eMarketer of the Year and Compuware’s Best of the Web Gold awards.