PHOENIX—Best Western International is planning rapid expansion in Mexico, Central and South America with 29 hotels in the 2014-2015 pipeline.
Though growth is strong throughout the region, South America is the hottest area for hotel development thanks to improving economies and Brazil hosting both the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, according to Best Western International.
Best Western is doing its part to meet the growing hospitality demands in Brazil. The brand currently has 16 hotels operating in the country and is working with a development partner Incortel to add 30 new properties in the next five years.
All of these projects will be new construction and 50% will be Best Western Plus hotels. The first of the new Incortel properties, the Best Western Plus Pampulha Design Hotel in Belo Horizonte, is set to open in March and construction has begun on a new fashion-themed property that will feature design from leading South American fashion icon Gloria Coelho.
Best Western currently has two hotels in operation in Colombia and a third, the Best Western Plus Mocawa Hotel, will open in late December. The brand anticipates adding between two and four new-construction projects annually through 2019. Hotel demand in the country has been spurred by increased political stability and the growth of the coffee, tourism and oil industries, according to the company.
Other hot spots for the brand’s Latin American development efforts include Chile and Peru. Best Western currently operates five hotels in Chile and is focused on development in the northern portion of the country. In Peru, hotel growth has been fueled by an increase in tourism dollars and a reduction in sales tax. Best Western has responded with the recent opening of the Best Western Plus Vista Pacifico, a 115-room resort property located south of Lima on Sarampampa Beach. The brand plans to have four hotels in its Peruvian portfolio by the end of 2014.
