Building with Intent: Ron Pohl on Best Western’s luxury expansion, new formats, and the India opportunity

In an exclusive discussion, Ron Pohl, President of International Operations for BWH Hotels and President of WorldHotels, speaks with Kamal Gill, Executive Editor, Today’s Traveller, on how the company is pursuing growth with deliberate intent rather than speed for its own sake

Ron Pohl, President of International Operations for BWH Hotels and President of WorldHotels, reflects on the strategic rationale behind the 2019 acquisition of WorldHotels, the brand’s evolution into new luxury formats, the rise of Aiden as a contemporary growth driver, and why India represents a significant opportunity across WorldHotels, branded residences, and the wider Best Western portfolio.

A Strategic Move into Luxury

Ron Pohl explains that the decision to acquire WorldHotels in 2019 grew out of a broader strategic discussion about where Best Western Hotels needed to go next. “It’s probably best to start with the fact that we purchased World Hotels in 2019,” he says. “We purchased World Hotels in 2019 as part of a larger discussion around Best Western.” At the time, he notes, “The organisation was known as a mid-scale, upper mid-scale brand.”

That naturally led to a fundamental question for the company: should it try to build a luxury brand organically, or would it be better served by acquiring one? “Could we organically create a brand that competed in the luxury segment, or would we be better off buying one?” he says. “And through several discussions, we knew that we would be better served if we could find a luxury hotel brand to buy. So that’s what we did.”

For Ron Pohl, that acquisition significantly broadened the company’s reach. “So now we’re one of only two brands in the world that have luxury to upscale economy, if you will.”

Expanding the WorldHotels Universe

He goes on to explain that WorldHotels has evolved considerably since the acquisition. “We’ve taken that brand to the next level. When we bought it, it had three subbrands, World Hotels Luxury, World Hotels Elite, and World Hotels Distinctive.” As the company assessed the portfolio, he says, “We quickly learned that one segment that we thought we were missing with that was what we call World Hotel Crafted.”

Crafted, he explains, was created to fill a very specific gap. “Crafted are boutique properties, smaller in room count, have a food and beverage component, and would be much more attractive globally than a 400-room property.” Once that need became evident, Best Western moved to address it. “Once that gap became clear, we created the Crafted brand.”

According to Ron Pohl, the response has been very encouraging. “And today it is the fastest growing of the four brands, especially in Europe and Asia, and we’re getting much attention.”

Branded Residences, Glamping, and Wellness

As WorldHotels continued to evolve, Best Western Hotels began identifying other white spaces within the luxury segment. “As we continue to evolve, we said, where else in the luxury segment can we grow, where do we see opportunities coming, and where, as we go into new markets, might there be some uniqueness?”

One of the first of these extensions was branded residences. “So the first one we identified was branded residences.”

He points to Vietnam as the starting point. “So Vietnam is our first opening this year. We have 10 in the market and many more under contract or under construction. These are not hotels, they’re not Airbnb, they are luxury living experiences.” He adds that the model is already expanding geographically. “We now have one also coming in the Middle East and another coming up in South America.”

Ron Pohl believes this format has strong relevance for India as well. “So we think there’s an opportunity here in India for branded residences. People want to know that they can buy a condominium that is aligned with a global brand, that is secure, and that will provide that living experience for them.”

The expansion of WorldHotels has not stopped here. “The next big opportunity that we’ve identified is that we’ve now gone into glamping in the luxury segment,” he says. “So we have five signed right now, three in North America, one in Brazil, and one in Honduras.” Looking ahead, he sees strong applicability in other markets too. “I believe that India has a market for luxury glamping. I believe Japan is a ripe market too. I know that Africa, with its popular safaris, has a ready market. So we are evolving World Hotels in these exciting spaces.”

Wellness, too, has become a major area of focus. “And then finally, wellness is top of mind for everybody,” he says. “So we have three wellness hotels signed, one in Mexico City, one in Cabo, and one in Greece.” He also points out that these concepts do not have to be large to be effective. “We are now looking for opportunities, and these can be relatively small. Our property in Mexico City has 40 rooms, very small, with an exclusive wellness program.”

For Ron Pohl, the company’s wellness proposition is meaningfully different. “The difference between our wellness product and others is that we actually have medical doctors on staff.” That, he explains, is what defines the concept. “That’s the wellness piece of it, and it’s a combination of ancient Chinese medicine and modern medicine.” He adds, “Doctor Leo Rustogi is a partner in this.”

He describes Doctor Leo Rustogi’s involvement as central to the model. “He’s a Harvard neurologist, and he’s part owner of this group that helps us design and develop the wellness concept not only for hotels, but for the branded residences as well.” That is why, he says, the thinking goes well beyond a conventional spa offering. “So we don’t just put a spa in there. If people are living there, they’re the ones who are going to come down there constantly to maintain the lifestyle that they want through a well-thought-out wellness program”

Taken together, these additions have created a much broader platform. “So that now gives us the WorldHotels brands that we are actively developing.”

Why Aiden Matters

Moving beyond WorldHotels, Ron Pohl also points to Aiden as one of the most important growth brands within the wider Best Western portfolio. “Within the rest of the portfolio, we offer Best Western, Best Western Plus, and our Aiden brand.” He explains the relationship between Aiden and Crafted by saying, “We developed World Hotel Crafted as a boutique, which is a little bit more expensive. The Aiden brand under Best Western is just one step lower.”

In his view, Aiden speaks directly to changing generational preferences. “So if we think about what Gen Z wants, Aiden is just right. We don’t have fixed design standards.” That flexibility, he says, is intentional. “If you own the hotel, you tell us what you want to create. We’ll help you create that, but it’s got to have a boutique feel with a great food and beverage component.”

At its core, however, the concept is designed to feel more expressive and contemporary. “And, aside from all the big fancy words, we want it to be fun because that’s what that generation wants.” He adds that this shift also reflects the fact that not all younger owners and guests identify with a more traditional brand format.

“We know for a fact that not all of the younger generation want the Best Western brand. They want something that’s theirs, a little bit more reflective of themselves. That is why Aiden has become such a strong growth driver. Aiden is one of our fastest-growing brands globally. We launched it just before COVID, and we have, I think, 35 to 40 of them now open and operating. It’s one of the fastest to start from zero.”

At the same time, Ron Pohl notes that the classic core brands continue to do heavy lifting. “We still contract more Best Westerns than anything because it’s a known brand.” What makes Aiden especially useful, however, is its value as a repositioning tool. “And when we talk about brand repositioning or hotel repositioning, we use Aiden oftentimes to do that, even with some of our Best Western hotels.”

The commercial logic, in his telling, is clear. “Best Western competes effectively in the mid-scale segment, and I might be getting a $100 average rate. If we take that, have you do some design changes, change it, make it an Aiden, we can increase your average rate by $25. So the numbers work out very, very strongly.”

He also believes the brand has particular appeal among Indian hotel owners in the United States. In his view, many of them want to create something distinct from the model their parents built. “Especially, our Indian owners in America want to do something different from what their parents did. So they want an Aiden,” he says. For them, the brand offers an opportunity to transform a more traditional hotel into something more contemporary and personally expressive.

As he puts it, they want to be able to say, “You gave me this Best Western, look what I was able to create with it.” Looking ahead, he adds, “I do think that’s going to happen. And we’ve got a couple of them signed up already.”

India as a Strategic Growth Market

Turning specifically to India, Ron Pohl says the WorldHotels opportunity is still at an early stage. “World Hotels is just entering the Indian market. So we’ve got one open right now. We know there’s greater potential for that, and we know there’s an opportunity for branded residences.”

He reiterates the relevance of the residential model for this market. “So we think there’s an opportunity here in India for branded residences. People want to know that they can buy a condominium that is aligned with a global brand, that is secure, and that will provide that living experience for them.”

He also positions WorldHotels clearly within the competitive landscape. “World Hotels is a soft brand that primarily would compete with a Marriott Autograph and Hilton Curio. So it’s in the league of Preferred Hotels or Leading Hotels of the World. Those are all of our competitors within that section.”

Soft Branding, Hard Branding, and Local Character

At the same time, the brand has evolved beyond soft branding alone. “The other thing that I didn’t mention is that with World Hotels, we now offer owners what we call hard branding.” He explains the distinction clearly: “Soft branding is that they maintain their hotel name, and it says, you know, a World Collection hotel.”

Now, however, some owners are opting for a stronger outward brand association. “We now have hotels in Egypt, in South America, in Vietnam and in China, that have the World Hotels name on the building, just like you would see Taj on a building here.” And the reason, according to Ron Pohl, is straightforward. “The reason owners and developers want that is, again, it creates confidence in the consumer that it’s associated with a global brand.”

Even then, he says, the company is careful not to impose sameness. “We do it very smartly. We don’t require a bunch of branding requirements inside the hotel. Put the name on the outside, create your unique experience.” That approach is central to the brand’s philosophy. “We don’t want a cookie-cutter approach. We want it to represent the market or the country that it’s in to be successful.”

Growth, Community, and the Brand’s Origins

From a broader global perspective, Ron Pohl believes the greatest opportunities lie in undersupplied markets, particularly in the mid-scale and upper mid-scale segments. Before turning to that outlook, however, he reflects on the wider social value of hospitality. “The beauty of a property being developed is that it creates new employment opportunities for the people of that village. That, in many ways, is where hospitality originally began.”

He links that thought directly to the origins of Best Western Hotels. “Our brand is celebrating 80 years this year. In 1946, our founder started with a hotel in San Diego, California, and had a friend who owned a hotel in Los Angeles.” The idea, he says, was both simple and visionary. “He said, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if we created a network so that when my guest leaves, he goes to your hotel?’ He would call in advance and say, ‘Mr Smith is coming to your hotel. Would you hold a room for him?”

According to Ron Pohl, that network effect did far more than connect hotels. It also generated livelihoods and contributed to the growth of local communities. “And in each of those markets, as he moved up and down California, they created jobs for people who did not have them before.” From there, the model steadily expanded. “And that is how the business became a network of hoteliers across the United States, before expanding to Europe and now to APAC.”

What has remained constant, he says, is the philosophy underpinning that growth. “All of it has been guided by the same mindset: in secondary and tertiary markets, you are improving a community, not merely building a business. And that is really quite special.”

Looking ahead, Ron Pohl sees the global white spaces with considerable clarity. “Globally, growth will certainly come in the mid-scale and upper mid-scale segments, particularly in parts of the world that remain underdeveloped.” By contrast, he notes, “Europe is somewhat saturated. North America is somewhat saturated.”

In his view, the real headroom lies in markets that are still underserved. “You have the entire Middle East, you have Africa, even Mexico, which presents a tremendous opportunity. South America offers tremendous opportunities. And last but not least, APAC also presents a significant opportunity.” Taken together, he says, these are emerging markets across larger countries and continents that remain undersupplied.

Why Patience Matters

Yet even with that optimism, Ron Pohl repeatedly returns to patience and discipline. “It’s all going to happen. We just have to be patient with some of these.” He is clear that rapid growth alone is not the goal. “I mean, we would love to say we’re going to grow 100 hotels here next year. Would 100 hotels be successful? Probably not.”

That approach is also shaped by the company’s ownership structure. “Because we’re a privately owned company, we don’t have shareholders. We want to grow, but we want to grow in a very careful and thoughtful way that ensures a win-win for all.” And the reason, he says, is obvious: “Because if an owner opens up a hotel just because we talked them into it, and it doesn’t work in the long run, we lose and they lose.”

For Ron Pohl, that makes the choice clear. “Short-term goals don’t do anybody any good. So we’re conservative. We could announce that we are set to close 40 properties next year, but if only 20 of them are successful, there’s no point. So we’re patient, and we deliver what we promise. That’s what makes Best Western Hotels a brand built on credibility, consistency, and long-term success.”

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