Winners of Business Plan Contest for Thai Students Crowned by Best Western
Bangkok (Thailand) – November 3, 2017 (travelindex) – Best Western Hotels and Resorts is delighted to announce that Venti, the team from Bangkok’s Thammasat University, has won the inaugural Best Western Rewards Social Media Business Contest 2017.
This exciting initiative challenged undergraduate university students in Thailand to create a real-life business plan for Best Western Rewards – Best Western’s industry-leading guest loyalty program. After more than two months and almost 50 entries, the top five teams were invited to take part in a live final event at Best Western Plus Wanda Grand Hotel, Bangkok, on Thursday October 19.
Presenting their business plans directly to an expert panel of seven judges, the teams were under pressure; but Venti kept their cool to emerge as the winners. The winners were awarded a fantastic all-expense paid four-day, three-night trip to Tokyo, with accommodations at the Best Western Tokyo Nishikasai Grande.
The runners-up, Muuvolteen Associates from Chulalongkorn University, were awarded an all-expense paid two-night holiday in Phuket, at the Best Western Patong Beach. Other finalists received Best Western Travel Cards valued at US $100 and certificates.
The expert panel of judges at the live final event included Top Koaysomboon, Editor-in-Chief of Time Out Bangkok, Sriwan Dawieang and Natthapong Auwhangsanti, the founders of lifestyle travel site, ChangTrixGet.com, plus five senior Best Western executives. Rodney Simpson, Best Western’s Senior Regional Director of Operations – Asia, was the head judge.
“The Best Western Rewards Social Media Business Plan Contest really captured the imagination of students in Thailand,” said Rodney. “When we launched the contest this summer, we wanted to provide students with the opportunity to develop their business skills in a real-life working environment. We have been absolutely delighted by the response.”
“We received almost 50 entries from teams of students all across Thailand, the majority of which were creative, professionally presented and showed real business acumen. This contest proves that the future of business in Thailand is in very good hands. Perhaps we’ll even see one of these students in a senior role with Best Western Hotels & Resorts in the years ahead.”
“Congratulations to Venti for their winning entry, and many thanks to every team who entered and made this such a rewarding contest,” he concluded.
With its regional head office for Asia located in Bangkok, Best Western Hotels & Resorts is dedicated to the development of young talent in Thailand. The Best Western Rewards Social Media Business Plan Contest was designed to provide Thai students with a platform to showcase their abilities, allowing them to gain real-life experience before they graduate and preparing them to enter the workplace.
About Best Western Hotels & Resorts:
Best Western Hotels & Resorts headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, is a privately held hotel brand with a global network of 4,100* hotels in more than 100* countries and territories worldwide. Best Western offers 10 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®, and BW Premier Collection®; as well as its recently launched franchise offerings: SureStay®, SureStay Plus® and SureStay Signature Collection®. 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 in the top three upper-mid-price and mid-price hotel brands for three years in a row, and Best Western receiving seven consecutive Dynatrace® Best of the Web awards for its leading hotel website. Best Western has also won eight consecutive AAA®/CAA® Lodging Partner of the Year awards, recognizing the brand’s commitment to providing exceptional service and great value to AAA’s 56 million members in the U.S. and Canada. Over 30 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.
– Each Best Western branded hotel is 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