Strategic Thinker and Innovator - David Kong CEO Best Western

Post Pandemic Thinking for Hospitality and Tourism provides innovative and strategic ideas. Whilst it might have appeared to be a good idea to be a quarantine or migrant hotel during 2020, I don’t think it would ever be a strategy used by David Kong the CEO of Best Western Hotels.  

“Why listen to David Kong?” you may ask. Well, I believe in continual learning. Abraham Lincoln once said “I don't think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday.“ I think we can learn a lot from David Kong. 

David Kong is the longest-running CEO of the top 10 major global hotel chains. Since he was named President & CEO of Best Western Hotels & Resorts in 2004, Kong has led the company to its greatest growth to date. Under his leadership, Best Western has grown to a global portfolio of 18 brands, comprising approximately 4,700 hotels across all chain scale segments. The company has consistently achieved impressive financial success with a RevPAR Index of over 109 the past seven years, and unprecedented performance in guest loyalty and hotel satisfaction. 

David Kong is known in the industry as a strategic thinker and innovator. Under his leadership, Best Western has set out to be a leader in the internet, mobile and social media space.

The brand has made continuous improvements to its mobile booking experience and integrates world-class technology, such as Google’s Places API for mapping and nearby attractions. In 2017, Best Western announced the global launch of its Mobile Guest Engagement Platform – which provides web-based guest communications tools to support every step of the guest journey, including pre-arrival, on property and at check-out, all without the necessity of downloading a smartphone application. 

" In 2018, Fast Company named Best Western Hotels & Resorts as one of the Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in AR/VR for its cutting-edge initiatives..."

Under Kong’s leadership, Best Western has also become a frontrunner in innovation, integrating the latest technology, such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), to meet the needs of today’s travellers. In 2018, Fast Company named Best Western Hotels & Resorts as one of the Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in AR/VR for its cutting-edge initiatives – including the Best Western Virtual Reality Experience and its employee training.

Kong has spearheaded international development with expansion focus on Asia, South America and the Middle East. With over 200 hotels in Asia, Best Western has been recognised by TTG Asia with the "Best Midscale Hotel Chain" for the past 13 consecutive years and was named “Asia’s Best Mid-Range Hotel Brand” by the Travel Weekly Asia for the past five years. That’s why I listen to David Kong. 

You can too. Click here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4lewgxCO8Q  to hear David Kong interviewed by Yahoo Finance.  He discusses the impact the coronavirus has had on the hospitality industry and why he is concerned about the future.

 

Check out the abridged version of Post Pandemic Thinking for Hospitality and Tourism

https://online.flippingbook.com/view/116683/2/