For the first time, Best Western International is rolling out its popular travel card in retail stores.
The hotel chain is teaming up with 5,500 Walgreen drug stores in the U.S. to carry the Best Western Travel Card. Consumers use the card as a gift and companies often buy the card for loyalty rewards, travel and employee incentive offerings.
Guests can use the Best Western Travel Card for accommodations and related hotel incidentals, including room service and phone charges at 4,200 Best Western hotels worldwide. The card is available in denominations ranging from $25 to $1,000, and can also be purchased online at BestWestern.com, by phone or at Best Western properties.
"Travel is the number one incentive for employees," said Dorothy Dowling, senior VP-marketing for Best Western. "The combination of the gift card business and prepaid travel solutions like this is the way of the future. [The card] is well received by employees and consumers alike."
The rollout, announced last month, comes on the heels of the travel card's soft launch in U.S.-based Walgreens stores in November. The company is also considering other retailers to carry the prepaid gift card, Dowling said.
Since the card debuted in December 2002, more than 320,000 Best Western Travel Cards have entered the U.S. marketplace, generating more than $15 million in sales, the company said. Worldwide, about 420,000 Travel Cards have been sold to date. The company's brand is distinct from other hotel gift cards, Dowling said, because Best Western has more than 4,000 locations around the world and offers redemption for multiple currencies.
Best Western is not the first hotel chain to offer gift cards at select retailers. Hyatt sells its gift cards in denominations up to $500 at Staples and Kroger stores. "Many brands have it in their consideration," Dowling said. "It's just a matter of time for many other brands out there" implement the use.
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