Taryn Rosenbaum, a PR Account Manager from The Brandman Agency was commissioned by her client, the BWH Hotels to share their excitement. She was hired to write a promotional “news” story about the Best Western Hotel loyalty program and pitch it to news media for free inclusion.

This is called earned media, where the earning party is only the PR agency.

The breaking news was that travelers could earn a free night with BWH, the Best Western Reward program.

This news was sent to journalists listed on the Bradman Agency and Best Western media list. Journalists were expected to publish this as news without compensation.

Hotel Reward programs are not anything new, and they all include free night awards. It included not only Marriott Bonvoy, World of Hyatt, and Hilton HHonor, but also smaller independent hotel groups’ loyalty programs are thriving and include free nights.

Why is no publication considering the Best Western News Story?

So far no serious publication has taken the bait on this Best Western development, so eTurboNews is sharing this release with readers as a courtesy to Best Western Hotels to get this lost message across without any additional cost. (Except for the fee already paid to the New York-based PR agency.

Independent hotels loyalty programs thriving

The Best Western Press Release

This spring, BWH Hotels is offering members of its award-winning loyalty program – Best Western Rewards (BWR^®) – the opportunity to earn a free night. From February 5 to May 5, 2024, BWR members who stay two nights (which do not need to be consecutive) at BWH Hotels properties in the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean will earn one free night that can be used for stays through August 25, 2024. BWR members must register for the offer before the completion of their first eligible stay, either on bestwestern.com/rewardsrush1 or at the hotel directly.

“The team is thrilled to kick off 2024 with this exciting promotion and enhance our rewards members’ travel plans for the year,” said Joelle Park, SVP, Chief Marketing Officer at BWH Hotels. “Whether travelers want to experience some of our incredible ski properties or escape the cold weather for a beach, rewards members can be confident they are getting the comfort, service, and value they have come to expect from our hotels.”

The BWR program’s perks are driven by BWH Hotels’ commitment to caring for its guests and its vision of encouraging one-of-a-kind experiences through travel. The awarded free night can be used at any participating Best Western branded hotel in the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean, and members are only eligible to earn one free night for this promotion.

Life’s A Trip

Inspired by BWH Hotels’ new marketing campaign, “Life’s A Trip,” this year’s BWR spring promotion invites travelers to embrace all of life’s imperfections. The campaign hinges on the insight that life and travel are not always easy, highlighting three emotionally driven, real-life scenarios that show travel can be simultaneously vibrant, messy, draining, and beautiful. It encourages BWH Hotels’ guests to earn rewards while embracing the perfectly imperfect nature of travel.

Each stay at a BWH Hotels property earns members points which can be used for free or discounted room nights at BWH Hotels properties, redeemed for Mastercard and Amazon gift cards; gifted to friends and loved ones in the form of a Best Western gift card, or donated to nonprofit organizations working to solve critical problems, such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the American Red Cross and Canadian Red Cross. BWR members can also use accumulated loyalty points to pay for part of their next hotel stay through BWR’s Pay with Points program. By using Pay with Points, BWR members can tap into their points right away to redeem and use them for discounted room rates at hotels across North America.

The BWH Gift of Travel Program

In addition to the spring promotion, BWR members can also take advantage of BWH Hotels’ Gift of Travel program, which allows them to gift travel experiences to their loved ones at any BWH Hotels property around the globe by transferring rewards points to other BWR members for momentous trips. BWR members can extend the Gift of Travel in two different ways:

Gifting a Free Night: BWR members can gift a one-night stay to immediate family members through the “Gift a Free Night” option in their BWR account.
Redeeming a Best Western Gift Card: BWR members can redeem their points for a Best Western gift card and gift that to friends and family. Members can access this option in the redemption section of their BWR account.