Is Best Western the most underrated hotel chain around?

If you're like most people, you probably associate Best Western with decrepit roadside motels, perhaps with a scenic view of a major interstate highway, perhaps in Nevada. For one thing, many Best Westerns are roadside motels off major interstates in Nevada (not that there's anything wrong with that…). Exempli gratia, the Best Western Pahrump Station, which Oyster will probably not be covering anytime soon. Then there's that cheesy blue and yellow "Gold Crown" logo, which virtually screams flyover state motor lodge.


But lately I've started to notice a trend across the Best Westerns we have covered so far: they're good hotels. Some are historic. Others are fun and quirky. Some are downright stylish. Granted, we've only visited the properties in premier destinations -- Pahrump Station, NV, notwithstanding -- but out of the seven Best Westerns we've stayed at so far, five were excellent. (Incidentally, there are 2,244 other Best Westerns in North America. With 4,000 hotels in 80 countries, Best Western International is the largest hotel chain in the world.) (We are full of fun facts here at Oyster.)


The key to the variety across the links in the chain is probably Best Western's unique business model, which is closer to a co-op than a franchise. Unlike other chains, which are often a mix of company-owned and franchised units, each Best Western hotel is independently owned and operated. San Francisco's Japanese-themed Best Western Tomo, for instance, is run by Joie de Vivre, a collection of fun and classy California boutiques. We were so impressed with the Tomo that we honored it twice: as one of SF's Best Boutiques and one of its Best Values.


Here are some other Best Western bests: