The Best Western logo features a bold crown symbol in navy blue paired with confident typography, positioning the brand as a trusted, accessible hotel chain with over 4,500 properties worldwide.
MiresBall’s identity for Best Western establishes the brand through a distinctive crown icon that suggests quality and value without pretension. The crown uses simplified, geometric forms rather than ornate detailing, making it recognizable at highway speeds and small digital sizes. The navy blue color palette projects trust and reliability while differentiating Best Western from competitors who favor warmer hospitality colors. The crown sits centered above the wordmark, creating a balanced composition that works across applications from roadside signage to mobile apps.
The logo’s strength lies in its clarity and memorability. In the mid-tier hotel category, travelers make quick decisions based on brand recognition and perceived value. The crown symbol provides instant visual identification while suggesting the brand delivers more than basic accommodations. The overall system prioritizes functionality over decoration, ensuring the identity performs consistently across thousands of independently owned franchise properties with varying levels of design sophistication.
Meaning and Symbolism
- Crown Symbol: Represents quality leadership in the mid-tier hotel category, suggesting Best Western offers the best value in its segment without premium pricing.
- Navy Blue: Conveys trust, stability, and professionalism while standing out from the greens and oranges common in competing hotel brands.
- Geometric Simplification: The streamlined crown design communicates approachability and contemporary relevance rather than old-world luxury or pretension.
- Centered Composition: The balanced layout suggests reliability and consistency, important attributes for a franchise brand operating across diverse markets.
Design and History
M.K. Guertin founded Best Western in 1946 as a cooperative marketing organization for independent hoteliers in the western United States. Unlike traditional hotel chains built through corporate ownership, Best Western grew as a membership organization where individual property owners maintained independence while benefiting from collective marketing and reservation systems. This franchise model required a strong, unified visual identity that could create brand recognition despite diverse property types and ownership.
The crown symbol emerged as Best Western evolved from a regional referral network into a global brand. The icon needed to work across cultures and languages while communicating the brand promise of reliable, comfortable accommodations at fair prices. MiresBall’s design simplified earlier crown treatments, creating a mark that could scale from highway billboards to smartphone screens without losing impact.
As Best Western expanded its portfolio to include sub-brands targeting different segments (Best Western Plus, Best Western Premier), the crown became the unifying element across the family. The identity system maintains consistency while allowing flexibility for thousands of franchisees to implement the brand at local properties. This balance between standardization and adaptation has been crucial to Best Western’s success competing against both budget chains and higher-priced alternatives.
Typography
The Best Western wordmark uses a confident sans-serif typeface with sturdy letterforms and consistent stroke weights. The all-caps treatment emphasizes the brand name equally, preventing either word from dominating. The letter spacing is generous enough to maintain legibility at distance while keeping the wordmark compact. The typeface feels contemporary without chasing trends, important for a brand that needs longevity across a large franchise system. The navy blue maintains consistency with the crown symbol while ensuring excellent contrast against light backgrounds.
FAQ
Q: Is Best Western a franchise or corporate-owned hotel chain?
A: Best Western operates primarily as a membership organization where individual property owners pay fees to use the brand name, reservation system, and marketing support. This differs from chains like Marriott or Hilton that mix franchised and corporate-owned properties. The franchise model allows property owners independence while providing brand recognition.
Q: What do the different Best Western brands mean?
A: Best Western has expanded from a single brand into a family including Best Western (core mid-tier properties), Best Western Plus (enhanced amenities), Best Western Premier (upscale properties), and several other tiers. The crown logo appears across all brands, with color variations and additional design elements distinguishing segments.
Q: Why did Best Western choose navy blue instead of more common hospitality colors?
A: The navy blue differentiates Best Western in a category where competitors often use warm oranges, greens, or reds. The color choice suggests trust and professionalism while maintaining approachability. Navy performs well across both print and digital applications and maintains strong contrast in roadside signage visible to travelers making quick decisions.
