Seven-strong Corus Hotels joins Best Western

Sales and marketing consortium Best Western GB has added seven properties to its portfolio following the signing of an agreement with Corus Hotels.

The new partnership includes two Laura Ashley properties: the 82-bedroom Belsfield in Bowness-on-Windermere, Cumbria, and the 17-bedroom Iliffe in Coventry. Both hotels will be marketed under the WorldHotels brand, acquired by Best Western last year.

The other hotels in the agreement include the Corus Hyde Park, London; Burnham Beeches, Buckinghamshire; the Hillcrest, Widnes, Merseyside; the St James hotel, Grimsby, Lincolnshire; and the Regency, Solihull. Burnham Beeches will sit within the BW Signature Collection, while the other four will be part of the Sure Hotel Collection.

Mark Stanley, head of hotel development at Best Western GB, said: "The Corus and Laura Ashley agreement is the perfect way to start 2020, and continues our success of 2019, which was a fantastic year for Best Western. We are incredibly proud to be working alongside this prestigious group."

Yet King Loy, chief executive of Corus Hotels, which is owned by Malaysian group MUI, added: "We are delighted that our group of hotels is able to link with Best Western to gain wider market coverage and to provide an enhanced experience to our guests. We hope to expand our collection of Laura Ashley Hotels in conjunction with our Best Western partnership."

Best Western GB, which today represents more than 260 hotels, is set to be the focus of a Channel 4 documentary later this year.