BWH Hotel Group is set to bring the Executive Residency by Best Western brand to Australasia this year following an agreement with ARBT Property Group.

The extended stay brand will make its debut with a Brisbane property, Executive Residency Woolloongabba, which is expected to open in the fourth quarter of 2022.

BWH Hotel Group’s Managing Director Australasia, Graham Perry, announced the deal on stage at AHICE 2022, just an hour after signing.

“We’re very excited about it,” Perry told HM’s James Wilkinson.  

“My team, and Danilo [Curcuruto] and Elena [Martiniuc] in particular, have been working around the clock, and I’m delighted to say that we’ve just signed a multi-property deal with a Brisbane-based company called ARBT Property Group.”

Executive Residency Woolloongabba, located two kilometres from the CBD at 55 Carl Street, is a 51-key property offering extended stay options for leisure and business travellers.

The hotel’s selection of two, three and four-bedroom options feature expansive living areas, kitchenette, sleep, dining and work zones, with additional facilities on site such as a pool and gym as well as outdoor green spaces.  

Following the opening of Executive Residency Woolloongabba, the partners will announce details of additional projects, locations and BWH brands already in the pipeline including the opening of the second Aiden by Best Western in 2023.

“There will be many more properties to come so we are excited about that,” Perry said.

At AHICE, Perry discussed the evolution of BWH in recent years and the exciting new brands and properties to come to market, such as Aiden Darling Harbour.

“Over the last couple of years, my team have done a lot of work to reposition the company to be away from what was considered in Australia to be a regional motel group to BWH Hotel Group which is part of the global [business],” he said.  

“Best Western, a 75-year-old brand sits at the heart of it, but now we’ve got a whole portfolio of exciting brands – 17 brands in all  –  and we feel we now have a seat at the table, which is really exciting.”

Rapid growth

Working with ARBT – a specialist in modular hotel manufacturing – the partners are planning a rapid expansion of the BWH portfolio across Australasia with new build hotels set to open over the next few years.

ARBT’s prefabricated system allows the company to manufacture hotel rooms and residences offsite to 90% completion before installing on site in about 1-2 days per level. The company’s most recent project in Woolloongabba has close to 160 rooms which were installed in 21 business days.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with BWH Hotel Group to bring our creative solutions, our shared vision and our innovative modular construction technology to life,” said ARBT Property Group Founder and CEO, Solomon Noel.

“In launching Executive Residency Woolloongabba, we can showcase our ability to optimise the construction process to produce premium quality hotels with faster construction times and reduced costs.” 

Perry said the partnership is a “strong synergy” and they have “big plans”.

“Together we can champion the diversity of the BWH brand portfolio and make a big impact on the accommodation landscape throughout the region,” he said.

BWH Hotel Group’s Director of Development, Danilo Curcuruto, said the partnership marks “the acceleration of BWH’s development pipeline to meet the increasing appetite of new travellers looking for personalised experiences in both contemporary and lifestyle accommodation formats”.