Earth Day Network Teams Up With Best Western for National Mall Event

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 5, 2012 Contact: Bryan Buchanan, EDN, 202-518-0044 x 14 Heather Briganti, Best Western, 602-957-5752

Earth Day Network Teams Up With Best Western for National Mall Event

WASHINGTON – Earth Day Network, organizer of the world’s largest civic observance, has teamed up with Best Western International,THE WORLD’S BIGGEST HOTEL FAMILY®. In a year-long partnership announced today, Best Western will become a sponsor of the massive Earth Day event on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on April 22. “The theme of Earth Day 2012 is Mobilize the Earth™, and Best Western has been mobilizing its hotels around the world to implement eco-friendly policies,” said Kathleen Rogers, president of Earth Day Network. “Because of their enormous size and influence in the industry, it’s an extremely important step.” The event on the National Mall is the centerpiece of Earth Day in the United States and part of a vast network of Earth Day events around the world – from Rome to Rio, Beijing to Beirut.  Tens of thousands of people are expected to descend on the National Mall on April 22, joined by civic leaders, politicians and celebrities to galvanize the global environmental movement. The last Earth Day event on the National Mall, in 2010, boasted over 250,000 attendees and attracted the likes of Sting, John Legend, James Cameron, Rev. Jesse Jackson and scores of other luminaries. “We are excited to partner with Earth Day Network as green efforts are a big part of the future of our industry and an increasing differentiator for our hotel guests,” said David Kong, president and CEO of Best Western International. “Having nearly 4,200 hotels worldwide, we realize that even small changes made at each property can have a lasting positive impact on the environment.” Best Western properties can support green initiatives in several ways, from having in-room recycle bins, low-flow shower heads, recycled paper, and linen re-use programs to geothermal and solar-powered hotels that actually sell power back to the grid. Best Western was the first mid-scale hotel brand to partner with Energy Star®, a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, to provide hotels with the resources and tools to help them capitalize on the benefits of reduced energy consumption. Every Best Western hotel in North America is required to have a green program in place. For more information about Earth Day 2O12, go to archiveedn.wpengine.com/2012. For more information about Best Western’s green initiatives, go to http://bit.ly/z5zXoL Earth Day Network mobilizes over one billion people in 192 countries through year-round advocacy, education, public policy and consumer campaigns to protect the environment. archiveedn.wpengine.com ABOUT BEST WESTERN INTERNATIONAL, INC. Best Western International, Inc., headquartered in Phoenix, Ariz., is a privately held hotel brand made up of more than 4,100* BEST WESTERN®, BEST WESTERN PLUS® and BEST WESTERN PREMIER® hotels in more than 100* countries and territories worldwide. Now celebrating 66 years of hospitality, Best Western welcomes hundreds of thousands of guests nightly. Best Western provides its hoteliers with global operational, sales, marketing and promotional support, and online and mobile booking capabilities. More than 14 million travelers are members of the brand’s award-winning loyalty program Best Western Rewards®, one of the few programs in which members earn points that never expire and can be redeemed at any Best Western hotel worldwide. The brand’s partnerships with AAA/CAA, racecar driver Michael Waltrip, and Harley-Davidson® provide travelers with exciting ways to interact with the brand. Best Western in 2011 was named AAA’s and CAA’s Hotel Partner of the Year and bestwestern.com was named the 2011 Compuware Best of the Web Gold award winner. For more information or to make a reservation, please visit bestwestern.com. *Numbers are approximate and may fluctuate.