David Kong

Who is David Kong?

David Kong" David Kong is the president and CEO of Best Western International.

David Kong is a hospitality industry leader with more than four decades of experience. Since he was named President & CEO in 2004, Kong has led the company to its highest RevPAR Index of 110 in 2012 and 2013 as well as unprecedented performance in guest loyalty and hotel satisfaction. Best Western has about 4,200 hotels in over 110 countries with annual hotel revenue exceeding $6 billion.

Kong is known in the industry as a strategic thinker and innovator. His comprehensive brand strategy included initiatives such as stratifying the brand into three tiers, raising standards and establishing marketing partnerships with high profile organizations such as Harley-Davidson and Facebook. Brand Keys has named Best Western as the best midscale hotel chain in customer loyalty for the past four years straight. Under Kong's leadership, Best Western has set out to be a leader in the Internet, mobile and social media space. Compuware named bestwestern.com the best hotel web site in 2012 and 2013. In 2013, EyeForTravel and Compuware named Best Western's mobile site as the industry's best, Travel Click named Best Western "E-Marketer of the Year" and L2 named Best Western the best in E-Commerce in the hotel industry. With Kong's background and involvement in sales and marketing, Best Western won 30 HSMAI Adrian awards and 22 Travel Weekly Magellan awards in 2013 - the most won in the industry. AAA has recognized Best Western as "Partner of the Year" for the past five years in a row. U.S. News & World Report rated Best Western Rewards as the second best hotel loyalty program in 2013.