Ron Pohl has been promoted Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at BWH Hotels
Best Western Hotels & Resorts’ has promoted Ron Pohl to SVP and COO. The promotion comes at the end of a significant year for the brand, celebrating a 70-year anniversary, rolling out a new breakfast program, launching a global responsive site and achieving record-setting results in RevPAR, according to the brand. Pohl serves on the company’s executive committee and leads the brand’s operations and development efforts for North America and Asia. His responsibilities include overseeing key departments within the hotel company, including customer care, member services, revenue management, education and training, design, supply, and global quality assurance. He was instrumental in repositioning the three core brands, Best Western, Best Western Plus and Best Western Premier as well as launching the newest brands: Vīb, Glō, BW Premier Collection and the SureStay Hotel Group. According to the brand, Pohl has improved revenue management systems, implemented new education and training resources, and launched the Best Western I Care program. Pohl also created Best Western International University—Best Western’s online education website for hotel staff and corporate employees—which includes a partnership using AHLEI courses and certifications, Rosetta Stone and the University of Phoenix. During the past year, 1,953 Best Western employees representing more than 1,800 properties earned the Certified Front Desk Manager (CFDM) from AHLEI. The company will offer three additional online training and certification programs targeting additional professional positions.
