"Ideal Western International, Inc. owns the very best Western Hotels & Resorts brand name, which it certifies to over 4,500 resorts worldwide. [2] The franchise business, with its home office in Phoenix, Arizona, [3] includes more than 2,000 hotels in North America. [4] The brand name was founded by M.K. Guertin in 1946. As of May 2019, David Kong is the head of state as well as CEO of Best Western and Dorothy Dowling is the chief marketing police officer.

In 1964, Canadian resort owners joined the system. Finest Western then increased to Mexico, Australia, as well as New Zealand in 1976.

In 2002, Best Western International launched Finest Western Premier in Europe and Asia. (The other hotels in the chain were called Best Western.) In 2011, the chain's branding system-wide transformed to a three-tiered system: Best Western, Ideal Western Plus, and Best Western Premier."