What happens when Best Western Headquarters receives a complaint about a Best Western property's accommodations or service?
Best_Western Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
If the complaint relates to billing, a matter beyond the Property's control (e.g., power outage), or a Property policy (e.g., no children in the fitness center), the guest may be advised that the complaint will be investigated and that the guest can expect to receive a response directly from the Property, in which case the complaint shall be acknowledged by the Property within two (2) business days and resolved within seven (7) calendar days, with a copy of the written response and resolution directed to the Office of Customer Service at Best Western Headquarters.
The Board may assess a Member a fee of $75 per occurrence for each guest complaint that its Member Property does not respond to or make reasonable efforts to resolve within the established time frame.
Each Property shall take all steps which may be necessary to maximize guest satisfaction and minimize guest complaints.
In order to assure compliance with this rule, Best Western will monitor each property on a rolling 12-month basis.
The receipt of more than 1.7 guest complaints for every 10 rooms during the monitoring period (the ratio of the number of complaints to the number of rooms shall not exceed .17) shall be conclusive evidence of a violation of this rule.
Source: Item 23 — Receipts (FDD pages 108–413)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Best Western's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, when Best Western Headquarters receives a guest complaint regarding a property's accommodations or service, and the complaint relates to billing, a matter beyond the Property's control (e.g., power outage), or a Property policy (e.g., no children in the fitness center), the guest may be advised that the complaint will be investigated and that the guest can expect to receive a response directly from the Property.
In such cases, the Best Western property must acknowledge the complaint within two business days and resolve it within seven calendar days. The property is also required to send a copy of the written response and resolution to the Office of Customer Service at Best Western Headquarters.
Best Western also monitors each property on a rolling 12-month basis to assure compliance with maximizing guest satisfaction and minimizing guest complaints. The receipt of more than 1.7 guest complaints for every 10 rooms during the monitoring period (the ratio of the number of complaints to the number of rooms shall not exceed .17) shall be conclusive evidence of a violation of this rule. The Board may assess a Member a fee of $75 per occurrence for each guest complaint that its Member Property does not respond to or make reasonable efforts to resolve within the established time frame.