Best Western’s CEO Doesn’t See Himself as a Radical Change Agent
Photo Credit: New BWH Hotel Group CEO Larry Cuculic doesn't plan to shake things up at the hotel company and its 18 brands anytime soon. BWH Hotel Group
Skift Take
A major operational shakeup at BWH Hotel Group is unlikely under new CEO Larry Cuculic. The company’s recent performance numbers show why that is.
Don’t expect anything radically different just because there’s a new CEO in charge of Best Western parent company BWH Hotel Group.
Larry Cuculic succeeded longtime CEO David Kong earlier this month into the top job at the global hotel company. Kong’s 20-year tenure was noted for taking the company from one brand to 18 and forming the BWH Hotel Group parent company. There was also a failed attempt at changing the company’s non-profit membership structure to better situate against the likes of publicly traded competitors like Marriott and Hilton.
Cuculic, who has been with the company for 12 years, is focused more on building BWH back from the pandemic on its existing line-up of brands and corporate structure rather than immediately launch a wave of change.
There’s good reason for this: The company’s North American performance in Nov
