Retirement of Best Western’s Longtime Chief David Kong Sets Stage for Competitive CEO Search
Photo Credit: BWH Hotel Group CEO David Kong's 20-year tenure with the company, 17 of which were as CEO, is set to conclude by the end of this year. Best Western / Best Western Hotels & Resorts
Skift Take
David Kong took Best Western into a new era of multiple brands across a variety of price points. The next CEO has to take the reins and throttle the company out of an uncertain pandemic recovery.
David Kong, the current longest-running CEO of a major hotel company, is set to depart the BWH Hotel Group C-suite at the end of this year.
The search to fill Kong's high-profile role at BWH will be closely watched within the global hospitality industry with company's board potentially favoring internal candidates.
Kong, 69, joined Best Western Hotels & Resorts in 2001 and became its CEO in 2004. His 20-year stint with the company was noted for significant growth, taking the company from one to 18 brands and eventually forming the BWH Hotel Group parent company.
The CEO’s tenure in the greater hospitality industry is also a true story of upward mobility. Kong immigrated to the U.S. from Hong Kong as a young adult and began working in hospitality as a busboy and dishwasher.
"This industry has empowered me to dream boldly about the future and to pursue those dreams without hesitation," Kong said in a statement tied to the retirement announcement Monday. "I feel blessed
