Ron Pohl

Ron Pohl is Senior Vice President and Chief Operations Officer for Best Western® Hotels & Resorts. He joined the brand in 2007, serves on the company’s executive committee and leads the brand’s operations and development efforts for North America and Asia. Pohl’s responsibilities include key departments within the hotel company, including owner relations, 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®, and played a critical role in expanding the company’s portfolio with the launch of seven new brands: Executive Residency by Best Western®, Vīb®, GLō®, Aiden®, Sadie®, BW Premier Collection®, and BW Signature Collection®. Pohl was also influential in the successful launch and growth of the company’s newest franchise model, SureStay Hotel Group. Most recently, Pohl helped to usher through the acquisition of WorldHotels®, rounding out Best Western’s portfolio to 18 brands with the addition of WorldHotels Luxury, WorldHotels Elite, WorldHotels Distinctive and WorldHotels Crafted collections.

Under Pohl’s leadership Best Western launched its ground-breaking customer service training program:

I Care®, Every Guest Every Time. This innovative program uses a live hospitality virtual reality simulator that enables front desk, housekeeping, maintenance, and breakfast staff to practice and develop their interpersonal and guest communication skills in realistic, lifelike scenarios. As a result of this cutting-edge initiative, Fast Company named Best Western Hotels & Resorts as one of the Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in AR/VR in 2018.

Prior to joining Best Western, Pohl spent 25 years with Boykin Management Company and Marriott Corporation. With Boykin, he served in a number of senior-level positions and ultimately Senior Vice President of Operations. Pohl earned awards for sales leadership, website development, and outstanding customer service.

He currently serves on the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s Board of Directors, the Advisory Board for Grand Canyon University and previously served on the board of directors for the Convention & Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland.

Throughout his career, Pohl has earned a number of awards. In 2017, he was named a silver winner in the Executive of the Year – Large Companies category by the Best in Biz Awards. Pohl received the award as result of his commitment to excellence, innovative vision, and investment in employees’ professional development. Pohl was also named the 2017 gold winner in the Executive of the Year category by One Planet Awards, the world's premier awards program honoring the best in business and professional excellence in every industry from around the globe. Finally, Pohl received the prestigious American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute Arthur Landstreet Award in 2016.