Budget Car Rental and Best Western Announce New Loyalty Partnership

PARSIPPANY, N.J. and PHOENIX, Nov. 26, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Budget Car Rental and Best Western International, THE WORLD'S BIGGEST HOTEL FAMILY^®, have signed a new multi-year partnership agreement to provide the more than 15 million members of Best Western's global loyalty program the opportunity to earn points when they rent a car from Budget.

In addition, as part of the new affiliation, Best Western Rewards members will receive money-saving offers from Budget via email and direct-marketing efforts. Budget will also be featured as a partner on the hotel brand's newly-designed website, bestwestern.com.

"Marketing our products and services to Best Western's loyal customer base will drive incremental bookings," said Stephen Wright, vice president of global travel and partnerships, Avis Budget Group. "At the same time, Best Western Rewards members will benefit from preferred partner pricing and have a great experience when they rent from Budget."

Best Western Rewards members can earn points on Budget rentals in the United States, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and Puerto Rico. To kick-off the partnership, Best Western Rewards members who rent a Budget vehicle through June 30, 2013 can also earn bonus points. For more information, visit bestwestern.com.

"This partnership is a tremendous opportunity for Best Western and Budget to create value for our most loyal customers," said Dorothy Dowling, senior vice president of marketing and sales for Best Western International. "Best Western Rewards members can enjoy savings on their rentals and a new way to earn points."

About Best Western Rewards

Best Western Rewards is one of the industry's most generous rewards programs. It has the lowest redemption thresholds for awards, and is one of few loyalty programs that is truly international. With more than 4,000* locations in 100* countries, Best Western makes it easy for members to earn points that can be redeemed for global free room nights with no blackout dates, the Best Western Travel Card^®, dining, shopping and entertainment gift cards, gas cards, airline/partner rewards and more. Best Western's Status Match...No Catch^® program will match members' elite status in any other hotel loyalty program free of charge. Consumers who are not members of Best Western Rewards can sign up for the free program at www.bestwestern.com/rewards.

About Best Western International, Inc.

Best Western International, Inc., headquartered in Phoenix, Ariz., is a privately held hotel brand made up of more than 4,000* Best Western^®, Best Western Plus^® and Best Western Premier^® hotels in more than 100* countries and territories worldwide. Now celebrating 66 years of hospitality, Best Western welcomes hundreds of thousands of guests nightly. Best Western provides its hoteliers with global operational, sales, marketing and promotional support, and online and mobile booking capabilities. More than 15 million travelers are members of the brand's award-winning loyalty program Best Western Rewards^®, one of the few programs in which members earn points that never expire and can be redeemed at any Best Western hotel worldwide. The brand's partnerships with AAA/CAA, racecar driver Michael Waltrip, and Harley-Davidson^® provide travelers with exciting ways to interact with the brand. Best Western in 2011 was named AAA's and CAA's Hotel Partner of the Year and bestwestern.com was named the 2011 Compuware Best of the Web Gold award winner. For more information or to make a reservation, please www.bestwestern.com.

*Numbers are approximate and may fluctuate.

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About Budget

Budget Car Rental is one of the world's best-known car rental brands with more than 3,000 locations in more than 120 countries. Budget is an industry leader in providing vehicle rental services to value-conscious travelers and also operates the second-largest truck rental business in the United States, through a network of more than 2,100 locations. Budget is owned by Avis Budget Group, Inc. CAR, which operates and licenses the brand throughout the world. For further information, visit www.budget.com.

The Budget Car Rental logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=15917