Best Western International, which offers a portfolio of more than 4,000 independently owned and operated hotels in 100 countries across the globe, has naturally been keeping busy these days.

Vacation Agent recently caught up with Dorothy Dowling, senior vice president of marketing and sales at Best Western International. Dowling addressed what travel agents need to know about the company, some upcoming properties, top-selling hotels, Best Western’s latest technological developments and more.

Here is what Dowling had to say about the highly praised and heavily awarded company that continues to look forward.

What programs do you offer for travel agents?

Best Western partners with many consortia offering consistent discounts at all properties throughout North America. Additionally, Best Western still pays 10 percent commission to all IATA/ARC/CLIA and TIDS Travel Agents through Best Cheque, our consolidated commission payment program. Travel agents will receive a consolidated monthly statement that lists each reservation by property and pays all commissions in one check listing all commissions by property. So no matter where the agent books around the world, Best Cheque will ensure commission payment in his or her local currency.

What do agents and clients need to know about Best Western today?

Best Western’s Product Descriptor Program has been a huge success since its launch in 2011. Having three types of hotels — Best Western, Best Western Plus and Best Western Premier, based on different levels of amenities, has given us the confidence to recommend the right hotel to agents and travelers depending on their needs. Best Western hotels offer certain standard global amenities, which include high-speed Internet access, breakfast and, of course, a compelling sense of place. Our leisure clients have provided great feedback with regard to the three product descriptors. They confirmed that the descriptors are an easy way for them to find the right Best Western hotel across the midscale market (2,200 hotels in North America alone), and to know what to expect when they get there.

What are some of your top-selling hotels and what should agents highlight about them?

While agents are very familiar with our properties in Europe, we also have hundreds of amazing hotels in North America as well. A few that com to mind are the Best Western Plus Bloomington Hotel at the Mall of America; the Best Western Prestige Oceanfront Resort in Sooke, British Columbia; the Best Western Plus The Inn at King of Prussia, which recently underwent an impressive multimillion-dollar renovation; the Best Western Premier Saratoga Resort Villas, an all-suite property near Walt Disney World, Universal Studios and SeaWorld; and the Best Western Plus Cavalier Oceanfront Resort in San Simeon, Calif.

Best Western recently announced that it will be allowing guests to pay for their stay using Google Wallet. What should agents know about this?

Our booking data shows a growing trend toward mobile and multi-screen purchase experiences. As such, the integration with Google Wallet is a great feature for our mobile savvy guests and another great addition to our Best Western To Go free mobile app. By adopting Google Wallet, Best Western is reducing the amount of steps guests need to take to complete a mobile reservation. Once a customer selects their hotel within the Best Western Android mobile app or mobile website, they can complete their reservation using the “Buy with Google” button. Google Wallet lets users purchase mobile apps and sites in as few as two clicks, and users can easily create a Google Wallet account to get started. Google Wallet users can use the service to book a hotel stay globally at any of the brand’s more than 4,000 hotels.

What should agents and clients know about Best Western’s use of Google Maps Business View?

Consumer decision-making for hotels has greatly changed thanks to the Internet, which is very visual in nature. As such, we understand this shift and want to make it as easy as possible for our guests and agents to see our hotels before they book. By working with Google, we are changing the way people shop for hotels and will be the first hotel brand to launch Google Business Photos for all our 2,200 hotels in North America.

Google Business Photos are premium-quality 360-degree virtual tours powered by Google Street View technology. With just a few clicks guests will be able to virtually walk through the hotel and explore the lobby or restaurant or go inside a guestroom. Travelers will see Google Business Photos at Google Search results, Google Maps, Google+ and Google Hotel Finder, whether they’re using their computers, smartphones or tablets.

Best Western was awarded the 2013 Marketer of the Year by TravelClick in February. What lessons/sales tactics can agents take from your success in digital and mobile marketing?

Mobile was a major focus for us in 2013, as we completely redesigned the Best Western To Go mobile app. Additionally, Best Western was the first player in the travel industry to merge a digital promotion, for Disney’s Teen Beach Movie, with augmented reality technology.

As far as lessons and sales tactics, we are investing heavily in mobile and social media, and we’re really proud of the results. With mobile, we want to make the shopping and booking process easier for consumers on the go. Social is a great tool to listen to and learn from the customer. From our customer interactions on social, we are able to offer engagement opportunities and promotions based on the interests of the community we’ve built. We’ve been able to keep building upon our social successes by responding to the needs of our customers.

Best Western Rewards was ranked the number-two loyalty program in U.S. News & World Report’s inaugural list. What features make this program stand out?

Best Western Rewards is the backbone of all of our marketing efforts and is more popular than ever amongst our guests. While other hotel brands have been cutting back on loyalty rewards, we are making our rewards richer. Best Western Rewards is one of the few international hotel rewards programs as points can be earned and redeemed at any of the brand’s 4,000-plus hotels worldwide with no blackout dates. Best Western Rewards members also enjoy the benefit of those points never expiring.

Best Western Rewards’ diverse redemption offerings include dining, shopping and entertainment gift cards, gas cards, airline/partner rewards and more in addition to free hotel nights. Best Western’s Status Match… No Catch program will match members’ elite status in any other hotel loyalty program free of charge.