Founder: Merile Key (M.K.) Guertin
Founder Biography of Best Western's Founder (1891-1970)
Merile Key Guertin was born on January 18, 1891, in Liberty, Texas, a sleepy river community of 800 people northeast of Houston, to a family with deep American and French roots, as the Guertin family had emigrated from Anjou, France to Quebec in 1653, while his mother, Cecelia Key, was a direct descendant of Francis Scott Key, author of the American national anthem. After working on the family farm and serving as an apprentice in the printing trade, Guertin left Texas for California in 1923 to work on marketing efforts for his sister who owned multiple hotels in Long Beach, California, marking the beginning of his lifelong career in the hospitality industry. His early involvement in the hotel business led him to participate in the creation of the Southern California Auto Court Association and the California Auto Court Association in 1925, demonstrating his early recognition of the importance of cooperation and standards in the emerging motor court industry. Between 1933 and 1938, Guertin established his own hospitality empire by purchasing the Cherry Motor Court in Long Beach in 1933 and the Beach Motel in 1938, which would become the first official Best Western property. Over time, he built or owned 13 motels across California, gaining 23 years of experience in the lodging business that would prove invaluable in his revolutionary approach to hotel cooperation. His early career was characterized by hands-on involvement in property operations, marketing innovation, and a growing understanding of traveler needs in an era when automobile travel was transforming American leisure and business patterns.
In 1946, frustrated with the quality control issues he observed as a director of United Motor Courts, Guertin founded Best Western as an innovative referral system that would revolutionize the hospitality industry by transforming hoteliers from competitors to collaborators. The inspiration for Best Western came during a pivotal car trip from Long Beach to Tacoma, Washington, when Guertin meticulously recorded the names and locations of motels less than a gas tank apart from each other, using this information to create a travel guide that endorsed properties meeting his strict standards of cleanliness, respectability, and service. He reached out to select motel operators across the West to create the "Best of the Western" motels, establishing a referral program that allowed independent hotel owners to maintain their autonomy while benefiting from collective marketing and quality standards. Guertin's visionary business model provided marketing and supply-side support while giving owners maximum flexibility to address local market demands, a concept that was revolutionary in 1946 but became the standard in the hospitality industry. His leadership philosophy emphasized the collective wisdom of membership, though some members perceived his approach as heavy-handed during the company's expansion phase, an assertiveness that arguably drove the organization's remarkable success. Under his guidance, Best Western grew from a small western referral network to become the largest chain in the industry by 1963, with 699 member hotels and 35,201 rooms, expanding internationally when Canadian hotel owners joined the system in 1964.
For twenty years, Guertin led Best Western with marketing savvy, organizational skills, and an unwavering commitment to maintaining high standards while allowing associates the flexibility to address local needs, permitting the brand to attract a diverse range of property types from highway hotels to European castles. His innovative approach included early recognition of the importance of credit card affiliations, willingness to try new initiatives, and constant consultation with members on operational issues, while he persistently encouraged owners who appeared to weaken their hospitality standards. When Guertin retired in 1966, he had achieved his vision of creating "the world's biggest hotel family," with Best Western and Best Eastern uniting under the Best Western name and relocating headquarters from Long Beach, California to Phoenix, Arizona for operational efficiency and expanded membership services. Known throughout the industry as "Mr. Motel," Guertin's legacy extends far beyond his death on April 14, 1970, in Long Beach, as his revolutionary branding concept enabled Best Western to become the world's largest hotel chain with more than 4,000 hotels in 80+ countries and territories. His posthumous induction into the Hospitality Industry's Hall of Honor at the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management in 2009 recognized his transformative impact on the industry, with then-CEO David Kong noting that "M.K. understood that, while product is important, the essence of hospitality lies in service experience." Today, the M.K. Guertin Award continues to recognize Best Western properties that demonstrate exceptional guest satisfaction and business performance, honoring the founder's commitment to excellence that transformed independent hotel operators into a global hospitality powerhouse built on cooperation, quality, and service standards that remain the foundation of Best Western's success.