Franchise group Best Western Hotels & Resorts has acquired Sweden Hotels, Sweden’s largest hotel chain. The deal gives Sweden Hotels access to Best Western’s modern digital platform, distribution system and loyalty program. The groups say the move will ‘strengthen the competitiveness of the chains and create a stronger platform to drive industry development in terms of distribution, digitalisation, customer relations and purchasing’. The newly-named Best Western och Sweden Hotels will offer 135 hotels in Sweden and a total of 180 hotels in Scandinavia. “The merger with Best Western means we are now able to to provide the hotels with even better support in terms of distribution, marketing, purchasing and sales,” said Jenny B-¤nsch Larsson, chariman of the Board for Sweden Hotels. Johan Kukacka, CEO of Best Western in Scandinavia, said the acquisition was a strategically important deal and a logical development.