NEW YORK ( CNN ) -- He wants you to have a good night 's rest at a good price . David Kong , CEO of Best Western . David Kong is the CEO of Best Western , the world 's largest hotel chain , with more than 4,000 locations around the globe . A company man by nature , his management style is as smooth as the fresh linens on the beds . At the Best Western in New York 's historic South Street , he tells The Boardroom about the difference he sees between the high and low ends of the hotel market . Maggie Lake : What 's your memory of the first time you stayed in a hotel ? David Kong : Well , that 's easy , because when I grew up in Hong Kong my parents used to take me to hotels , and back in the '50s and '60s the hotels are where people went for nice dinners or nice brunches . And that 's my childhood memory and that 's why I am actually in the hotel business -- from those memories . Maggie Lake : You are in the service industry , where customer satisfaction is so important . How do you keep your employees motivated ? David Kong : I think the most important thing is to really care about the employees that work for you . I started in the business being a busboy and dishwasher , so I have a special appreciation for people in those jobs . But I have also been a housekeeper to clean rooms , I have been a front-desk clerk , I 've been a PBS operator . I 've done all those jobs , and it helped me understand that those positions are really important , they are the backbones of the company . Maggie Lake : How would you describe your management philosophy now , though ? David Kong : You know , I learned a lot throughout the years from the time when I was growing up -- My mom and dad had tremendous work ethic . They worked very long work hours , they were very dedicated for their work , so when I was growing up I was instilled with that work ethic . I believe in hard work , I believe in being dedicated to whatever you do . And when I was going to high school , I went to a Jesuit high school , and what they taught me was the thirst for knowledge , curiosity , and always reinventing yourself , the need to always improve . Maggie Lake : What do you gives think Best Western an edge over the competitors ? And who do you see as your biggest competitor ? David Kong : All the discount brands are competitive . Best Western really straddles across the whole spectrum of the mid-scale market . What we are really different about is we are not a Coca Cola , we do n't take the same approach to building our hotels . Best Western hotels are independently owned and operated , what that means is when you check in to someone 's hotel , you are really checking in to someone 's home . There 's a whole sense of hospitality . Because our members are the owners of the hotels . And they want to care for you as their guest . Maggie Lake : What 's the biggest challenge for you as you look out in the next couple of years for the hotel business and for Best Western ? David Kong : When the economy softens and the stock market goes down , then the hotel industry suffers as a result . And we want to be careful about the years coming , because the economy is only softening . And in addition to that , because after the very good years that we had just recently , there 's been a lot of construction activities . There 's many more hotels coming on board , so without all the supply , we need to be careful .
` ` I was in the business being a lawyer and ... '' ` ` I believe in hard work , I believe in being committed to whatever you do '' ` ` We are not a Coca ##ine ''