Best Western chain expands into Brazil and Greece. (Best Western International)(Focus on Private Companies)

The world's largest lodging chain is getting even bigger as many other businesses are scaling down to make it through the national recession. And it is spending quite a sum to upgrade its reservation system to meet its growing needs.

Best Western International, Phoenix, is ranked 24th on the current list of Arizona's largest privately held companies. The only hotel chain in the top 50, it was 28th in 1990 and 32nd in 1989.

The corporation is in the category for revenues between $50 and $100 million and has about 1,600 employees. That doesn't include employees of the individual hotels, because all of the properties are independently owned.

Although its hotels, like the …