A significant number of the major hotel brands in the world are held by the 10 largest hotel chains in the world in 2017, and there is a big chance that the last hotel stay you enjoyed was due to the smooth operations of one of these companies.
The hospitality industry is a very competitive field, made even more contentious by the rise in general travel habits of people around the world. The current generation of young adults typically treasures travel opportunities more than shopping sprees. And with the widespread usage of social media, a lot of people are eager to go on holidays and trips abroad, so that they get the chance to capture that perfect vacation photo and share their experiences with friends and acquaintances. In addition, businesses are increasingly becoming globalized (recent immigration-related backlash notwithstanding), and that translates to more trips around the world for the typical tycoon or executive.
With this increase in customers for the hospitality industry comes boosted demand for more hotel rooms to check into. And needless to say, most of the hotel chains on this list symbolize a certain standard of comfort for travelers, no matter the country they’re in. Hence, a lot of the travelling public end up staying at hotels managed by one of the namebrand giants, like Hilton. Seven out of the top 10 hotel chains worldwide are headquartered in the U.S, and some of these companies were listed on our article showcasing the 10 largest hotel chains in the US. Given that a significant share of global travel traffic comes from the U.S, it makes sense that American companies get to cater to these tourists, and that they are good at it. The other three companies on this list come from the UK, China, and France.
The largest hotel chains worldwide include Accor SA (EPA:AC), Best Western Hotels, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, Choice Hotels International Inc (NYSE:CHH), Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc (NYSE:HLT), InterContinental Hotels Group PLC (ADR) (NYSE:IHG), Marriott International Inc (NASDAQ:MAR), Motel 6, Shanghai Jin Jiang Int Htl Grp Co. Ltd. (HKG:2006), and Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (NYSE:WYN). These 10 companies aggregately own or operate 44,200 properties worldwide, inclusive of 5.41 million hotel rooms ranging from luxury suites to upscale rooms to budget lodging.
Insider Monkey has compiled a list of the 10 largest hotel chains in the world in 2017, based on the latest reports released by the companies on the list, complete with the number of properties and rooms under ownership, franchise, or management by these hotel giants.
- Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group
Total number of properties: 1,112
Total number of rooms: 174,475
Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, which runs Park Inn, Radisson Blu, and other brands, formed in 2012 as a strategic partnership between American hotel company Carlson and Belgium-headquartered hotel chain Rezidor.
- Motel 6
Total number of properties: 1,330
Total number of rooms: 121,921
Motel 6 is a budget hotel chain in the U.S and Canada, and the company also operates extended stay hotel chain Studio 6.
- Shanghai Jin Jiang Int Htl Grp Co., Ltd. (HKG:2006)
Total number of properties: 3,090
Total number of rooms: 374,120
The Chinese state-owned hotel chain operates Shanghai’s Jinjiang, Peace, Park, and Metropole hotels.
- Best Western Hotels
Total number of properties: 4,196
Total number of rooms: 302,144
Founded in 1946, Best Western Hotels ranks 7th in our list of largest hotel chains in the world in 2017. It owns and/or operates 4,196 hotels, including 2,163 in North America.
- Accor SA (EPA:AC)
Total number of properties: 4,200
Total number of rooms: 524,955
The French multinational hotel chain has expanded to six continents and offers a range service classes, from budget to luxury. Accor SA’s brands include Sofitel, Raffles, Novotel, and others.
- Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc (NYSE:HLT)
Total number of properties: 4,922
Total number of rooms: 804,097
The owner of the Hilton and Waldorf Astoria brands, Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc (NYSE:HLT) operates in 104 countries and territories.
The next four companies on this list of the 10 largest hotel chains in the world in 2017 have at least 5,000 properties each.
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- InterContinental Hotels Group PLC (ADR) (NYSE:IHG)
Total number of properties: 5,070
Total number of rooms: 749,721
The UK-headquartered InterContinental Hotels Group PLC (ADR) (NYSE:IHG) owns the Holiday Inn and InterContinental brands, among other hotels, in nearly 100 countries.
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- Marriott International Inc (NASDAQ:MAR)
Total number of properties: 5,974
Total number of rooms: 1,170,367
Marriott International Inc (NASDAQ:MAR) started as a root beer stand in 1927 and didn’t open a hotel until 1957. Now the company operates hotel brands such as Ritz-Carlton, Marriott, Westin, Le Meridien, and 26 more.
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- Choice Hotels International Inc (NYSE:CHH)
Total number of properties: 6,429
Total number of rooms: 509,556
The manager of brands such as Econo Lodge, Comfort Inn, and others, Choice Hotels International Inc (NYSE:CHH) is a hotel and motel giant that has more properties than any other hotel company, except…
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- Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (NYSE:WYN)
Total number of properties: 8,092
Total number of rooms: 707,751
Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (NYSE:WYN) is the holding company for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, RCI, and other lodging brands that span 66 countries. The company has the most number of properties among the companies on this list of the 10 largest hotel chains in the world in 2017.
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Disclosure: None