The first hotel chains. Russian hotel chains. Problems and prospects for the development of hotel chains in Russia

Economic growth in various industries and rising living standards in developed countries have led to frequent movements of business people and tourists to various regions of the world.

Significant investments have been made in the hotel industry to update the hotel base, new construction, and introduce modern technologies and forms of service.

Hotel chains are important in the development of the hospitality industry. They make it possible to promote high standards of service to the global tourism market, and also help support hotel services for tourists.

Hotel chains contribute to the spread and significant increase in the level of organization of production and service to tourists, the creation of a certain image of hotel service, which, having met in another country, a tourist feels almost at home, in a familiar and comfortable environment.

Since the 1950s In the organizational structure of hotel management in the global hotel industry, various models of organizing the hotel business have been established.

The first model, the Ritz model, is associated with the name of the Swiss entrepreneur Caesar Ritz. Many prestigious hotels in the world bear his name. For example, the Ritz Hotel in Paris.

The main emphasis in these hotels was on the European traditions of sophistication and aristocracy. This model is currently in crisis.

The second model is associated with the name of American entrepreneur Kemansi Wilson (hotel chain "Holiday Inn"). The model is characterized by greater flexibility in meeting client needs, combined with maintaining fairly high service standards.

The main requirements in hotel chains organized according to this model are as follows:

Unity of style (architecture, interior);

Unity of designations and external information;

Spacious and functional hall;

Fast customer registration;

Rooms provided for regular customers;

Breakfast buffet;

Availability of a conference room;

Flexible tariff system;

Unified management, marketing and communication service.

More than 50% of hotel rooms in the world are under the control of hotel chains built according to the second model.

The third model is “independent” hotel chains (for example, “Best Western”). In this case, hotels are united under a single brand based on some homogeneous characteristics that do not meet certain standards and sets of services, regardless of the country of location.

Hotels - members of the chain - pay contributions to a single fund, which is spent on joint advertising and marketing activities and product promotion. At the same time, their financial, economic and managerial independence was fully preserved. It is also possible to combine the second model with the third. An example is the Accor hotel chain. This is the largest hotel chain in Europe. It offers hotels of various classes and markets under elegant brands. The Pullman, Sofitel, and Novotel brands are top-class hotels. Brands "Althea/Merkur" - middle class.

When joining a chain, a hotel does not necessarily have to become its property. In this case, according to the agreement entered into by large hotel chains (franchisors) and independent hotels joining the chain, the latter are granted the right to use for commercial purposes the brand name of the chain, technical and commercial information, reservation information systems, technical assistance, the right to staff training, etc. The franchisee company pays the compensation stipulated in the contract for this.

The table shows the top ten hotel chains in the global hotel industry.

The following table shows some international hotel chains that have their hotels in Russia:

	Hotel (city)	Number of rooms	Opening year
	"Vinogradov"
	"Slavyanskaya"
"Azure"
	"Balchug"
"Grand Hotel Europe"	(Saint Petersburg)
Marriott (Renaissance)	"Grand Hotel"
	"Palace Hotel"
"Nevsky Palace"	(Saint Petersburg)
	"National"
	"Sofitel"
"Novotel"

The hotel can be part of a hotel chain, or it can be “independent”.

Joining a hotel chain implies that the owner of a given hotel joins the owners of other hotels under certain conditions. The form of association of hotels in a chain can be different: it is also practiced to purchase hotels by a hotel company, conclude a franchise agreement with it, as well as sign a management contract. A franchised hotel is automatically included in the chain; a hotel included in the chain is not necessarily a franchised one.

History of hotel chains

Hotel chains are not a new phenomenon in the hotel business. Hotels managed from a single center appeared more than half a century ago. However, at the beginning this management phenomenon was not widespread.

By the end of the Second World War, the number of hotels included in the chains began to increase, and after its end, chains of hotel companies operated on the market, leading in the number of members who joined them. These first chains, represented by the Hiltion, Statler and Sheraton brands, began to grow rapidly. The conservative Statler company primarily built its own hotels in Los Angeles and Washington, and also began construction in Dallas and Stratford. In contrast, Hilton and Sheraton took the faster-growth route by buying up existing hotels. Both companies were able to process the buying and selling of real estate so quickly that it became necessary to introduce special cards to accommodate the volume of transactions. Both Hilton and Sheraton operated more like real estate companies than hotel companies. Whether these calculations were justified or not is now irrelevant, since both groups have shown their ability to manage first-class hotel properties.

Today, hotel chains that operate in the American hotel market are united under ownership or contract - and so on all over the world.

Today, hotel chains that operate in the American hotel services market are united on the basis of ownership or contract, as evidenced by the table.

One glance at hotel statistics is enough to convince you that today the volume of transactions carried out by hotel chains is many times higher than the volumes produced by independent hotels. In 1980, hotel chains accounted for 62% of the US hotel room stock. After 10 years, this figure rose to 75%, and in 2000 it is expected that 90% of all hotels will be part of one chain or another.

What is the reason for such rapid growth of chains. The shortest answer to this question is efficiency. When independent hotels find themselves in tough competition with hotel chains, they usually have three alternatives to counteract the latter's effective policies. Firstly, independent hotels can take the path of controlling costs and reducing prices for services. This path is very popular, but at the same time very dangerous. Secondly, if independent hotels have investors, they can use the funds received for modernization, innovation and promotion. This method is quite reasonable and is used by many independent hotels. Finally, the third method is to sell a hotel at a profit, using the funds received to maintain other facilities. But it gives a positive result only when the owner of a chain has plans to penetrate the market in a given region and prefers to use a ready-made hotel for this rather than build a new one.

Advantages of hotel chains

They consist of the following points:

Purchase of large quantities of goods and services at wholesale (reduced) prices. Since the chain owner manages several facilities, he can make large wholesale purchases and sell room equipment, components, detergents and cleaning products, communications equipment, etc. to chain participants. at very low prices.

Human resources. The chain provides centralized training of hotel specialists, which significantly reduces the costs of each individual member of the chain. In addition, participation in the chain allows its members to use the services of highly paid specialists - experts in their fields, whose work one hotel would not be able to pay for. Not all independent hotels have such capabilities. - Promotion and advertising. National advertising campaigns - in newspapers, illustrated magazines, radio and television - place a heavy burden on the budgets of independent hotels. At the same time, hotel chains allow their members to share the costs of advertising and promotion among themselves, so that everyone can benefit from the results of advertising campaigns while spending very moderate amounts of money. In addition, the chain's trademark serves as additional advertising for customers.

Reservation. A centralized booking system allows individual members of the chain to consolidate their business. A large number of reservations, which under other circumstances could go to competitors, are made by hotels of the same chain.

Financing. It is easier for a group of hotels to obtain financing than for an individual owner. It is easier for chains to mobilize capital and use it to expand or improve the efficiency of their operations.

Centralized accounting system, marketing research, construction and real estate operations. Personnel employed in these areas can serve all hotels in the chain, which significantly reduces the corresponding costs of each individual member of the chain.

Although the first hotel chain in the world was the European chain of hotels Cesar Ritz, the development and improvement of this phenomenon is usually associated with the American hotel industry. At the same time, hotel chains are now represented in many countries around the world. An example of this is the names of some of them: in Germany there is a chain called Steigenberger, in France Accor, in India Oberoi, etc.

Africa's largest hotel chains
Hotel chain
Protea Hotels and Inns
Southern Sun Hotel Holdings
Sun Hotels International
National Hotel Corporation

Under pressure from hotel chains, independent operators are also undergoing significant changes. Independent operators can achieve real advantages by taking advantage of the benefits of managing a hotel by its owner, which means greater individuality in management techniques and making non-standard, and therefore quick, decisions. However, in order to compete with chains, an independent operator needs to invest significantly more effort, especially in improving its cost structure.

According to P. Handlery, managing director of Handlery Hotels Inc., “the owner-operator of a hotel can realize certain competitive advantages of its position. In many cases, the owner runs his hotel himself. As an entrepreneur, he knows the needs and requirements of his business better than the head of a chain that includes hundreds of hotels. Apart from the fact that a hotel costs the owner a lot of blood, sweat and tears, the hotel owner is more interested in the development of his brainchild than the paid manager of the hotel chain. And what is especially important is the speed of decision-making by an independent operator, while the hotel chain spends a lot of time coordinating various issues." Another hotel manager, G. Saundler (Plaza Hotel Boston) believes: "Today 74 "% of people prefer to stay at hotels included in chains. However, the remaining 26% is a huge amount of the free market. I would not mind fighting for this client with other independent hotels."

It should be noted here that the trend of combining hotels into chains is spreading mainly in the USA. In Europe, Asia and Latin America, only 20% of hotels are considered affiliated, while the rest maintain independent status.

Historically, American hotels, especially small peripheral hotels, have undergone great changes due to the impact of two factors: the advance of hotel chains and competition with motels. Caught in the crossfire of competition that tied hotels' survival in these conditions to their flexibility and ability to adapt to change, independent hotels were forced to change the nature of their actions in the market. To maintain business, many hotels have tried to increase the volume of food and beverage sales in an attempt to cover the financial losses caused by the decline in room occupancy. This strategy did not work everywhere, so many independent hotels were forced to close.

Large independent luxury hotels launched a counter-offensive on the chains. Envious of their independence, as well as the high reputation they had won among clients for the impeccable quality of services, hotel chain managers were ready to provide significant benefits to such hotels in exchange for their loss of independent status. For example, Distinguished Hotels group is pursuing an active policy in this direction (today it has created an original concept for the development and improvement of upscale hotels, promoted under the Preferred Hotels brand).

Another example would be the merger of some independent hotels into a pool under the leadership of the Robert Warner agency for the purpose of implementing promotional activities, advertising and connection to reservation systems. Working in a group, hotels enjoy the benefits of centralized services in the above categories, without losing their independent status and retaining the right to make independent decisions on other issues of their activities in the market.

Integration in the hotel business

Hotels can be chained in different ways, below are two integration methods:

Vertical integration

The trend towards vertical integration (within an industry) has been observed in the hotel industry relatively recently. In recent years, hotel companies have realized that the needs of their guests are not at all uniform, but rather can vary significantly in terms of price and amenities.

Now almost all major hotel corporations have properties in each of the market segments - upscale, upscale and economy.

Example of the Choice Hotels chain

Horizontal integration

Since Pan American opened the first of its Inter-Continental hotels in the late 1940s, several other airlines have also begun to gain experience with horizontal integration by purchasing and operating hotels. This development of airlines, previously only involved in transporting passengers, often over long distances, and now taking on the arrangement between flights, seems quite natural. What they do next with their new property depends on the strategic interests of the company. For example, Nikko Hotels has long been the property of Japan airlines, and it is not going to give up on them. But American Airlines and United Airlines have sold their stakes in the hotel business, apparently as a result of financial difficulties they have experienced in recent years.

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A hotel chain involves the unification of several hotel enterprises into a common business under a single management and one brand. Hotel chains are not a new phenomenon in the hotel business; hotels managed from a single center have existed for more than 50 years. And if at first this method of management was not widespread, the rapid growth in the number of hotels joining the chains, which began at the end of the Second World War, continues to this day. Although the first hotel chain in the world was the European hotel chain Caesar Ritz, the further development of this phenomenon is usually associated with the American hotel industry (if in 1987 hotel chains comprised 62% of the total number of rooms in the United States, then after 10 years this figure rose to 75%, and in the near future experts predict that about 90% of all hotels will be included in one chain or another).

The forms of association of hotels in a chain can be different:

* purchase of hotels;
* franchise agreement;
* management contract;
* combination of franchising and management contract;
* agreement on the acquisition of a license (patent);
* strategic marketing alliances.

Within these programs there are another 75 to 80 subprograms that define various hotel property management opportunities.

A hotel chain (network) is an association of hotel enterprises that have the same level of service, an identical set of services, a similar design and approach to working with clients. Typically, one hotel can provide insight into others in the chain. Thus, the hotels included in the chain (network) are under a single subordination and comply with a unified system of standards of material, technical base and services. Chains can include hotels in one or more countries, that is, they can be national or international.

Currently, there are more than 100 hotel chains, the total number of rooms of which is about 2,000,000 rooms.

The largest hotel chains include:

1)Holiday Inn;
2)Best Western;
3)Sheraton;
4)Ramada Inn;
5) Accor;
6)Hilton Corporation;
7)Club Med;
8)Novotel;
9)Marriott Internationai;
10)HFS Ink.

The formation of hotel chains makes it possible to promote high standards of service to the global tourism market. Each hotel chain may have its own classification based on the purpose and location of the hotel (resort, business hotel, city). The same hotel chain may include hotels of different categories.

There are associations of inexpensive hotels such as European chains - Formula 1, Etap, Premier Class and others, as well as hotel associations of upscale hotels such as Sheraton, Forte, Le Meridien and others.

Most of the largest hotel chains are headquartered in the United States, although the role of other countries in hotel management is growing.

Hotels that are part of corporate chains are not necessarily owned by those chains. These hotels may have their own owners, and participation in the chain is secured by lease agreements, franchises, etc., which gives an advantage when loading and booking. International hotel chains create centralized supply companies, training centers, repair factories and production of furniture and equipment.

The role of international hotel chains is undoubtedly very important for tourism, as well as other industries and the economy as a whole. Let's find out in more detail what they are.

Economic growth in various industries and rising living standards in developed countries have led to frequent movements of business people and tourists to various regions of the world.

Significant investments have been made in the hotel industry to update the hotel base, new construction, and introduce modern technologies and forms of service.

Of great importance in the development of the hospitality industry are hotel chains. They make it possible to promote high standards of service to the global tourism market, and also help support hotel services for tourists.

Since the 1950s In the organizational structure of hotel management in the global hotel industry, various models of organizing the hotel business have been established.

First model-- the Ritz model, is associated with the name of the Swiss entrepreneur Caesar Ritz. Many prestigious hotels in the world bear his name.

The main emphasis in these hotels was on the European traditions of sophistication and aristocracy. This model is currently in crisis.

Second model associated with the name of American entrepreneur Kemansi Wilson (hotel chain "Holiday Inn"). The model is characterized by greater flexibility in meeting client needs, combined with maintaining fairly high service standards.

The main requirements in hotel chains organized according to this model are as follows:

- unity of style (architecture, interior);
- unity of designations and external information;
- spacious and functional hall;
- speed of customer registration;
- rooms provided for regular customers;
- buffet breakfast;
- availability of a conference room;
- flexible tariff system;
- unified management, marketing and communication service.

More than 50% of hotel rooms in the world are under the control of hotel chains built according to the second model.

Third model-- “independent” hotel chains (for example, “Best Western”). In this case, hotels are united under a single brand based on some homogeneous characteristics that do not meet certain standards and sets of services, regardless of the country of location.

One of the indicators of the quality of a hotel’s services can be its membership in a particular hotel chain. A hotel chain (network) is an association of hotel enterprises that have the same level of service, an identical set of services, similar design and approach to working with clients. Typically, one hotel can provide insight into others in the chain. Thus, the hotels included in the chain (network) are under a single subordination and comply with a unified system of standards of material, technical base and services. Chains can include hotels in one or more countries, that is, they can be national or international.

Currently, there are more than 100 hotel chains, the total number of rooms of which is about 2,000,000 rooms.

The largest hotel chains include:

§ Best Western;

§ Hilton Corporation;

§ Marriott International;

Which of the listed hotel chains have their hotels in Moscow? (D)

Most of the largest hotel chains are headquartered in the United States, although the role of other countries in hotel management is growing.

Hotels that are part of corporate chains are not necessarily owned by those chains. These hotels may have their own owners, and participation in the chain is secured by lease agreements, franchises, etc., (See below) which gives an advantage when loading and booking. International hotel chains create centralized supply companies, training centers, repair factories and production of furniture and equipment.

What do you see as the negative aspects of creating hotel chains? (D)

Ways to manage hotels

There are several ways to manage hotels:

The hotel owner directly carries out full management of economic activities;

2. 2. hotels are rented or rented . A lease contract provides that the hotel owner (landlord) transfers ownership of the property to the tenant, who pays the lease payments. The contract specifies the duration of the agreement. Sometimes, after the end of the term, the hotel is sold to the tenant;

3. 3. management contract . This is an agreement that provides for the transfer by the hotel owner of the rights to operate and manage it to another hotel company. At the same time, managers and other technical personnel are appointed;

4. 4. franchise agreement . Provides for granting the hotel owner the right to use the name, trademark of a well-known company, its services for booking hotel rooms, and training staff. At the same time, the company receives royalties from the hotel's income.

Independent hotels– hotels that are not part of hotel chains or other corporate associations.

"Soft" and "hard" blocks

For large tour operators, a common option is to buy out part of the hotel rooms, usually for a season. These numbers become the temporary property of the company. The hotel sells rooms at lower prices, since we are talking about large wholesale. There is, of course, a certain risk that tourists will not buy the purchased rooms from the company within the given period.

The redemption option involves various conditions for its completion, which are stipulated in the agreement between the hotel enterprise and the travel company; these conditions may be different, but most often they are divided into the conditions of a “soft block” and a “hard block”, while the block is that part places that are being purchased. What means hard block ? This is the acquisition of part of the hotel rooms at reduced prices, but with strict conditions regarding the right to dispose of these places. For example, you cannot return rooms to a hotel, or you must pay a large fine for refusal. Soft block involves the purchase of seats at higher prices, but the conditions, accordingly, will be more lenient than with a hard block. Let’s say that some places can be refused, or a cancellation period is stipulated - 2 weeks before the start of the check-in.

Table 1

hotel chain		hotels in 2003 (Number of rooms)	hotels in 2004 (Number of rooms)	hotels in 2005 (Number of rooms)
Intercontinental Hotels Group	Great Britain






Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide
Carlson Hospitality Worldwire
	Great Britain

One of the main players in the global tourism arena and the largest hotel franchisor. Cendant's portfolio includes 6,400 hotels with more than 500 thousand rooms in 2006. The company includes brands such as AmeriHost Inn, Days Inn, Howard Johnson, Knights Inn, Ramada Inn, Super 8, Travelodge, Villager and Wingate Inn, Avis, ERA, Coldwell Banker, Century 21, Coldwell Banker Commercial. In addition, this corporation owns various companies representing almost all areas of the tourism industry. Thus, of the car rental companies, Cendant owns Avis and Budget, since 2001, for which a total of more than $700 million was paid. In the same 2001, Cendant also acquired the Galileo computer reservation system. Another area of her activity is club holidays, where she owns such “whales” as Fairfield Resorts, RCI and Trendwest. In addition, the corporation's portfolio includes several travel companies, four insurance companies, a taxi service and three large travel websites.

The main specialization of the company is the construction of franchise systems, the search for solutions related to external financing, and direct marketing.

The corporation received the name Cendant only in 1997, when CUC International Corp, specializing in club vacations, and HFS Inc., which at that time owned all the economy hotel brands now owned by Cendant, merged. It is worth noting that some hotel brands currently included in Cendant have a history of more than half a century. So, in the early 30s of the last century, Howard Deering Johnson began selling hot dogs and ice cream. Business went well, and soon he began opening small restaurants near gas stations. The signs of these establishments bore the name of the owner. To develop his business, he developed a franchising system, thereby increasing the number of brand restaurants. And in 1950, not only restaurants, but also motels began to receive the name Howard Johnson. Their number reached 90 by 1961. The company grew, and in 1980 the management decided to separate the hotel business from the restaurant business. Thus, after a series of transactions, the Howard Johnson hotel brand ended up in the portfolio of HFS Corporation by 1996.

Let us characterize some brands of the hotel corporation. All brands of the hotel chain belong to economy class and correspond to the 2* - 4* level.

AmeriHost Inns and AmeriHost Inns & Suites can be found in 18 states across the United States. They are aimed at both business travelers and tourists and offer a standard range of services.

Howard Johnson's 500 hotels are located throughout the United States, as well as in Argentina, Canada, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Mexico, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and Venezuela. The chain includes several brands: Howard Johnson Plaza Hotels, Howard Johnson Hotels, Howard Johnson Inns, Howard Johnson Express Inns.
Knights Inn has 225 locations throughout the United States and Canada. Hotels in this chain, according to advertising, offer “really low prices” (about $60). In one-story buildings located near important highways, guests will find clean and comfortable accommodation

There are about 2 thousand Super 8 motels in the United States and Canada. The history of this chain goes back more than a quarter of a century. A distinctive feature of the brand is that the motels are thoroughly inspected four times a year, and therefore guests can count on maximum hospitality from the staff and be sure that they will be provided with perfectly clean rooms for $50 - $65.

In 1935, businessman Scott King, anticipating increased demand among travelers for inexpensive accommodation, created his first motel in San Diego. In 1939 The Travelodge was incorporated. Now the Travelodge brand, numbering 600 hotels (from 25 to 200 rooms), is well known throughout the world. Like Howard Johnson, it offers several types of accommodations. For travelers who prefer a fairly high level of service, Travelodge is intended; mid-level hotels belong to the Travelodge Hotels brand, and cheap hotels belong to the Travelodge Inn brand. In addition, since 1992, the chain has acquired another low-budget brand - Thriftlodge.

Villager Lodge hotels, as the hoteliers themselves assure, offer home comfort at a price that is not too hard on the pocket ($40 - $60). To make guests feel at home, the hotel offers laundry services and all rooms have a kitchenette. Villager Lodge's advantages also include free cable television and fairly low telephone rates.

The latest of the corporation's brands, Wingate Inn, was created specifically for businessmen, because the hotel rooms are equipped with the latest technology. Accordingly, the price for such placement is slightly higher than in other brands - from $80 to $100.

InterContinental Hotels Group is one of the largest hotel companies, comprising 3,600 hotels with 537,000 rooms in 2006. The company includes the following brands: Intercontinental Hotels and Resorts, Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn, Express by Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites, Priority Club Rewards.

John Willard Marriott, the second of eight children, was born and raised in Utah. As often happens in large families, already in his youth he began to earn money by performing a variety of types of work. So, until the age of 18, he worked for two years in a Mormon mission to pay for his education and help his family, he continued to work wherever he had to, including selling woolen underwear to lumberjacks, managing a bookstore and teaching English in a secondary school. school. In 1927, he and his wife Alice Marriott began selling AandW Root Beer from a kiosk he built in Washington. However, business was sluggish, so Marriott decided to add hot snacks to the menu. The idea worked, and by the age of 30, Marriott became a millionaire. It was he who was the first to suggest feeding passengers during the flight. In practice, this idea was implemented by him in 1937 together with the Washington company Hoover Airfield. And just two years after that, he entered the food market, offering his services in this area to government agencies, school cafeterias and hospitals. In 1957, Marriott opened the first of what would become many Marriott hotels. Due to the company's success and increasingly positive image, Marriott changed its name to Marriott Corporation in 1967.

Currently, Marriott International Corporation has more than 2,600 of 425,900 rooms of accommodation facilities located in the United States and 65 other countries in 2006.

All hotels in the chain are distinguished by unchanging service, which is based on clear interaction between all structures and is supported by strict control from the head office. “We strive to be the best lodging and services company in the world by pushing our people to provide the best possible service to our customers, resulting in win-win experiences for our shareholders” - Marriott International's mission statement.

Taking into account the different groups of clients and their financial capabilities, the network is developing various brands, increasing the volume of service:

Marriott Hotels and Resorts are full-service hotels, franchised or independently operated. Renaissance Hotels and Resorts - hotels provide a full range of accommodation services for business tourists and vacationers. Marriott Conference Centers are full-service hotels for conferences and meetings. Countyard by Marriott is a division of the company responsible for a chain of hotels with a relatively low price. Fairfield Inn by Marriott is a division of the company responsible for a chain of economy hotels. SpringHill Suites is a division of the company responsible for a chain of hotels of medium and high class, aimed at serving business tourists and vacationers, especially for women and children. Residence Inn by Marriott is a leader in the extended stay hotel segment. TownePlace Suites is a division of the company responsible for a chain of relatively low-cost, extended-stay hotels. Marriott ExecuStay - a division of the company provides accommodation for 1 month or more. Marriott Executive Apartments is a division of the company that provides accommodation to business tourists for a period of 30 days or more. Marriott Vacation Club International - timeshare system. A guest can buy a week's holiday in a hotel of this class. The system includes 38 exclusive resorts. Ritz - Cariton is a leading hotel brand in the luxury hotel segment.

Corporate profile: Accor.

Over the 40 years of its operation, the international hotel chain Accor has operated 4,000 hotels in 90 countries (2006). The chain's sales in 2002 amounted to 7.139 billion euros. And the chain began with the development of transport infrastructure in the vicinity of the French city of Lille. The first hotel of the future Novotel chain was built in 1967 near the airport and the highway. The following hotels of the Novotel chain were also built in areas of transport hubs. This was a massive construction of small hotels with 60-80 rooms, 15-20 hotels per year. In 1973, a large Novotel with 600 rooms was built next to the ring road around Paris. An increase in tourist flows required the development of tourism infrastructure. And in 1982, Novotel merged with the Sofitel chain, several restaurant chains, banquet and service companies. The combined company was renamed Accor. Accor is hotels of all categories from 1 to 5 stars, it is the world's second largest network of travel agencies, the 3rd largest network of casinos and conference centers in France, it is a group of service companies serving 13 million people daily. The Accor hotel chain includes the following brands: Sofitel, Atria, Novotel, Mercure Accor Hotels, Switch Hotels, Ibis, Etap, Formula 1, Red Roof, Motel 6, Studio 6.

The chain widely uses various forms of interaction, integrating efforts in related areas: builds its own hotels, leases hotels, creates joint ventures, works with hotels under a franchise agreement, introduces contract management, integrates hotels into a unified information system with the creation of a corporate website. 30% of hotels are owned by the chain, 30% are long-term leased, 30% operate under a franchise agreement. In 1994, a joint venture was created in which 50% of the shares belong to Accor and 50% of the shares belong to the American company Carlson Companies. In 2000, a joint program between Accor and the French Railway Authority was created to sell railway packages. +hotel". Close cooperation with airline companies has led to the creation of another specialized “air flight + hotel” tour program. Today Accor is a leader in the hotel business with a network of tour operators and travel agencies, and an active participant in the American and European tourism markets.

Corporate Profile: Choice Hotels International

Choice Hotels International is one of the largest hotel corporations in the world, uniting about 4,000 hotels, including the following brands: Quality Inn, Choice Hotels, Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, MainStay Suites, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel, Econo Lodge , and Rodeway Inn brand hotels. The company's history begins in 1940, when the first hotels were opened. The company's history is full of innovation and innovation. So, back in 1940, standards for enterprise activity were developed. In 1954, the following services were introduced for the first time in the hotels of this company: round-the-clock accommodation service, telephones in the rooms, a swimming pool, and in 1963 - guaranteed reservations. In 1983, we were the first to work with global reservation systems, and in 1984, we were the first to offer non-smoking rooms.

Corporate Profile: Hilton Hotels Corporation

American entrepreneur Conrad Hilton (1887-1979) made history by raising the hotel business to unattainable heights because he introduced the concept of a “five-star hotel” by analogy with good cognac. It must be emphasized that he had nothing as starting capital to open his own business except strong character, initiative, energy, determination and childhood experience of commerce in his father’s store. Conrad Hilton, having purchased the old Mobley Hotel in Texas in 1919, was the first to realize how to use its space profitably. This courtyard with ridiculous columns on the facade could be called a hotel only by using imagination. Hilton's imagination was fine. He made not only the hotel itself, but also the columns profitable, surrounding them with glass display cases with goods necessary in any hotel: from newspapers and magazines to personal hygiene items. The profitability of such a service exceeded all expectations - each column gave the owner an additional 8 thousand dollars. Further, this idea will develop into a souvenir and gift business at all Hilton hotels.

Success inspired Hilton. He decided to get seriously involved in the hotel business and opened the first hotel in Dallas under the brand name “Hilton” in 1925, which laid the foundation for the creation of the famous hotel empire - a global chain of elite hotels of the highest class of service, the most advanced level of equipment and the most comfortable service. After World War II, Conrad Hilton's empire became the largest leader in the global hotel industry, whose standards were adopted by others in the industry. Hilton decided to build one hotel a year, but soon exceeded his own plan. Later, this idea led to the introduction and spread of the franchising system. Conrad Hilton was the first to understand what has become a commonplace in the service industry today: both millionaires and people with average incomes equally need real comfort and unobtrusive but ubiquitous service. Moreover, both of them are ready to stay in the same hotels for this purpose. Hilton encoded this in the company's corporate motto: “A guarantee of elite luxury with affordable, high-standard service,” which became the magic formula for success for the mass hotel industry.

Throughout his life, he was committed to continually improving quality standards, evolving industry practices, and applying his own business tools.

He himself is the author of only three innovations: the first to open a facility abroad (in Puerto Rico, 1949), the first to install televisions in all rooms (1951), the first to offer direct dialing services for long-distance telephone numbers (1957). ). All of Hilton's other achievements are related not to know-how, but to global acquisitions. Thus, back in 1908, long before Hilton, the Statler Hotel became a pioneer in introducing bathrooms, full-length mirrors, telephones and radios in each room, becoming a model for the entire industry for 40 years to come. Statler later created his own hotel radio station and introduced central air conditioning. But it all ended with Hilton taking over all eight of Statler's hotels in 1954, paying the pioneer $111. Conrad Hilton was the first in the hotel business to understand that a wealthy client would be happy to save a little money on a hotel room and would be equally happy to throw away much more money in the casino at the same hotel. In the late 1960s, he firmly staked out extremely profitable locations in such a recognized gambling mecca as Las Vegas, building unusual hotels there. In 1979, Conrad Hilton dies at the age of 92. In 1994, Hilton celebrated 75 years of creative business - the Diamond Anniversary of the Mobley Hotel by founder Conrad Hilton. On this day, the riverboat casino opened its doors to the general public, becoming the first establishment of its kind to offer gambling services on the Mississippi River.

To date, Hilton is a huge corporation headquartered in Beverly Hills (California, USA), which in turn consists of eight hotel chains (Conrad Hotels, Doubletree, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hampton Inn, Hampton Inn and Suites, Hilton Hotels, Hilton Garden inn, Homewood Suites by Hilton), having their own service standards. The corporation owns and manages over 2.5 thousand clubs and recreation centers, hotels (over 500 with 148,000 rooms) on the territory of 75 countries on five continents and about 2 thousand gambling establishments and bookmakers, with more than 600 thousand clientele in 160 countries. The number of employees is over 70 thousand people. Financial turnover is about 9 billion pounds sterling.

The company plans significant expansion into the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Expansion in the region will be through management agreements rather than through hotel ownership. Providing top quality services, this hotel chain is popular among wealthy businessmen and politicians.

Best Western International Corporate Profile

Best Western International is the largest hotel chain, including 4,000 hotels in 80 countries in 2006. The company unites independent hotels with their own charm and high standards of service. Best Western retains the independence of hotels in guest service programs, staff training, marketing and sales, providing consulting services, support and reservation systems. In 2006, the company celebrated its sixtieth anniversary. In 1946, Best Western was founded by M.K. Guertin, a hotelier with 23 years of experience in the hotel business. The company represented an information link between hotels, in which each of the hotels provided consulting support to the others. In 1976, the international chain included hotels in Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand. In 1979, 15 million guests stayed at the chain's hotels and sales revenue reached $1 billion. In 1981, Best Western is known as the largest independent hotel chain. Currently the company has 30 offices in 4 regions of the world. Of the 4,000 hotels, 2,100 are located in the United States, 1,900 are located abroad (244 hotels in Europe, 309 hotels in Australia and New Zealand, 85 hotels in South and Central America, 63 hotels in Asia and the East, 7 hotels in Africa).

Corporate Profile: Starwood Hotels and Resorts

American corporation Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the largest international companies in the hospitality and leisure industry. The company was founded in 1969, but brands such as Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, Westin Hotels & Resorts have a history of more than 60 years. Today the company includes about 850 hotels and resorts in more than 95 countries, 145 thousand employees in 2006. The company is the owner, operator and franchisor of hotels. The corporation's brands include: Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, Westin Hotels & Resorts, The Luxury Collection, St. Regis, W and Four Points Hotels by Sheraton, Le Meridien, Aloft. Geographically, Starwood is represented on almost all continents: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Middle East and Latin America.

Corporate profile: Hyatt hotel chain.

The first Hyatt property appeared in 1957 at Los Angeles International Airport - Hyatt Hause, owned by local businessman Hyatt London. Over the next decade, Hyatt hotels spanned the entire West Coast.

The opening of the Hyatt Regency hotel in Atlanta, Georgia in 1967 helped the company gain widespread recognition throughout the world. Guests who stayed there were amazed by the spacious atrium-type hall of the twenty-one-story building, glass elevators and revolving restaurants under the roof. The unusual architecture, authored by George Portman, radically changed the usual standards of design and distribution of space, and the general trends of the accommodation industry. The proposed concept of using an artrium became a challenge for all hotel architects, marking the emergence of a new trend - wide spaces for common use. The large lobby and graceful glass elevators are still the hallmark of the hotel.

Currently, 215 hotels are united under the Hyatt brand and are recognized as a leader in providing luxury accommodation and high-quality service, whose target market is primarily business travelers. To attract a diverse clientele, Hyatt strategically differentiates its properties by services.

Hyatt Regency Hotels. Hotels of this type are located in city business centers and are five-star hotels. The main product of the company.

Hyatt Resorts. Hotels for holidays. Located in the most attractive holiday destinations, offering guests “a complete escape from everyday stress.”

The Park Hyatt Hotels. Small European-style luxury hotels. Their target market is individual travelers who prefer the privacy, personalized service and distinct elegance of small European hotels.

The Grand Hyatt Hotels. They are usually located in the most prestigious places and are attractive both for vacationers and for holding conferences. They reflect sophistication and splendor, employ technology that makes them works of art, and host world-class conferences and banquets.

Effective management, which was a characteristic feature of the company in the early years of its creation, has been preserved to this day. For example, for business travelers, Hyatt offered the Hyatt Business Plan, which provides in-room fax machines, 24-hour access to copiers and printers, and other services designed to meet the needs of its target business clientele. Hyatt is also at the forefront of developing faster and more efficient check-in options.

Larrel Hartley - Leonard was the company's president in 1989 when he came up with the idea of "Back to Basics Day." On this day, once a year, the company closes its headquarters offices and senior managers disperse to hundreds of Hyatt hotels in the United States and Canada, “spending time in the trenches,” i.e. Handle day-to-day operations at the front-line level. This strategy is very effective: performing the duties of ordinary employees allows representatives of senior management to learn a lot of new things first-hand, to experience first-hand the daily problems of their employees and thereby better understand routine issues. A key component of Hyatt's success is management's focus on human resource management. Indeed, employee satisfaction with their jobs is seen here as a fundamental prerequisite for guest satisfaction.

Corporate Profile: Carlson Companies.

One of the success stories in the American hospitality industry is the activities of Carlson Companies. In 1938, entrepreneur Curtis Carlson, using borrowed $50, founded the Gold Bond Stamp Company in Minneapolis (the accumulation of a certain number of such stamps gives the buyer the right to purchase for free a certain product from the assortment of the store where the stamps were obtained). In the late 1960s, Carlson and several of his partners jointly purchased a 50% interest in the Radisson Hotel in downtown Minneapolis; two years later he bought out their shares from his partners. In twenty-three years, Carlson created a hotel chain of twenty-two hotels. The former president of Carlson Hospitality, Jorgen Bartels, revealed that there is no need to spend his own money on expansion, since this can be done through franchising. As a result, 340 more Radisson hotels appeared in Carlson's hotel chain.

Carlson Companies is currently one of the leaders in providing tourism, hotel and marketing services. Carlson Companies includes the following companies: Regent International Hotels; Radisson Hotels & Resorts; Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts; Country Inns & Suites By Carlson; Park Inn hotels; Regent Seven Seas Cruises; T.G.I. Friday"sand Pick Up Stix restaurants; Carlson Wagonlit Travel; Cruise Holidays; All Aboard Travel; Cruise Specialists; Fly4Less.com; CruiseDeals.com; Results Travel; Carlson Destination Marketing Services; Carlson Leisure Travel Services; SeaMaster Cruises; SinglesCruise.com; CW Government Travel; Carlson Marketing; Peppers & Rogers Group; and Gold Points Reward Network. The corporation employs 190,000 people in more than 145 countries.

Carlson Companies provides services to hospitality businesses around the world. The largest hotel companies united by the Carlson Hotels Worldwide corporation include five hotel companies operating more than 915 organizations in 69 countries. These include: Regent International Hotels, Radisson Hotels & Resorts, Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Country Inns & Suites By Carlson and Park Inn hotels. The companies cover most segments of the hotel industry from exclusive services to a limited range of services in hotels in North and South America, Europe, Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia.

Radisson Hotels & Resorts is one of the world's largest hotel companies, representing a full range of hotel services. The company includes 415 organizations in 63 countries. Radisson Hotels & Resorts is focused on providing hotel services to business and leisure travelers, tailoring its services to their needs. The company continues to expand its brand to include new hotels, developing new products and service standards.

Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts, the campaign includes more than 35 hotels, 11 of which are located in North America. The number of hotel rooms varies around 125 rooms usually or a little more, the hotels are located in the suburbs or near airports. With restaurants, conference rooms, recreational services, and a full range of hotel services, the hotels are aimed at the middle segment of the market.

Country Inns & Suites By Carlson, the company includes 380 organizations worldwide. The hotels feature a homely interior, as well as a library where a guest can take a book with him when leaving the hotel and return it on his next visit. 98% of guests are regular guests.

Park Inn is a unique hotel company that provides an environment conducive to relaxation. Hotels belong to the economy class category and are located in suburbs and recreation areas. The hotels are aimed at leisure and business tourists. The company has more than 80 hotels located in 12 countries.

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