Compared to 2001, which saw Hilton`s International entry into the top 10 following the purchase of Scandic and Marriott International reaching…
Compared to 2001, which saw Hilton`s International entry into the top 10 following the purchase of Scandic and Marriott International reaching the third place, 2002 was largely marked by a stability in the classification of the top 10 international hotel groups.Cendant remains, despite a light drop, the number one group in the world. Though there has not been a major change in the ranking of the groups during the course of the year, the majority of the worldwide leaders has increased hissupply in 2002. In the face of a morose economic situation and the state of uncertainty concerning the war in Iraq, they have mostly given preference to an organic growth in their supply.
Carlson Hospitality has experienced the fastest growth. Few major acquisitions opportunities were available in 2002. It is foreseeable that 2003 will be more active in the matter if one judges it by current negociations surrounding the Six Continents dossier. If the war in Iraq should drag on, certain groups may also emerge weakened, becoming tempting targets.
* Supply on 31/09/2002
** The Choice hotel supply rises to 4664 hotels and 373,722 rooms. If one takes into consideration hotels under development, the supply
reaches 5138 hotels and 415,287 rooms. By hotel under development, Choice includes hotels that have signed a franchise management contract
by 31/12/02 and are sold through central reservation and the internet site of the group, but do not yet benefit from the entire range of services
provided by Choice (brand computer system, etc).
Best Western remains the top hotel chain in the world, though like Holiday Inn, it saw a light drop. This may be explained by a higher standard in its network in terms of quality norms manifesting itself through a weeding-out of under performing properties. The brand of the Choice Group, Comfort Inn & Suites, confirms the dynamism of the franchised operations, notably in the United States, and became the third best hotel chain in the world. Six Continents pursue a worldwide and active development of its brand Express by Holiday, as well as Accor with its brand Mercure, that progressed by steps, through acquisitions and partnerships. The brand Mercure was the fastest to grow in 2002. The Scandic hotels rebranded under the flag of Hilton, have notably allowed this brand to expand by 10%. Looking at losses, Hyatt has seen the flight of several contracts, not compensated by a prudent development policy.
MKG Consulting has the largest hotel database in the world, outside the United States, with the best coverage of all the hotel segments. The MKG Consulting Database contains more than 40,000 hotels, representing over 2.2 million rooms. The activity results in the MKG Database are based on a sample of 9,000 corporate operated hotel chains worldwide, representing 900,000 rooms.
These results are provided by chain hotels throughout the world, of which MKG Consulting is the official statistical supplier. Certain results of this worldwide assessment as well as much more in-depth analyses on Europe are developed in MKG Consulting`s annual Marketing, Trends, and Strategies of the European Hotel Industry – 2003 Edition (more than 200 pages), which is currently available.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
