Hotel companies come in all sizes, from those with just a handful of properties to huge global organizations with hundreds of hotels. These companies offer some great opportunities for people at all levels of the industry, from hotel owners to those looking for entry-level work in hospitality. In this article, you’ll discover 10 of the biggest companies in the global hotel industry.
Table of Contents:
- What Is the Hotel Industry?
- 10 Biggest Hotel Companies Worldwide
- Hiring the Best Hotel Staff
- Hotel Manager Jobs
What Is the Hotel Industry?
The term “hotel industry” encompasses a huge range of businesses. It’s a subsection of the hospitality sector, specifically, those enterprises whose chief role is providing a temporary home away from home for travelers staying for a night or more. Hotel companies and enterprises can include any type of accommodation-focused business, from budget bed-and-breakfasts to the most opulent luxury resorts.
As well as guest rooms, hotels typically provide a range of other amenities. These include bars, lounges and restaurants, gyms and spas, meeting spaces and conference rooms, and recreational facilities like pools, tennis courts, or golf courses. The hotel industry landscape is dynamic, constantly facing new challenges and opportunities.
Changes in the global economy and travelers’ needs and preferences, new hotel technology, and competition from other sectors all present obstacles and advantages for the hotel industry. To learn more about this topic, read “Hotel Industry: Everything You Need to Know About Hotels!”
10 Biggest Hotel Companies Worldwide
Here are some of the largest hotel companies worldwide.
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts
Headquartered in New Jersey, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc. is a behemoth of a hotel company. It’s the biggest hotel franchisor, boasting well over 9,000 locations. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc.’s portfolio comprises 24 hotel brands, including its flagship Wyndham brand and big names like Ramada, Super 8, La Quinta, Howard Johnson, Days Inn, and Travelodge.
The Wyndham name dates back to 1981 when Trammell Crow founded it. Then based in Texas, Wyndham was named after Wyndham Robertson, a friend of Trammell Crow. The Wyndham chain of hotels grew steadily and attracted the attention of Patriot American Hospitality, who acquired it in 1998.
The name was changed to Wyndham International, and the company continued to expand. In 2005, Wyndham International was bought by the Blackstone Group. That same year, Blackstone sold Wyndham to Cendant. The following year saw Cendant divided into four companies, with the hotel businesses becoming Wyndham Worldwide.
Click here to visit the career page of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.
Video: Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Brand Video
Jinjiang International
Jinjiang International’s full name is Shanghai Jin Jiang International Hotels (Group) Company Limited, generally shortened to Jinjiang Hotels Group or simply Jinjiang Hotels. It’s the biggest hotel company in China, with over 380 properties either under its management or affiliated with it in 79 Chinese cities, with still more overseas.
It has a room inventory of more than 36 000 hotel rooms in China alone. As the name suggests, Jinjiang Hotels is headquartered in Shanghai. Its portfolio includes the Jinjiang Inn chain and the famous Fairmont Peace Hotel. Other major hotel chains Jinjiang Hotels operate include Magnotel and Bestay Hotel Express.
In 2015, the company’s development arm expanded into Europe by acquiring Groupe de Louvre, a 1.21 billion euro trade. That same year, Jinjiang Hotels also acquired an 81 percent share of Keystone Lodging Holding, a major US hotel company and the owner of brands like ZMAX and 7 Days Inn.
Video: Hongqiao Jin Jiang Hotel | Shanghai
Marriott International
Marriott is one of the most recognizable names in the hotel industry. Marriott International is a US-based company with a huge portfolio of inns, timeshares, and residential properties. The company’s origins are surprisingly humble: the first Marriott enterprise was a root beer stand that opened in 1927.
From there, founder John Willard Marriott went on to open a chain of restaurants under the name Hot Shoppes, Inc. The company’s first hotel opened in 1958, and in 1967 the company was renamed the Marriott Corporation. This was eventually divided into two companies: a property company and Marriott International, the hotel company.
Marriott International now operates, and licenses franchises approximately 8000 properties across more than 130 different countries and territories. Around 2,150 are operated directly by Marriott, while the company franchises the remainder. As of 2021, Marriott’s portfolio comprised over 1,423,000 rooms worldwide.
Click here to visit the career page of Marriott International.
Video: Marriott Virtual Tour – Through The I
Choice Hotels International
Choice Hotels is another company that grew small and became a world leader. Founded as Quality Courts United in 1939, it started as a nonprofit organization, a referral chain comprising seven motels. The chain grew to include around 600 members by 1963 when it became a for-profit company, and the name was changed to Quality Courts United, Inc.
After merging with a motel chain owned by one of its members, the company underwent various changes before emerging in 1990 as Choice Hotels International. Today, Choice Hotels is one of the world’s biggest hotel chains. They own several brands, ranging from the economy Sleep Inn, Rodeway Inn, and Econo Lodge chains to the upscale Cambria Hotels and Ascend Hotel Collection brands.
Their midscale brands include Comfort, Clarion Pointe, Clarion Hotels, and Quality Inn. Choice Hotels also owns four extended stay brands: MainStay Suites, Everhome Suites, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel, and WoodSpring Suites.
Click here to visit the career page of Choice Hotels International.
Video: Where Travels Come True :30 | Choice Hotels
Hilton Hotels & Resorts
Hilton is a name that’s synonymous with the hotel industry. Founded in 1919, the Hilton expanded and now boasts over 6000 properties worldwide. Hilton Hotels & Resorts is the company’s flagship brand, offering almost 600 full-service hotels and resorts in over 90 countries and territories.
Hilton Hotels & Resorts owns some 60-plus properties. In contrast, the remainder of its portfolio is owned by other companies and managed by Hilton Hotels & Resorts, or franchised under the auspices of the brand. Hilton Hotels & Resorts is noted for its high employee satisfaction ratings; in 2020, the company was ranked number one on Fortune magazine’s “Top 100 Companies to Work For.”
They also have an attractive customer loyalty program, with members receiving perks like digital check-in, keyless entry, discounts, and other amenities. The brand is marketed towards both leisure travelers and those traveling on business.
Click here to visit the career page of Hilton Hotels & Resorts.
Video: Brand Spotlight: LXR Hotels & Resorts
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG)
IHG is a British multinational hotel company. It’s marketed as IHG Hotels & Resorts. The worldwide headquarters is in Windsor, England, as are the Europe offices, and the company has offices in other major cities worldwide. The company has its roots in the Bass brewing firm, which branched out into the hotel industry in the 1960s with its launch of the Crest Hotels chain.
Bass acquired the Holiday Inn International chain and the Inter-Continental chain of luxury hotels. In 2001 Bass sold its name and brewing assets, becoming known as Six Continents. This company was then divided in 2002, splitting into the Mitchells & Butlers pub company and the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG).
IHG began to pursue an asset-light model, selling most of its hotel properties and focusing on management and franchising. IHG now owns several other brands, ranging from midscale motels to extended-stay suites and luxury hotel chains.
Click here to visit the career page of InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG).
Video: InterContinental Phuket Resort – Where Luxury Meets Legend (Official Video)
OYO Hotels & Homes
Also known as OYO Rooms, OYO Hotels & Homes is an Indian hotel company. It is a chain of leased and franchised accommodation properties, from hotels to vacation homes and apartments. When founded in 2012, OYO was largely a budget hotel brand with a few upscale properties.
The company has expanded significantly, including over 43,000 properties in over 80 countries and territories. OYO uses a multi-brand approach to diversify its portfolio, comprising several products and services. For example, their OYO Townhouse is a midscale neighborhood hotel brand aimed at millennials, while SilverKey targets business travelers.
OYO Homes provide fully managed private homes, while OYO Vacation Homes deliver various vacation rental management solutions. The company also provides services such as YO! HELP, a real-time AI chat assistant that helps guests by answering questions about their bookings.
Click here to visit the career page of OYO Hotels & Homes.
Video: There’s one for everyone, everywhere | OYO Nepal
Accor S.A.
Accor is a hotel company based in France. They own, franchise, and manage various properties, from hotels and vacation homes to resorts. Accor is Europe’s biggest hospitality company, as well as being the sixth biggest in the world. It operates in more than 110 countries, with a portfolio of more than 762,000 rooms in almost 5,200 locations.
Their brands range from the economy HotelF1 and Ibis brands to luxury brands like Sofitel, Fairmont, and Raffles. They also own and operate hotels such as Novotel and Premium in the midscale and premium brackets. Accor is heavily involved in hotel technology, owning companies that provide digital hospitality and event management solutions.
As well as its hotel operations, Accor is noted for its interest in social and environmental issues. They have two major programs, Accor Heartist Solidarity (social and economic inclusion) and Planet 21 – Acting Here (environmental and social responsibility).
Click here to visit the career page of Accor S.A.
Video: A look back at 2022
Huazhu Hotels Group
Like JinJiang, Huazhu Hotels Group is a Chinese hotel company headquartered in Shanghai. They have a large portfolio of rooms across China and Mongolia, operating nearly 7,000 hotels.
Since 2014, Huazhu Hotels Group has been in a long-term strategic agreement with Accor, thanks to which they now operate hotels under the Ibis, Ibis Style, Novotel, and Mercure brands. Huazhu was the ninth largest hotel group in the world in 2016; in 2017, Huazhu was listed among the Top 10 Most Valuable Chinese Brands.
The company was founded in 2005 and was known as the China Lodging Group Limited, or Hanting Inns, until 2012, when the name was changed to Huazhu Hotels Group. Huazhu has grown significantly in recent years, particularly following the strategic alliance with Accor and the 2019 takeover of Deutsche Hospitality by a Huazhu subsidiary.
Video: HUAZHU Group introduction
BTH Hotels
Another Chinese hotel company to make the top 10 is BTH Hotels. It is part of the Beijing Tourism Group (BTG). Like the other Chinese companies on this list, BTH enjoyed significant growth between 2020 and 2021 despite the industry-wide effects of the coronavirus pandemic, increasing its stock of guest rooms by almost seven percent.
In 2015 BTG acquired China’s largest budget hotel chain, Homeinns Co., Ltd. Homeinns, which trades as Home Inns Group, thus became part of BTH Hotels. The acquisition of Homeinns was a significant boost for BTH, as the chain was already well-established and successful, including a large portfolio of hotels in many different locations.
It was already one of the top 10 hotel groups at the time of its acquisition in 2015. BTH now includes budget hotels, midscale hotel brands like Fillmore, and upscale names like Jianuo Boutique Hotel.
Video: Jianguo Hotel Beijing, Beijing, China
Hiring the Best Hotel Staff
Any business in the hospitality industry relies on quality staff to deliver excellence in customer service, which is especially true of a hotel business. At every level and across every hotel department, hotel staff need to possess a combination of the right skills and the right mindset.
It can be difficult for a hotel owner to find the right people to fill some roles, especially when the number of qualified candidates is low. In “How to Hire the Best Hotel Staff for Your Hotel?“ you’ll discover how to find, recruit and keep the best staff for every position, from hotel marketing professionals to housekeeping.
Hotel Manager Jobs
If you’re looking for a role in hotel management, it can be hard to know where to start. Even if you have all the qualifications and experience, finding a hotel with the right culture can be daunting. In “Tips to Find Your Next Hotel Manager Job!“ you’ll discover everything you need to know to land your ideal job.
From an in-depth look at the role itself to training and education, all the way up to practical tips for finding an opportunity, this article has you covered. There are also tips for hotel managers on hiring the right staff.
Hotel Companies FAQs
Whether you’re an independent operator who needs to understand the competition offered by branded hotels or considering which company you’d like to work with, knowing about the world’s top hotel companies is valuable for any hotel owner or manager.
More Tips to Grow Your Business
Revfine.com is a knowledge platform for the hospitality & travel industry. Professionals use our insights, strategies and actionable tips to get inspired, optimise revenue, innovate processes and improve customer experience. You can find all hotel & hospitality tips in the categories Revenue Management, Marketing & Distribution, Hotel Operations, Staffing & Career, Technology and Software.This article is written by:
Hi, I am Martijn Barten, founder of Revfine.com. With 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, I specialize in optimizing revenue by combining revenue management with marketing strategies. I have successfully developed, implemented, and managed revenue management and marketing strategies for individual properties and multi-property portfolios.
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