Chapter 6 - International Hotal Operations

Abstract

With the growth of international travel and of hotel industries in the less developed countries of the world, there has been a major growth in international hotel operations. In the broad sense, the term describes hotel groups that operate in more than one country, but it is possible to distinguish between two main types. One is represented by what are essentially national companies with a head office in a particular country, which engage to a great extent in hotel operations in that country and in other countries. The other type is multinational companies established by airlines and other interests, which operate hotels in different countries, and in whose case the location of the head office may not be of particular significance. The British owned group Forte Hotels (Granada Group), with its head office in London, exemplifies the first type. Another British owned company, Bass Hotels and Resorts, with its head office in Atlanta, USA, and presence in 95 countries represents the second type. Most of its hotel capacity consists of two major acquisitions - Holiday Hospitality Corporation (Holiday Inn) and Intercontinental Hotels and Resorts — in the 1990s.