Urban hotel location determinants: Evidence from Ankara's hotel geography

Abstract

This paper argues that urban hotels have different characteristics and make location decisions based on this differentiation, which in turn affect to the urban spatial structure. To this end, the study examines the determinants of location choices of hotels and their spatial distribution in Ankara. A sample of 75 hotels operating in Ankara was selected through criterion sampling method and applied a questionnaire to identify their location determinants. Findings suggest that hotels with differentiated characteristics show variations in making their location choice, which leads to a shift in gravity of the city and promotes spatial segregation among the central districts of the city. The overall assessment provides evidence on the increasing importance of the new development districts in hotel locations and the decreasing role of old town in the market competition which necessitates the development of local policies targeting the improvement of central district with the lens of hotel geography. Verification of the hypothesis by the case study will fill the gap in literature that has not yet been addressed in Turkey's cities context in the framework of the planning discipline.