Biggest hotel groups and brands of 2013: American companies still dominate

Skift Take

All these hotel groups are now talking about becoming brands and management companies instead of owning these assets, at least in U.S. and Europe, and will be interesting to see how that plays out over next few years.

— Rafat Ali, Skift

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This would not come as a surprise to any watcher of the global hotel industry, but American and then European companies still dominate the rankings of the biggest hotel groups and brands as of 2013, according to a survey by hospitality research and consulting firm MKG Group. No change at the top with British chain IHG still at the top, but Hilton Worldwide confirmed its position in second place acquired last year to the detriment of Wyndham Hotel Group. Marriott’s close on the heels in third, while Wyndham is still to U.S. focused and trying to find its growth levers globally.

Accor, despite record growth in 2012, lost its position due to offloading of its Motel 6 network to Blackstone last year. And yet, through its subsidiaries, lease contracts and hotels under management, Accor remains the number-one hotel operator worldwide with 336,800 rooms directly managed by its teams, the survey says.

The fastest growing group is China’s Home Inn, with 21% room growth over the year.