The top 10 hotel chains in Europe for 2012 does not differ that much from 2011’s list. The leading European hotel groups are still in the widely held list with Accor still at number one. MKG hospitality preserves a database of information that encompasses all leading hotels in the whole continent. That is a roaring 27 countries. However, you must know that the ranking is based more on the internal restructuring of a hotel rather than the arrival of new inventory on the market.

Top 1: Accor

The Accor hotel group remains at the number one spot! At present, the Accor group owns a staggering number of hotels and rooms. It currently has 2,343 hotels and 254,559 rooms. There key to success can be attributed to their asset light-business back strategy. If you observe their 2011 transactions, you will be able to clearly see how this philosophy was applied. Obviously, it worked for the last few years and is expected to work its magic in the years to come.

Top 2: Best Western

Best Western group had a significant 2011 because it rolled out its new descriptors and take note, on an international level, including Europe. Best Western Premier and Best Western Plus are some of its highest growing brands, to name a few. November 2011 was a great month for them as 7 hotels were added including 4 which are in Paris. Even after its separation from the Astotel Parisian group, Best Western still managed to stay at number 2! The French market accomplished a lot last year because the Accor group reported an 8.7% increase in revenue which is 48.1 million euro.

Top 3: IHG

As of the moment, IHG owns 559 hotels and 86,780 rooms. The British group signed a total of 5,800 rooms for 8 hotels. This includes 7 Crowne Plaza Hotels and 5 Indigo Hotels. Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express are also part of the IHG team and helped them get their number 3 spot for 2012. After hitting the UK market, France and Germany are on their list. Its revenue in Europe alone reached a 24% or almost 405 million dollars.

Top 4: Groupe du Louvre

The Groupe du Louvre hotels had 28 openings last year which most likely paved its way to the top 10 hotel groups. Although with an already established name in the hospitality industry, Groupe du Louvre still managed to continue growing and expanding despite numerous competitors.

Top 5: Carlson-Rezidor

In 2011 alone, Rezidor was very proud to say that they have 3,953 rooms in Europe alone. There were notable openings in France, Sweden, Poland, UK, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands and Greece. Club Carlson, the group’s new loyalty program, was launched February. A partnership was also concluded with Club Med on March with perks like redeem points at vacation resorts.

Top 6: NH Hotels

NH Hotels is a Spanish hotel group that had a awesome 2011 because of its subscription to its capital by the Chinese NHA group. At present, the NH Hotels have 356 hotels and 51, 453 rooms. However, the reason why NH hotel group is only at number 6 is because their 330 million euro offer was retracted before 2011 ended.

Top 7: Whitbread Hotels & Restaurants

2011 was a super year for Whitbread Hotels because from January 2011 to November 2011, the group reported 9.8% increase in sales. 97.4 % of the 2,100 rooms they added last year were located in the United Kingdom. The average room rates were up by about 2% while the occupancy rate went up by 0.8 percent. Premier Inn has launched MinoSolus for urban locations and Floating Room to provide comfort even in noisy environments.

Top 8: Melia International

Melia Hotels international started this year with a contract with Jin Jiang, one of the best Chinese hotel chains. The agreement revolves around exchanging cultural and management expertise. It also involves swap operation activities of selected establishments that are in China and Europe. Melia hotel groups see this as an edge to other competitors as being unique is one of the aspects that consumers or travelers look for.

Top 9: Hilton Worldwide

Hilton has 184 hotels and 43,189 as of the moment. The group has provided over 8,500 jobs in Europe alone and it still plans to expand. One of its best decisions in the 2011 was their acquisition of Mint Hotels by Blackstone, the parent company of Hilton. This purchase was for 947 million US dollars. The Hilton Hotels ended the year with two openings at the Frankfort airport and a Hilton Garden Inn.

Top 10: TUI Hotels & Restaurants

TUI had a rough 2011. This is because of financial difficulties in the operations of activities which almost lead to bankruptcy. However, they still managed to increase supply by 1.1% and their operation increased by 2.7 %.

www.tourism-review.com

Bence