The World's Largest Luxury Hotel Chains

The hotel industry is among the largest economic sectors in the world and is worth billions of dollars. This industry is also one of the most ancient in human history, and its history goes back thousands of years. Hotels are found in all countries in the world, but only a select few of them can be classified as luxury hotels which have world-class amenities. Many of such hotels exist under an umbrella of luxury hotel chains.

The World's Largest Luxury Hotel Chains

AccorHotels

AccorHotels are a chain of hotels established, managed and operated by Accor S.A., a French multinational company. The company was founded in 1967 by two French entrepreneurs, Paul Dubrule and Gerard Pelisson, as Societe d’Investissement et d’Exploitation Hoteliers and opened its first hotel in Lille, France. After experiencing years of economic growth, the company began acquiring other brands in the hotel industry and in so doing, expanded their outreach in the market. By the 1990s, Accord had entered into the North American market after acquiring Motel 6 and the Red Roof Inn chain. Currently, AccorHotels are among the largest luxury hotel chains in the world and boasts of being in 4,200 locations around the globe and about 240,000 employees. Some well-known brands under the AccorHotels chain are Fairmont, Sofitel, and Raffles.

Marriott International

Marriott International is another world-leading luxury hotel chain. The hotel chain is made up of renowned brands in the hospitality industry including Luxury Collection, Bulgari Hotels, Edition Hotels, and the JW Marriott Hotels. John Willard Marriott and his wife, Alice Sheets Marriott founded Marriott International in 1927 as a root beer stand in Washington DC. The Marriotts opened their first hotel in 1957 in Arlington, Virginia. However, the second hotel under the Marriott International chain proved to be a great success and remains the oldest extant hotel under the Marriott International umbrella. The hotel chain experienced its most successful period while under the leadership of John Willard Marriott’s son, John Willard Marriott Jr and by 2015, the hotel chain which had started as a root beer stand had a revenue of $14.486 billion. Marriott International is located in 5,974 locations around the world. The Marriott International has an estimated 1.2 million rooms making the hotel chain among the largest in the world.

InterContinental Hotels Group

InterContinental Hotels Group is a top luxury hotel chain which is found in 5,099 locations around the world, making it one of the world’s largest luxury hotel chains. The British hotel chain has its headquarters in Denham, Buckinghamshire in the United Kingdom. While the hotel chain was established on April 15th, 2003, the original InterContinental Hotel has its origins traced back to 1777. However, the first InterContinental Hotel was opened in 1946 in Belem, Brazil. There are several popular brands in the InterContinental Hotels Group which include Hotel Indigo, Even Hotels, Crowne Plaza, Staybridge Suites, and Holiday Inn. The InterContinental Hotels is one of the most successful hotel chains in the world, having a revenue of over $1.7 billion in 2016.

Hilton Worldwide

Another top luxury hotel chain is Hilton Worldwide. Hilton Worldwide is one of the largest hotel chains in the world and is found in about 4,727 locations around the world. Hilton Worldwide was established on May 31, 1919, in Cisco, Texas by Conrad Hilton. The hotel chain has its headquarters in Tysons Corner, Virginia and has over 169,000 employees all over the world.

Other Notable Hotels

Other leading luxury hotel chains in the world include the Hyatt Hotels Corporation, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, Melia Hotels International, and the Minor Hotels.