Paris. As a preview of the in-depth European hotel industry report, compiled each year by MKG Consulting, Paris, in March the experts present a list of the 10 largest groups and the 10 largest brands located in the European Union.
For the first time, this ranking incorporates hotels located in the ten new European Union member states. As was the case last year, the 2005 ranking of hotels located in Europe demonstrates stability, revealing a rather prudent comportment on the part of the majority of large hotel operators. Accor, which had the most sustained rate of growth, strengthened its leadership position in the European hotel industry. A few major operations made the headlines and modified the ranking of other large European hotel groups.
The 2005 ranking of hotel groups shows the incontestable predominance of the Accor Group in Europe. Present in all categories, from hard-budget with Formule 1 to the upmarket with Sofitel, the French giant has locations in 20 of the 25 EU member-states. In 2005, the rate of growth of its hotel supply was one of the most constant in the EU. These results do not include the two-dozen Club Mediterranean units located in the European Union. With its acquisition of holdings in 2004 of nearly 29% in Club Med, Accor strengthened even further its position as number one, and rounded out its supply by entering into the upmarket leisure segment.
After a period of rationalisation of its hotel portfolio, which resulted in the purging from its network of hotels that did not meet its criteria, Best Western turned around to experience a 2.7% rate of growth, passing to second place, ahead of the British, InterContinental Hotels Group. Indeed, the largest hotel group in the world seems to have paused, after having registered a sustained rate of growth in recent years.
The Spanish groups Sol Melia and NH continued their expansion and demonstrated the energy of the Iberian hotel industry, despite the summer slowdown in tourism in the country, and drops in RevPAR were experiences throughout the year. Parallel to the development of its usual brands, Sol Melia opened the first Hard Rock Hotel in Europe. For its part, NH hotels continued its expansion in Spain, but also throughout the rest of Europe, with, for example, the opening of its first Italian hotel in Venice.
Other groups have demonstrated a degree of moderation in their development, such as with the Hilton International and Louvre Hotels groups, which resulted from the 2004 merger between all the hotels of the Société du Louvre and the upmarket chain, Concorde. The travel giant, TUI, remained rather stable. The rationalisation of the Choice network led to a drop of 2.5% of its supply.
The most notable change in the ranking of the major groups in Europe is the loss of 3 places by Marriott. Indeed, last October, Marriott yielded its holdings in Ramada International to Cendant, who has the Ramada brand franchising rights outside the United States. In Europe, Ramada is very well established in the United Kingdom, and in Germany, via partnerships with Jarvis and Treff, as well as in Northern Europe. Already owner of the rights to the Ramada brand in the United states, Cendant will continue to focus on the expansion of this brand at the global level, and strengthen its position, up till now only marginal, in Europe. Marriott`s interest is henceforth to dedicate itself in the development of brands that it has a good control over. This new distribution of roles has led to a 35.1% drop in the Marriott group`s European portfolio.
The other significant change in the ranking in 2004 was the acquisition of the Premier Lodge budget brand by the Whitbread Group for 725 million Euros. The Spirit Group acquired this brand one year earlier from the brewer, Scottish and Newcastle. The fusion between the Travel Lodge units of the Whitbread Group gave birth to a new brand, Premier Travel Inn, the undisputed leader in economy hotels in the UK. The Premier Travel Inn brand thus made a remarkable entrance into eighth place among hotel brands in Europe. Thanks to this acquisition, Whitbread found itself among the top 10 hotel groups in Europe.
In the ranking of brands, Best Western reinforced itself in first place at the European level. For the Accor Group, accent has been placed on the budget brands. Ibis and Etap Hotel are even registering the highest growth rates among the 10 largest European hotel chains. Ibis is even becoming the second largest brand at the European level, passing ahead of Mercure. Thus, with the creation of Premier Travel Inn, budget hotel brands are the most dynamic of the supply, while 3* and 4* chains were less fortunate, between -2.5% for Holiday Inn and +4.8% for Novotel. Red.