Systemy, łańcuchy hotelowe oraz inne struktury funkcjonalno-organizacyjne w hotelarstwie – próba definicji

Abstract

In times of an extremely dynamic development of world’s hotel establish-ments both in their quality and quantity, a tendency of constructing many various structures comprising even several thousands of hotels, with several hundreds thousands of rooms, is clearly observed. These structures can be of organi-zational, functional or proprietary character. They can be formally created or can function on the strength of some informal agreements. However, they are always justified by a definite reason e.g. improvement of managing, better economic results, better promotional campaign or as defence against competition. Such notions as hotel system, hotel chain, hotel net, hotel's brand (brand group) are commonly used in numerous publications in hotel trade literature. However, authors do not differentiate their meanings, using them interchangeably according to the needs. As a result it leads to some chaos in terminology, which does not allow explaining certain phenomena on the market. The clarification and the attempt of defining basic notions seem to be the necessity, the more so as Poland has been the region of intensive investments of various international structures (hotel systems and chains) or already existing establishments have been licensed by these structures (e.g. franchising). The article attempted to present the range of notions of the most commonly met hotel structures according to available trade literature (not numerous as compared to other sections of tourism). The result is a suggestion of clarification and defining basic notions such as: hotel type, brand group, net of hotels, hotel chain and hotel system. Hotel type is: a group of hotels distinguished by similar, dominating function, assignment, location, category, size or the range of services. Brand group (hotel group) is: a group of hotels which are voluntarily associated, with common marketing policy and pricing in order to gain extra profits, to protect themselves against competition, to exchange experience, with common promotion and identification etc., having all or chosen attributes of the brand (name, logo, slogan). Hotel net is: a set or a group of hotels usually belonging to the given owner (owners) and/or localized in a given area. The net can be constructed by both systems, chains, their segments and various types of hotels. Hotel chain is: a set of hotels with unite economic policy and marketing, keeping unite standards and the range of services, having its own reservation system of rooms or functioning in one of accessible systems of reservation (incl. Internet reservation) and having common name (or its part). Hotels belonging to the chain should use the same brand mark or trade mark (logo) and have similar functional features (location, architecture, category, etc.) and function according to given forms of ownership, management or licence. Hotel system (hotel group) is: a set of hotel establishments (types of hotels) and/ or hotel chains functioning according to a primary idea, managed or supervised by board of directors, with the same economic policy and marketing.