Derived from the Latin word “hospes,” hospitality has a dual meaning of visitor and stranger, dating back to 18th century Europe. The initial idea related to hotels and inns where travellers would host guests did not exist even when faster and more reliable transport options became readily available. However, as migration continued to expand across Europe, so did the need for housing and accommodation for individuals to live in.
The hospitality industry has seen rapid expansion as international travel continues to grow. As a result, the industry has grown and become more diverse globally, being one of the biggest employers across different sectors. With multiple subsectors to the industry, it can be divided into four categories: food and beverage, recreation, travel and tourism and lodging.
With the industry being so diverse, it’s no surprise that the industry exists across every continent and country in various forms. So what changes are present that create these differences between countries? What brands are the best known within these continents? What can we learn from the unique establishments of these brands in different cultures?
To gather this information, we compiled the top Google Search terms, segmenting by country to discover the most popular International Hospitality Brands users were looking for.
Most Popular International Hospitality Brand in Asian Countries
One of the largest continents on the planet and biggest markets for hospitality – Asian countries are a key market for the hospitality industry to enter. To look at the most recognisable brands impacting across countries, we evaluated the top number of Google Search volume by country.
Across the Asian continent, key brand names made an appearance, showcasing their influence on both the domestic and international hospitality sectors.
Common brand names that were repeated across the continent include the Hilton, a prominent theme across countries like Japan (47K), Saudi Arabia (4.7K), and Sri Lanka (14K). Search volumes of the Hilton changed as we entered a new country’s geographic region with variations also including specific site locations such as Hilton Colombo for Sri Lanka and Hilton Dushanbe for Tajikistan. Other brands shown to create impact include the Intercontinental (8.2K for Qatar) (18K in Vietnam) and the Marriott (Nepal is 7.0K) and (Armenia 2.1K).
In Central Asia, brands like the Radisson and Ritz Carlton are popular searches in the United Arab Emirates (35K) and Bahrain (8.8K). In South-East Asia, the Shangri-La is the prominent influence in Mongolia (2.7K) and Singapore (38K). With common Google Search trends available in different geographic regions, what is interesting is the most popular search within the Indian region is an outlier, the Taj Hotel with 239K searches.
Most Popular International Hospitality Brand in European Countries
Europe is a culmination of cultural diversity, history and architecture, making it one of the world’s most sought-after travel destinations. With over 44 countries in the European continent, the hospitality industry is a big player driving the growing economy.
The establishment making great impressions with a search volume of 2.6 million is Premier Inn, a mid-priced affordable hospitality chain in the United Kingdom, with prominence in small regions like Guernsey (2.8K) and Jersey (4.2K). The other brands competing for the top spot include Ibis in France (432K), Germany (241K) and Belgium (63K). Among the Scandinavian countries, Scandic Hotels in Sweden(289K), Norway (160K) and Finland (145K) are the most influential.
Most Popular International Hospitality Brand in African Countries
The African continent is arguably one of the largest market opportunities for the hospitality industry, with rising disposable incomes and a large region of underutilised land mass. As commercial developments soar, so does the appeal for international travellers, making it a huge opportunity for hospitality businesses to expand within this region.
According to Google Searches, already global hospitality powerhouses are prominent within the region, with brands such as Radisson Blu making impacts across Mauritius (3.5K), Kenya (4.8K) and Zambia (1.2K). In addition, regional and cultural influences are shown to impact the Northern regions with brands such as the Sofitel (9.1K) in Morocco and Four Seasons (4.4k) in Tunisia.
Most Popular International Hospitality Brand In North American Countries
The North American market represents a major economic market and opportunity for businesses working within the hospitality sector. The United States, the largest of these, has a 3.4 million Google Search for the Holiday Inn Express, a mid-priced hotel chain with influence across different geographic regions. The brand has also established its dominance across the geographic region of Guatemala (2.6K), Mexico (114K), Nicaragua (1.2K) and Canada (367K). In Central America, the regional hospitality influence of Bahia Principe is also present.
Most Popular International Hospitality Brand In Oceanian Countries
The Oceanian region shows a relatively underutilised market for the hospitality industry. As data collection for the smaller countries is inadequate, there is a growth potential for hospitality companies and brands here. For larger and more economically influential companies, hospitality brands that are making an impact include the Hilton for New Zealand (27K), The Intercontinental within Fiji (2.8K) and Novotel within Australia (140K).
As the region, especially major markets within Australia and New Zealand, have expected room for potential growth, this is a key area for hospitality brands to expand into. As international brands still largely determine the influence within these countries, there is room for increased domestic influence within these regions. As Google Searches indicate, this is an underutilised area that has increased potential for sales and brand awareness within the industry and these domestic regions.
Most Popular International Hospitality Brand In South American Countries
Unlike the previous continents, where regional influences and geographic regions have shown collectively similar search terms, South America shows a strikingly different hospitality trend. The collection of Google Search terms throughout the region showcases that there is not one dominant brand within the different regions but that each country has contrasting preferences for international hospitality brands.
Examples of the wide variety include Hotel Ibis in Chile (11K) and Brazil (148K), the Hilton Pilar in Argentina (11K) and Sheraton in Uruguay (4.6K). This demonstrates that there is not one uniform influence in the region but based on unique social, economic, and cultural influences between countries, different results are produced.
Methodology and Sources
To examine the differences in established hospitality regions, the most popular international hospitality brand was selected based on its Search Volume in the respective countries and continents. The data to determine the most popular hospitality brand was collated using the reliable SEO tool Ahrefs Keyword Explorer. This tool analyses data for search terms and keywords around specific topics and industries. For this article, the search tool was used to examine keywords related to international hospitality brands in a specific country.
To determine the most popular search term, we analysed all keywords related to international hospitality brands in specific countries. From these keywords, we selected the most popular hospitality brand based on the keyword that generated the highest search volume as the most popular International Hospitality Brand. We chose the highest monthly search volume brand as the most popular international hospitality brand, as the most popular keyword would indicate the greatest amount of people were searching for this term showcasing its popularity.
You can view the data here.
Conclusion
There are a variety of different social, economic, political, and cultural influences that determine an International Hospitality Brand’s influence between different countries and continents. The variety in results, even within neighbouring countries, showcases that different brands resonate within different cultural ecosystems.
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