Staying in a relaxing and luxurious hotel can make all the difference between a good vacation and a great one.
Popular hotel chains like Hilton and Marriott can be found in world-class cities across the globe, but which is the best hotel brand to stay at?
Industry experts looked at some of the most popular hotel brands in the world and ranked them based on average user ratings, popularity, availability, revenue and the number of five-star locations.
The Most Successful Hotel Chains in the World
| Rank | Hotel Chain | Average User Review Score (/5) | Annual Google Search Volume | Number of Countries Available In | Number of Hotels Available | Annual Revenue | Number of 5* Locations | Hotel Chain Score(/10) |
| 1 | Hilton Hotels | 4 | 8,749,000 | 124 | 584 | $3.3 B | 7 | 8 |
| 2 | Holiday Inn | 3.3 | 25,426,000 | 54 | 1,190 | $6.0 B | 0 | 6.83 |
| 3 | Four Seasons | 4 | 955,500 | 47 | 122 | $2.1 B | 101 | 6.33 |
| 4 | Sheraton Hotels | 4.6 | 1150500 | 74 | 458 | $168.0 M | 28 | 6.25 |
| 5 | DoubleTree | 3.85 | 11,046,000 | 52 | 583 | $2.1 B | 0 | 6.17 |
| 6 | JW Marriot | 4.9 | 5,776,000 | 30 | 112 | $436.9 M | 13 | 5.92 |
| 7 | St Regis | 5 | 1,905,000 | 24 | 60 | $1.0 B | 35 | 5.75 |
| 8 | Ritz-Carlton | 4.2 | 5,334,000 | 30 | 108 | $102.6 M | 51 | 5.58 |
| 9 | Crowne Plaza | 3.4 | 8,887,000 | 52 | 404 | $15.0 M | 1 | 5.25 |
| 10 | Days Inn | 2.7 | 7,567,000 | 21 | 1,551 | $2.0 B | 0 | 4.92 |
The flagship brand of the Hilton Worldwide company, Hilton Hotels & Resorts is ranked as the best hotel chain in the world. With a total of 584 locations across 124 countries, there is no shortage of Hilton Hotels. The chain even hosts seven 5* hotels, including the breathtaking Hilton Luxor Resort & Spa in Egypt.
Ranking in second place is Holiday Inn. Founded in Memphis, the budget chain is one of the most widespread hotel brands in existence, operating in 1,190 locations in 54 countries across the globe.
Luxury hotel chain Four Seasons comes in third place. The hotel brand has 122 locations across 47 countries, with the Four Seasons Resort Maui recently serving as the filming location for HBO’s The White Lotus. The chain makes an estimated annual revenue of $2.1 billion.
The research also revealed the world’s least successful hotel chains:
| Rank | Hotel Chain | Average User Review Score (/5) | Annual Google Search Volume | Number of Countries Available In | Number of Hotels Available | Annual Revenue | Number of 5* Locations | Hotel Chain Score(/10) |
| 1 | Park Plaza Hotels | 3.6 | 155,400 | 7 | 35 | $172.7 M | 0 | 2 |
| 2 | Econo Lodge | 2.3 | 4,107,000 | 2 | 779 | $394.4 K | 0 | 2.17 |
| 3 | Raffles Hotels | 3.9 | 605,600 | 15 | 21 | $90.0 M | 11 | 3.25 |
| 4 | Ramada | 2.4 | 1,256,500 | 75 | 919 | $44.5 M | 0 | 3.67 |
| 5 | Hampton by Hilton | 3 | 820,300 | 36 | 2833 | $58.2 M | 0 | 3.67 |
Ranking as the worst hotel chain is Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts. With hotels in only 7 countries, the Park Plaza chain has limited availability. The chain also receives the lowest number of worldwide Google annual searches (155,400).
Further Study Insights:
- The best-reviewed hotel chain is St. Regis (5/5 user score), whilst the worst-reviewed is Econo Lodge (2.3/5 user score).
- The most in-demand hotel chain is Holiday Inn. Over the last 12 months, there have been 25,426,000 million worldwide Google searches for the chain.
- The most luxurious hotel chain is the Four Seasons. 101 Four Seasons properties have been rated five-star, including the Four Seasons Prague and Toronto.