The unimaginable size of hotel chains

As of the end of last year, Hilton, with its 18 brands across 122 countries on six continents and over 6,800 hotels had a bit over a million hotel rooms on offer, after opening more than a hotel a day in 2021, and it has plans in the works for another 2670 hotels and 408,000 rooms.

And if that sounds impressive, remember: It's only the #4 hotel operator in the world, trailing after Wyndham, Marriott and Choice Hotels on some lists, with other big operators in the mix also depending on whether the list is by hotels, by rooms or other measure. Suffice it to say, huge but not hugest. Here's one list...

Hilton has been especially aggressive in expansion over the past couple of years, but is also making changes within its existing hotels, partly based on new technologies, but also based on a market that has seen changes over the pandemic period. Among the areas with increased demand: Connecting rooms, and more pet-friendly accommodations.