Understanding the global hotel business is not possible without paying specific attention to hotel chain management and dynamics. Chains are big business, approximately 80 percent of hotels currently being constructed around the world are chain affiliated and, in 2014, the five largest brands held over a one million rooms. The high economic importance of the hotel chains and their global presence justifies the academic research in the field however, despite this, there is no uniform coverage in the current body of literature.

This Handbook aids in filling the gap by exploring and critically evaluates the debates, issues and controversies of all aspects of hotel chains from their nature, fundamentals of existence and operation, expansion, strategic and operational aspects of their activities and geographical presence. It brings together leading specialists from range of disciplinary backgrounds and regions to provide state-of-the-art theoretical reflection and empirical research on current issues and future debates. Each of the five inter-related section explores and evaluates issues that are of extreme importance to hotel chain management, focusing on theoretical issues, the expansion of hotel chains, strategic and operational issues, the view point of the individual affiliated hotel and finally the current and future debates in the theory and practice of hotel chain management arising from globalisation, demographic trends, sustainability, and new technology development. It provides an invaluable resource for all those with an interest in hotel management, hospitality, tourism and business encouraging dialogue across disciplinary boundaries and areas of study.

This is essential reading for students, researchers and academics of Hospitality as well as those of Tourism, Marketing, Business and Events Management.

Maya Ivanova is an Assistant Professor in Tourism at Varna University of Management, Bulgaria, and a certified IATA instructor. Her publications have appeared in journals like Tourism Management Perspectives, Anatolia, International Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Administration, Journal of Hospitality Marketing and Management, and Tourismos. She serves as Editorial Assistant for the European Journal of Tourism Research. Dr. Ivanova's research interests include tour operators, airlines and hotel chains.

Stanislav Ivanov is a Professor in Tourism Economics and Vice Rector for Academic Affairs and Research at Varna University of Management, Bulgaria. He is the Editor-in-chief of the European Journal of Tourism Research and serves on the editorial boards of 25 other journals. His research interests include hotel chains, destination marketing, tourism and economic growth, political issues in tourism, special interest tourism. His publications have appeared in different academic journals - Annals of Tourism Research, Tourism Management, Tourism Management Perspectives, Tourism Economics, Journal of Heritage Tourism, Tourism and Hospitality Research, Tourism Today, Tourism, Tourism Planning and Development, Anatolia, International Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Administration, Journal of Hospitality Marketing and Management, Tourismos, Journal of Economic Studies, Journal of Southern Europe and the Balkans and South-Eastern Europe Journal of Economics.

Vincent P. Magnini is a tenured faculty member at Virginia Tech's Pamplin College of Business and he is currently ranked as one of the top 12 most prolific hospitality researchers worldwide. Vince holds Editorial Board appointments on ten of the leading research journals in his field and is a US Fulbright Scholar. Vince's most recent book titled Performance Enhancers: Twenty Essential Habits for Service Businesses appeared on the top 1% of Amazon.com's Best Seller Ranking throughout 2014. He has been featured three times on National Public Radio's (NPR's) With Good Reason, once on NPR's All Things Considered and cited in The New York Times.