LIST: HOTEL CHAINS & COLLECTIONS

Accor Hotels	020 8283 4500	Major hotel company with than 4,000 hotels worldwide, ranging from economy to luxury. Child brands include Etap, Mercure, Novotel, Ibis, Pullman and Sofitel.
Akkeron Hotels	0844 855 9141	A collection of modern 3 & 4-star business & leisure hotels throughout England and Scotland. The Akkeron brand is likely to become more familiar as it grows. The recent aquisition of Folio Hotels and Forestdale Hotels, brings the portfolio to 26 properties. Their target size is 150 properties.
Aman Resorts	0800 2255 2626	Luxurious resort hotels - large in scale, small in room numbers - in exotic locations in Thailand, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, France, India, Indonesia, Laos, Montenegro, Morocco, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, the Turks and Caicos Islands and the USA.
Apex Hotels	0845 365 0000	Seven stylish 4-star contemporary hotels in London, Edinburgh and Dundee.
Barcelo Hotels & Resorts	0870 168 8833	Spanish chain of 185+ mostly 4-star hotels resort and business hotels in 17 countries through North and South America, Europe and Africa.
Best Western	08457 747474	With over 4,000 hotels in 80 countries, Best Western is the largest group of independently owned and managed, budget to mid-price, hotels in the world. The keyword is 'independent'. BW is unusual in that most large chains own or franchise their hotels.
Britannia Hotels	0871 222 0100	Chain of 35+ mid-price hotels in the UK ranging from grand seaside hotels and country house hotels to modern airport and city hotels.
Choice Hotels	0800 444 444	Parent brand for a range of mostly budget & longstay motel/hotel brands, including in the USA: Mainstay Suites, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel, Ascend Collection, Econo Lodge, Rodeway Inn & Cambria Suites, and in the UK & Europe: Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality Inn, Sleep Inn & Clarion.
Mint Hotel	Contact hotels individually	Formerly called "City Inn", this small chain of modern city centre hotels in London (2), Bristol, Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester and Leeds, rebranded in Nov 2010. As before, to highlight the individuality of their hotels, they've kept the collective brand name singular (IE "Mint Hotel").
Como Hotels & Resorts	020 7447 1029	Small chain of luxury resorts in Bali, Turks & Caicos, Bhutan and the Maldives, plus city hotels in London and Bangkok.
Concorde Hotels	020 7340 8765	French chain of upmarket city hotels in Europe (20), North Africa (3), Japan (2) and USA (1)
Crerar Hotels	0844 950 6282	Small chain of spa hotels in the Scottish Highlands (9) and Yorkshire (1).
De Vere Hotels & Resorts	0844 980 9950	Thirteen business and leisure hotels in the UK, plus approximately 30 conference and meeting "Venues".
Doubletree by Hilton	0800 2222 8733	In the States it's just "Doubletree" but outside the US they long-windedly call it "Doubletree by Hilton" so us poor hicks get the pedigree. Nice hotels though. 240 "upscale" full-service hotels and resorts in 15 countries. Seven of them in the UK
Copthorne Hotels	0800 41 47 41	Part of the Millennium & Copthorne group. There are 35+ Copthorne hotels mostly in the UK, and New Zealand plus a few in the Far East and Middle East.
Crowne Plaza	00 800 8222 8222
Days Inn	0800 0280 400
Epoque Hotels	Contact hotels individually	Extraordinary collection of elegant and quirky luxury boutique hotels worldwide.
Express by Holiday Inn	0800 897 121
Fairmont	0800 515 070	Luxury hotel company with its roots in the old Canadian Pacific historic hotels of Canada, but now with 40+ hotels in N. America and 35 worldwide. Sister brand to Swissotel and Raffles under parent Fairmont Raffles Hotels Int.
Firmdale Hotels	Contact hotels individually	A collection of contemporay hotels in London - The Soho, Haymarket Hotel, Number Sixteen, Charlotte Street Hotel, Covent Garden Hotel, Knightsbridge Hotel - and one in New York - Crosby Street Hotel. Some have private cinemas, so they are keen on mini film festivals.
Four Seasons	0800 526 648	Canadian chain of upmarket hotels that launched in the 60's with one hotel. Now there are 85 properties - hotels, resorts and residence clubs - in 35 countries.
Franklin Hotels & Resorts (Formerly 'Stein Group')	+34 93 452 14 30
Grange Hotels	0845 450 4400	A collection of 15 independent luxury hotels in London.
Guoman Collection	n/k *	Guoman has five luxury hotels in London and one in Shanghai (See Thistle Hotels)
H10 Hotels	020 928 4062	Small Spanish chain with ten modern hotels in Spain, one each in Rome and Berlin and now (2010) a new hotel in London
Handpicked Hotels	0845 458 0901
Hilton	0800 856 8000	Hilton Hotels Corporation has more than 3,300 hotels in 77 countries. The company owns, manages or franchises some of the best known hotel brands including Hilton, Conrad, Doubletree, and the Waldorf Astoria Collection.
Hip Hotels	020 7307 2792
Holiday Inn	0800 897121
Hotel du Vin	Contact hotels individually
Hyatt	0845 888 1234	One of the biggies with 445 properties in 45 countries on five continents (2010). Sub-brands include Hyatt, Park Hyatt, Andaz, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Hyatt Place and Hyatt Summerfield Suites.
Ibis Hotels
InterContinental	0800 0289 387	Originally, InterContinental was Pan Am's hotel chain developing classic luxury hotels in prime locations on the airline's route network. Now the brand has over 150 hotels and resorts in 65 countries.
Jolly Hotels	0800 7310 470
Kempinski	00 800 426 313 55	Europe's oldest luxury hotel group, now worldwide. Member of the Global Hotel Alliance (GHA) of independent hotel brands.
Lake District Hotels	0800 840 1240
Leading Hotels of the World	0800 2888 8882
Le Méridien	020 7301 2000
Macdonald Hotels	0844 879 9000	Macdonald have 48 x 4 & 5-star hotels throughout the UK, in town/city centres and in the country.
Malmaison	0845 365 4247,	Twelve stylish boutique hotels in UK cities, and pet-friendly! Dogs welcome.
Marriott International	0800 221 222	Marriott is one of the largest hospitality companies in the world with over 3,400 business and leisure hotels in more than 70 countries.
Melia	0808 234 1953	Was know as "Sol Melia" until 2011. Spanish hotel chain since 1956. They used to focus on leisure and business hotels in Spain Portugal and Latin America for the Spanish market. In the nineties they started expanding to other international destination (inc London) and now they have more than 350 hotels in 35 countries.
Mercure	Contact hotels individually
Millennium Hotels	0800 41 47 41	Part of the Millennium & Copthorne group. There are 50+ Millennium Hotels & Resorts mostly in the USA, Europe, the Far East, Middle East and New Zealand.
Minotel	Contact hotels individually	Swiss brand of "moderate First Class" hotels in 33 countries.
Mint Hotel	Contact hotels individually	Formerly called "City Inn", this small chain of modern city centre hotels in London (2), Bristol, Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester and Leeds, rebranded in Nov 2010.
Mövenpick	020 7690 0609	Swiss hotel brand with 95+ "upscale" business & leisure hotels in 26 countries in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
Novotel	0870 609 0962
Oberoi	00 800 1234 0101	17 luxurious hotels and resorts, many of them former palaces, throughout India, plus single properties in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Mauritius, Bali & Lombok. They also have two Nile cruise ships and one in Kerela.
Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts	0800 169 6128	35+ individual and upmarket hotels in key cities worldwide such as Bangkok, Beijing, Berlin, Amsterdam, Dublin, Budapest, Tel Aviv and Sao Paulo. In London they recently (Feb 2010) opened the 1,000-room Park Plaza Westminster Bridge London, one of the largest new hotel developments in Europe. It also has a sub-brand Art'otel (See Art Hotels list)
Preferred Hotels & Resorts	00 800 3237 5001
Premier Inn	0871 527 8000	580+ budget hotels in the UK & Ireland. This is the Lenny Henry brand.
Pullman Hotels & Resorts		An Accor brand. Expanding (60 by end of 2010) upmarket 4/5-star business hotels in business district locations in regional and international capitals around the world.
QHotels	0845 074 0052	A collection of 21 individual four-star hotels in country and city locations throughout the UK.
Radisson Blu	0800 3333 3333	158+ Chic & stylish luxury hotels, usually in historic city centre locations (See the lobby of the Berlin Rad Blu as an example of their design conscious style - ed). This is the Radisson hotel brand outside the USA & Canada, licensed and operated by the Rezidor group. It used to be called "Radisson SAS"
Radisson Edwardian	0800 374411	UK-only brand of Radisson hotels.
Raffles Hotels & Resorts	Contact hotels individually	Small chain of nine luxurious hotels mostly in the Far East and Indian Ocean taking their name from the flaghship hotel in Singapore. A Fairmont brand.
Ramada Jarvis	0844 815 9095	Over 40 mid-range hotels across the UK, half of them with health clubs. 15 of them offer Sebastian Coe Health Clubs with a fully equipped gym, sauna, spa bath, steam room and indoor heated pool. They have BT Openzone in the rooms, and public-access wireless broadband in the public areas.
Red Carnation	Contact hotels individually	Luxury 4&5 star collection of family-run boutique hotels in London, UK, South Africa, Geneva and Palm Beach.
Renaissance Hotels	0800 221 222
Regent International	20 8795 2608	Established upmarket hotel brand with 16 properties mostly in the Far East.
Relais & Chateaux	0800 2000 00 02	Well known luxury brand with landmark properties all over the world.
Ritz Carlton	0800 856 8000
Rocco Forte Hotels	Contact hotels individually	Thirteen luxury city centre hotels in Europe and the Middle East, with more on the way.
Sheraton	0800 353 535	One of the longest-standing international hotel brands with over 400 hotels and resorts in 70 countries worldwide. Part of the Starwood group.
Sofitel	020 8283 4570	130+ luxury business & leisure properties around the world. An Accor brand.
Soho House	Contact hotels individually	Soho House was founded in London, in 1995, as a private members’ club for those in film, media and creative industries. Now the group includes restaurants, spas and club hotels in the UK (4), Europe (1) and the US (2).
Steigenberger	+49 (0) 69 665 6401	German chain of 35 mostly traditional hotels that has expanded to Austria (4), Switzerland (3), Holland (1), and Egypt (4)
Summit Hotels	020 8604 2005	More than 135 hotels and resorts in over 40 countries around the world - a mix of city centre business hotels & country
Swissôtel	0800 637 94771	International chain of 'highly polished', modern, deluxe business & leisure hotels and resorts.
Thistle	n/k *	33 mid-range hotels across the UK (not N. Ireland) plus 2 in Malaysia and one in Shanghai. That's because the Shanghai hotel is part of the Guoman Collection (of luxury hotels) and Guoman (owned by a Singapore investment company) is the parent of Thistle.
Travelodge	n/k *	High quality budget hotels. Travelodge has 452 of them across the UK, Ireland and Spain.
Virgin Hotels	0800 716919
Von Essen Hotels	01761 241023	Private collection of individual country house hotels in the UK and France.
Westin Hotels & Resorts	n/k *	Upmarket Starwood brand, famous for innovations like its 'Heavenly® Bed', with 160+ hotels and resorts worldwide. Slow, non-user-friendly website.
Warwick International	00 33 1 45 61 82 42	Started with the Warwick Hotel in New York in the eighties. Now they have over 40 city hotels and resorts worldwide in Austria, Belgium, China, Fiji Islands, France, Bali, Italy, Czech Republic, Germany, Sweden, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, UK, USA, Tahiti, Thailand, Netherlands and Vanuatu.
Wyndham	020 8350 1001	Wyndham claims to be world’s largest hotel company based on number of hotels. They offer "upscale" hotels and resorts throughout the United States, Europe, Canada, Mexico, China and the Caribbean.
Zuri Hotels		Small chain of six luxury resort hotels, four of them in India (Bangalore, Goa & Kerala), one in Kenya and one, The Liner, in Liverpool.
* n/k = Not Keen You could maybe find a phone number if you delved deep into their website, but it's obvious they'd prefer you to book or query online! I think this is bad practise.

Notes

• Chapter Hotels are a newish hotel brand in the UK from the Swire group. The idea is to put contemporary hotels in traditional buildings and central locations in UK towns and cities. There are two so far, in Exeter and Cheltenham.
• The Register is a guide to UK hotels with ABTA, the British Hospitality Association, and National Tourist Boards as Associate Publishers. Refreshingly - like Travel-Lists - it is one of the few places on the Internet where you can research accommodation that they are NOT trying to sell.
• Dakota opened its first hotel on the outskirts of Nottingham in July 04. That one has gone but there are two stylish Dakotas in Scotland.
• Abode Hotels is a cool UK hotel chain launched (Jan 06) by the chef at Gidleigh Park in Devon (2-star Michelin), Michael Caines and hotelier Andrew Brownsword. With four hotels, it falls just short of the threshold for the above list.
• Likewise, The Eton Collection which owns and operates five luxury boutique hotels in the UK falls just outside the parameters for this list.
• ...As does Bridgehouse Hotels with four country house hotels in England.
• ...Likewise Tomahawk Hotels whose 'thing' is to take grand old buildings and renovate them into stylish new upmarket hotels. They have three in Leeds, Sheffield and Bradford.
• ...Likewise Pantin Hotels who have one stylish modern hotel in Leeds, to be joined by a second in 2009, have plans for a small chain of boutique hotels. They've just taken on chef Albert Roux to oversee their menus and their founder is David Pantin, former Managing Director of Rocco Forte Hotels and Chairman of Dawnay Shore Hotels Plc.
• ...Do I detect a trend? Is it time for a new list? A.
• And another. nitenite cityhotels, launched in 2006, is a new generation of budget hotels for cost-conscious travellers who don’t always need views or lots of space. (So the 104 compact rooms in their first property, the nitnite Birmingham, have high-tech electronics and stylish furnishings but only 7 sq metres of space and no windows). nitenite plans to launch 30 hotels in the next five years in the UK and Ireland, Europe, USA, Canada and Argentina.
• Tune Hotels are an expanding Malaysian brand with seven hotels in Malaysia, one in Bali and one in London (Westminster). The concept is budget hotel with upmarket facilities and high quality beds.