Hotels are an interesting product in our built environment, at once a commodity (everyone needs a place to stay when away from home) but subject perhaps to more attempts at differentiation than any other form of built product.
Facility Ownership - The attempts at differentiation start with the wide variation in ownership structure - from typical transient room rental to timesharing, fractional ownership, and condotel formats.
Cost to the Guest - Differentiation is quite distinct in the lodging industry, for the cost and related facility quality to the guest - including budget, economy, and luxury categories.
Categories of Essential Use - Hoteliers have also created different categories of use - including business-oriented hotels, airport hotels, extended-stay hotels, convention hotels, destination resort hotels, among other categories.
Branding - Within these continuing refinements in means of facility ownership, guest pricing, and essential facility use, hotel companies have devised distinct branded products that cater to what they believe will be desirable product configuration for their guests. Most major hotel companies today have as many as a dozen branded products offered to guests.
