Hoteliers and Hotels: Case Studies in the Growth and Development of U.K. Hotel Companies 1945-1989

The aim of this thesis is to establish the characteristic features of hoteliers and hotels in the main sectors of the U.K. hotel industry, and to demonstrate, through case studies, patterns of growth, development and performance in hotel companies in the period 1945 - 1989. The year 1945, which marked the end of the Second World War, is a natural start point for such a work whilst by 1989 the U.K. hotel industry had established a standard of hospitality combined with general management skills at least equal to and in many cases superior to that offered on the Continent of Europe and throughout the New World. Subsequent to outlining the economic context of the industry in the introductory chapter, the thesis demonstrates the growth and development of the industry by charting the progress of twelve separate hotel companies. These are divided into three groups - hotels in the independent sector, hotel companies which operate throughout the U.K. and whose basis for growth has been the underlying asset value of their property portfolio linked to their ability to operate in a specialised retail environment and hotel companies which have grown principally as a result of international expansion and diversification. The final chapter is directed towards an evaluation of the case studies and to factors which have been central to the growth and development of each company