OAK BROOK, Ill. | HOTELS Magazine (hotelsmag.com) announces the 39th year of HOTELS’ 325, the most comprehensive ranking of the world’s largest hotel companies.

This signature feature of the global hospitality industry’s leading publication has long served as a key reference for hoteliers, developers, investors and media worldwide.

In addition to ranking the 300 largest hotel companies and the 25 largest hotel sales and marketing consortia by number of rooms, this annual feature in the magazine’s July issue includes breakout information such as top hotel brands, top hotel management companies and top franchisors.

New in 2009, HOTELS’ 325 will have a robust Web presence on hotelsmag.com, including the ability to sort rankings and regional tables, plus specific focus on companies that grew through 2008 despite the economic downturn.

“The staff of HOTELS Magazine is passionate about our mission of serving the information needs of the global hospitality industry,” says Derek Gale, senior editor and HOTELS’ 325 director. “We continue to work across platforms to bring insightful information and meaningful content to our diverse audience.”

With that in mind, HOTELS also will use its social media presence (Find the brand on Twitter and LinkedIn) to discuss and link to the HOTELS’ 325 Web content.

Methodology:

Data for HOTELS’ 325 is gathered through an online survey completed by hotel company executives. These individuals are asked to report the number of rooms and number of hotels companywide as of December 31, 2008. HOTELS estimates these numbers for companies that do not respond through the use of public information, hospitality industry sources and previous survey data.

About HOTELS Magazine: HOTELS Magazine, a Reed Business Information publication distributed in some 170 countries worldwide, is the only brand that provides the total information package needed to succeed in today’s global hotel marketplace: crucial news and finance stories; worldwide hotel project development; and trends in hotel design, operations and foodservice that transcend national boundaries and can be applied throughout the world. It is published 12 times per year and can be found online at and on Twitter: @hotelsmagazine.