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Hotels and Truck Stops: More Related Than You Think

Last week we ran a piece about how hotel brands have trouble enforcing consistency across their hotels in different cities and countries. No wonder, since most of them are owned by investment companies, not the hotel brands themselves. The buildings are just investment chips to be moved around and traded by a real estate holding company.

Witness today's news that Hospitality Properties Trust is buying TravelCenters of America Inc., which operates food and service stations along highways, for about $1.9 billion. If you've pulled into a truck stop to get a greasy burger and a John Deere hat with your gas fill-up, you've seen their hospitality in action.

But back to the hotels. A description from their stock profile gives us a look at why it's no big deal when a building takes down a Marriott sign and puts up a Crowne Plaza one:

Hospitality Properties Trust (HPT) is a real estate investment trust that invests in hotels. The properties are operated by companies unaffiliated with HPT: Host Marriott Corporation (Host); Marriott International, Inc. (Marriott); InterContinental Hotels Group, plc (InterContinental); Barcelo Crestline Corporation; Global Hyatt Corporation (Hyatt); Carlson Hotels Worldwide (Carlson), and BRE/Homestead Village LLC (Homestead).

Basically, a whole bunch of hotels. You probably passed at least two of these on your way to work today.

So in the future, if you stop in to a truck stop on your way to the InterContinental, your money might be going to the same place in each case. Kind of makes us feel even better about avoiding the minibar and buying a six pack at the convenience store.

Image via Dosik/Flickr

Related Stories:
· HPT to Acquire TravelCenters of America [Hospitality Properties Trust]
· Hotel Brands Striving for Consistency and Flat-Screen TVs [HotelChatter]