Conceptualising Transnational Hotel Chain Penetration in Bulgaria

This book chapter addresses the decision-making processes that international hotel corporations engage in during their expansion procedures, and focusses on the entry and presence of these corporations in Bulgaria. Our findings show that country- and firm-specific factors play little role in the presence of these organisations in the country. On the contrary, it appears that potential tokenism exists in the selection of Bulgaria as a host destination, with major hotel corporations each being represented by only one or two affiliated properties in the country. This raises the question as to whether these corporations enter Bulgaria in search of expansion opportunities and to offer a greater choice of destinations for their customers, or because they are pursuing their own globalization agenda for achieving wide geographic presence regardless of the destinations entered. This chapter also shows that the chains and their partners have a strong preference for non-equity entry modes (franchise, marketing consortium and management contract). Most affiliated properties have a large number of rooms and are located in urban or seaside areas