The factors influencing the decision on the location of hotels depending on their size in Poland

The paper focuses on the relationship between a hotel location and its size in independent hotels operating in Poland. The aim of the article was to indicate the most important factors determining the location of newly built hotels in Poland, depending on their size. The spatial scope of the research included the area of south-western Poland, i.e. the provinces of Lower Silesia, Opole, and Silesia, diverse in terms of cultural, social, economic, and natural conditions, and characterized by different attractiveness as tourist destinations. The time range of the statistical data analysis covered the years of 2000-2009. In the initial phase, the authors applied the deductive method to perform literature analysis, and the diagnostic survey method with the questionnaire technique to identify the most important hotel location factors. Secondly, a quantitative analysis was performed to indicate the most significant factors determining the location of independent hotels in Poland, conditioned by the hotel size. The results of the study indicate clearly that there are differences in the location factors for independent hotels, conditioned by their size. The location of small hotels depends mostly on the communication availability, investment incentives, and tourist attractions. The location of medium and large hotels is mainly related to land prices and the presence of anthropogenic tourist attractions. The results can contribute to a better understanding of the motives of investors selecting a location and may have implications for economic policies, since they can focus local and regional authorities' attention on important determinants of reception areas investment attractiveness. The research should be extended in the future to include other hotel features, such as the degree of integration with other business entities, standard, organizational form, or capital origin.