If, as they say, knowledge is power, you're holding considerable power in your hands. Lodging Hospitality's annual Top of The Top report is a who's who of the key firms in the hotel industry. It's a handy reference guide if you're looking to build or buy a new lodging property, as it lists the biggest chains, the largest management companies and the key design and purchasing firms serving the hotel business.

The editors of Lodging Hospitality survey the brands, management firms, architects, designers and ownership groups to determine our industry who's who. To compile the lists, we solicit information from hundreds of hotel and vendor companies to pinpoint the leaders in the field. We publish the lists in both our March 1 and December issues and post them online at www.LHonline.com

The Top Brands report lists the 50 largest (by number of rooms) brand-name chains operating in the U.S. Likewise, the Top Management Companies report covers the 50 largest companies (also by room count) that operate hotel properties under names and brands other than their own. Other reports in the section cover Hospitality Designers, Purchasing Giants and Owners & Developers.

Please contact Editor Ed Watkins at Ed.Watkins@penton.com if you have any questions about the report or if you know of any important companies we may have missed in our coverage.